Eight Seconds to Outrage
by Ranty Em | Published February 23, 2021
We need to stop conflating Jews with Israeli policy. We need to stop conflating bad jokes with bigotry, too.
On Monday, I saw an outrage post in one of my Facebook groups, calling for the boycott of Saturday Night Live, because of an “Antisemitic comment” Michael Che made on-air.
Reluctantly, I clicked the link to see what he said since I hadn’t yet watched the episode.
Here is Michael Che’s joke:
“Israel is reporting that they vaccinated half of their population,” said Che, the show’s co-head writer, “and I’m going to guess it’s the Jewish half.”
My gut reaction? The 8-second segment made me cringe a bit but didn’t warrant the level of backlash. But I also recognize that my perception might have been different if I’d seen the clip before seeing the ALL CAPS comments, demanding Che’s resignation. It didn’t seem that what Che said was hitting on the issue. It seemed like the symptom of a legitimate issue but not the issue itself.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized this situation touches on several issues I think about regularly. In part, it is about Antisemitic tropes. But it’s also about the need for context and education. It’s about whether we should hold comedic material to the same standards as personal statements from public figures. And it’s most definitely about subverting the progress we want by reacting first.
You can’t communicate nuance in eight seconds, especially when you're dealing with a complex topic.
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Now You Know Why I’m Writing This. Here’s the What.
Was Michael Che’s Joke Antisemitic?
No, not really. Not if you define Antisemitism as Anti-Jewish and believe that context, impact, AND intent are part of a critical analysis. Does it play off of Antisemitic tropes? Yes. When you conflate Israeli policies with the Jewish people, that seemingly holds the world’s Jews responsible for policies that are out of our control. We are not synonymous and using us interchangeably is problematic and dangerous.
Spoiler alert: You can be a Jewish person who supports Israel’s right to exist but who also fervently disagrees with Israeli policy. (Kind of like how most Americans support America but disapprove of the policies set forth by their political party’s opposition.)
It’s worth noting that a lot of people disagree with me and find it inappropriate for Jews to be the punchline in these types of jokes because so much of Anti-Jewish rhetoric is rooted in conspiracy theories. It does differ from how we think of bigotry by attributing conspiratorial levels of power with Jews, the idea that we operate in secret and have significant control over the world proliferates throughout the mainstream. In a time where Antisemitism is at an all-time high, it is no surprise that many Jewish organizations and leaders have called for SNL and Che to apologize.
It is certainly more reasonable than demanding Che be fired, but satirical comedy often offends the group targeted by the joke. Is it reasonable to demand apologies only when something with which we feel a connection is targeted? Is demanding an insincere apology going to contextualize why this joke played off of problematic tropes so that behaviors change?
Should Comedic Material Be Held to the Same Standard as Personal Statements?
No. (I wanted to leave this section as a one-word answer, but if I advocate for context, yada yada yada…)
No topic should be off limits for comedians. There’s no such thing as ‘too soon.’ Research tells us time and time again that humor is a coping mechanism. It certainly is for me. Historically, topical satire comedy has been a contributor for positive social change. Context matters. Generally, a joke itself isn’t offensive. If a comedian is racist and makes a racist joke, it’s the racist person that’s offensive. If a comedian satirizes racism with a satirical racist joke, the material could be very similar, but the context around its intent changes the message. Context matters.
This doesn’t mean you can’t be offended by a joke or find a topic to be too severe for comedy. Everyone is entitled to their feelings. They just aren’t necessarily entitled to an apology about it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Was There Truth to Michael Che’s Joke?
Yes and no. The historical context around Israelis and Palestinians is too much to cover in this blog. But let’s hit on a couple of points.
Israel’s population is diverse, and its government is responsible for its citizens that live within the State, regardless of religion, ethnic background, etc. According to the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is responsible for public health in the West Bank and Gaza Strip “under the principles of self-determination.”
Reuters reported that the PA has accused the Israeli government of delaying the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines into Gaza. It’s disgraceful, and while the reason for the hold-up is unclear, as of February 17 (three days before Che’s joke aired live) it has been reported that those vaccines have finally made their way to Gaza.
Although Israel is technically not responsible for the health of Palestinian territories, the tensions between the two hurt citizens and people in need. We need to urge Israel to cooperate with the PA to help ensure access to the vaccines. Organizations like the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) is a reputable and valuable nonprofit dedicated to fostering collaboration and peace between Israelis and Palestinians. If this issue concerns you as it does me, consider looking into the work they do and contributing to the cause.
Back to Michael Che’s joke. Look, you can’t communicate nuance in eight seconds. It’s easy to see why Jews cringed at the punchline, but it’s also clear that Che’s message was not about the Jewish people and was about the Israeli government. That said, he got some things wrong, and there is harm in conflating Jewish people with Israeli policy. In the end, I’m not going to hold it against him. I hope those calling for his apology will be open to educating him on these tropes because an apology doesn’t move the needle. Better understanding of a complex issue might.
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