So what do you do if you’re a Jewish cartoonist in Israel and the following happens:
a. A Danish newspaper commissions artists to draw editorial cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad, and said cartoons set off a furor in the Muslim world.
b. Iran responds to said furor by putting out a call for anti-Semitic cartoons about the Holocaust. (Sure, that’s a non sequitur of a response to the Danish cartoons, but what the heck.)
Amitai Sandy, a 29-year-old graphic artist and comic-book publisher in Tel Aviv, came up with the following solution: a new anti-Semitic cartoon contest, with the submissions drawn by Jews themselves.
“We’ll show the world we can do the best, sharpest, most offensive Jew hating cartoons ever published!” Sandy said. “No Iranian will beat us on our home turf!”
This is reminiscent of how Planned Parenthood responds to abortion-clinic protestors: by soliciting donations based on how many protestors show up. Here’s a link to the Israeli anti-Semitic cartoon contest website; here’s a Reuters article about the contest. (Thanks to Michael Fried for the tip.)
For what it’s worth, I’d like to take this opportunity to commend the commentors on the previous post, about women’s hockey and BMI: there was plenty of disagreement but, goodness, it was handled civilly. May we all move forward in the same spirit.
8 Comments
I think the irony is too much. A group of folks who are stereotypically self-deprecating launching their own loathing contest.
Just remember, beware anyone without a sense of humor.
— CitizenDeuxI love it! However, this brings to mind that even we Jews are not immune from publishing (non-ironic) anti-Semitic cartoons. For example, See the cartoons reprinted in Norah Efron’s book “Real Jews” which describes the friction between secular and Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews in Israel.
— babble[...] Hat tip: Freakonomics blog [...]
— Agora :: I bet you can’t do better than THAT! :: February :: 2006To build on the work of CitizenDeux:
A group of folks who are stereotypically self-depreciating AND depreciated…
I only hope they’re kind enough to send their comics to Iran; lord knows they could use a few laughs.
— econopeteBack when I was working as a management consultant I made a point of knowing *all* the management consulting jokes.
— LarsThere is nothing like self-effacing humour to defuse a situation.
[...] Reuters story here. Curtsy: Freakonomics Blog and Hit and Run. [...]
— Alas, a blog » Blog Archive » I am so going to enter this contest!I see a TV station in New Zealand has drawn ire from the Catholic Church for intending to screen the South Park ‘Virgin Mary’ episode.
The Catholic church could take a tip from their Jewish friends in how to deal with antagonism. What would be an appropriately ironic response? South Park themed ecclesiastical robes?
— Lobes[...] Ok, so those anti-muslim cartoons got some of those guys angry, so the muslems make some anti-semitic cartoons (cause they are totally to blame for the first thing, you see), and then the jews, well, make some anti-semitic cartoons of their own. Seriously, I mean, awesome. posted on 17 Feb 06 and filed in shorties, politics | [...]
— Jews rock at {high quality noise}