Michael Douglas Cries Halt To
Anti-Semitism
by
R.E. Prindle
 |
| A Disturbed Michael Douglas |
The above
article in Tablet Ezine by Stephanie Butnick refers to a piece printed in the
op-ed columns of the LA Times. Miss
Butnick’s article begins with an interesting quote from the Times piece.
Quote:
While some
Jews believe that not having a Jewish mother makes me not Jewish, I have
learned the hard way that those who hate do not make such fine distinctions.
Unquote.
Perhaps not
but Jewish hates do hence the scorn Michael Douglas receives for trying to ‘pass.’
Actually I’m
more Jewish than MD. My grandmother on
my mother’s side was born Jewish make me technically a Jew. However insofar as churching goes I was
raised Congregationalist, Presbyterian and Methodist with just a tincture of
Catholicism. However since all
religions come from a primitive form of consciousness I choose to live a more
rational live abjuring all religions. I
pity you primitives and that’s not hate, that’s condescension.
The crux of
MD’s story is that he and son Dylan were in a European spa, restaurant, whatever
at which his son was dangling a Magen David prominently. Somebody made a comment. We don’t know whether he was European,
Asian, African or what but I suspect a Moslem of some stripe. Well, OK, but Michael says this represents ‘a
rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe.’
Thus unjustly and wrongly portraying Europeans as anti-Semites while
that ‘hate’ speech most likely came from one of MD’s fellow Semites. A small point perhaps but just let’s set the
record straight. It wasn’t a
European. None of the shooters of late
has been a native of a European country.
To imply otherwise, Michael, might be considered ‘hate’ speech from you. Watch your mouth and your pen. You know what happened to John Galliano and
James Watson. You might never work
again.
To revert to
Michael’s son’s Magen David worn so conspicuously. Let us say Dylan was inviting comment. And like all such symbols as the Magen David
you’re going to get it. It’s just that
way. If Adolf Hitler were with you
wearing a Magen David, Michael, I’m sure he would have received some ‘hate’
speech and you know he wasn’t Jewish.
Just as an
experiment may I suggest that you get a big cross and dangle it to your navel
and see what happens. You’ll learn what
hate speech means and it won’t be because someone thinks you’re Jewish even
though some other Jews think you’re not.
Better yet,
if you’re feeling really brave, hang a swastika over your bullet proof vest and
watch gentle Jews savagely attack you.
Just cry out: Wait, wait. I’m a
pseudo-Jew and see if that stops them.
For a little
light hearted fun put a Confederate flag in your lapel and stroll through
Harlem. You might find that amusing.
Or even put
a medium sized US flag in that same lapel and see what comment that provokes. I guarantee you’re going to hear something
offensive.
So, really,
Michael, if Dylan invites abuse you can’t be astonished if he gets it. All those old symbols are barbaric and
comments should be made. Use your
head. It’s not because you’re Jewish it’s
because you haven’t a clue.
PS: If you want to comment it’ll cost you two
dollars.
I think that I always preferred his dad Kirk Douglas to MD,a much better actor and man all round.I will always remember my folks taking me to see Spartacus when I was ten years old.Ironically its director Stanley Kubrick according to fellow Jewish script writer Frederick Raphael seems to have been ambivalent about his own Jewishness.When working on the script for Kubrick's last movie Eyes Wide Shut where Nicole Kidman exhibits her charms Raphael says that Kubrick ordered him to remove any trace of Jewishness from the script of the novel on which it was based.He also said that Kubrick remarked that Hitler had been right about almost everything which apparently upset Spielberg no end when he heard it making him call Raphael a liar.
ReplyDeleteWell, Roy, religion dating from the period it does must create conflict in anyone with an education. I can understand the Jewish ambivalence which is not uncommon.
ReplyDeleteOf course since 1924 the attitude about Hitler in the West has been controlled by Jews and Communists. Only in the last couple years has a spate of books been issued examining the period from a more objective point of view. Hitler's Revolution by Tedor being a good example. Apparently Hitler offended the international money trust a much or more than the Jews.
Stalin is also emerging as the grey eminence of the period. It seems clear to me at least that he was orchestrating events to benefit Communism. The terms are changing.
Nicole Kidman exhibits charms? I might have to watch the movie.
I was enamored with Kirk as a kid. I still think Kirk Douglas is the greatest assumed stage name of all time. God, why did he have to think of it first. But since I've learned that he was a pretty active Red. He sprung King Toad, Dalton Trumbo from Limbo. I always thought that Trumbo wrote Spartacus. Douglas gave him credit or it. What do you think?
Kubrick generally got the best script writers for his films. He got Vladamir Nabokov to adapt his own novel for his 1962 Lolita film a much superior effort to the Jeremy Irons remake and Terry Southern to write Dr Strangelove.
ReplyDeleteI'm no fan of Dalton Trumbo but he does have a tremendous reputation. Strangelove was a great film, sorry Southern wrote it. Actually, I'm still ambiguous about Strangelove. There's something not quite right that I can't put my finger on.
ReplyDeleteWasn't Spartacus Douglas' movie though? Did he own the script and have Kubrick direct it?
Roy: imdb gives writing credits to Trumbo and Howard Fast. Fast wrote the book.
ReplyDeleteYou are right .It was basically Douglas' movie. He started with Anthony Mann as director then fired him and replaced him with Kubrick.Kubrick had earlier directed Douglas in the World War 1 movie Paths Of Glory so they must have got on together.
ReplyDeleteKirk Douglas wrote an excellent autobiography. If I remember correctly for his first role, or starring role anyway, a boxing movie, I forget what, Kubrick and an associate interviewed Douglas for the role. Kubrick and this other fellows were homosexuals, I might be reading something into it but I had the notion that Douglas got up on the casting couch for the role. So maybe they did get along together. On the other hand perhaps Douglas found a way to humiliate Kubrick. In a spare moment the notion might be worth pursuing.
ReplyDelete