Yom Kippur offered no respite from work, although it's not really supposed to.
I would also love to do a Freudian/Oedipal interpretation of The Jazz Singer. Shit's crazy: Jakie and his mom basically have sex via music (just like in Thomas Mann!). When this is going on, the father intrudes upon the scene. An interesting shot follows as the camera remains focused on the father's face. What is he thinking? Keeping in mind that the father doesn't know it's his son playing the piano with his wife, the father could very well see this as adulterous flirtation. Jakie and his mother also kiss on the mouth, which may be seen as familial/platonic in the social context of the sixties, but nowadays: that shit's sexual.
I also like the scene where Jakie is confronted during rehearsal about the synagogue needing a cantor on Yom Kippur. Jackie beats his breast while claiming that show-business is a religion of its own (on Yom Kippur, during selichot, it is proper to beat one's breast).
There are also multiple instances of both Jakie and his mother looking at pictures of one another and being reminded of how much they love each other. Creepy.
The movie fucking rules.
9/29/09
8/27/09
Bernard Lewis is a bamf.
"Imperialism, Sexism and racism are words of Western coinage, not because the West invented these evils, which are alas universal, but because the West recognized and named and condemned them as evils and struggled mightily - and not entirely in vain - to weaken their hold and to help their victims. If, to borrow a phrase, Western culture does indeed "go," imperialism, sexism and racism will not got with it. More likely casualties will be the freedom to denounce them and the effort to end them" (Cultures in Conflict 79).
"Imperialism, Sexism and racism are words of Western coinage, not because the West invented these evils, which are alas universal, but because the West recognized and named and condemned them as evils and struggled mightily - and not entirely in vain - to weaken their hold and to help their victims. If, to borrow a phrase, Western culture does indeed "go," imperialism, sexism and racism will not got with it. More likely casualties will be the freedom to denounce them and the effort to end them" (Cultures in Conflict 79).
8/17/09
Rethinking Kippot
I recently changed my mind about wearing kippot. I used to believe that I should never wear them because I don't believe in god (I don't even capitalize the "g" or do that lame dash thing because spelling his name out completely is blasphemous) and wearing a kippah would mean showing my fealty to an entity I don't believe in or care about respecting. But if someone is so offended by my yarmulke-lessness presence in their place of worship, then I will go ahead and don the silly hat because what do I have to lose? I don't care if people see me wearing it and assume I believe in god, because I just don't care what people think about my beliefs because they're personal. I do care enough, however, to not offend anyone in that way. Or should I take the stance that they shouldn't be offended by my uncovered head in the first place?
8/16/09
Six Feet Under Is The Best Show Ever
It has a 9.3 out of 10 on IMDb after over 15,000 votes! It is kinda depressing, being about death and all, but it's still life affirming. That positive attitude is conveyed by Nate Fisher, who dies fairly young at age 40. But the other characters obviously convey their own philosophies about life and death which really encompass every possible angle.
Another really interesting character is Olivier Castro-Staal, who is reminiscent of Thomas Mann's Tonio Kröger, meaning that he's full of combination of many different attributes. He's bisexual, like Kröger; he speaks German and French (and probably Spanish, too); he's a mulatto; he's an artist, but also becomes a professor because he needs a job, so he's searching for a balance between the aesthetic life and the professional.
Eff yeah.
Another really interesting character is Olivier Castro-Staal, who is reminiscent of Thomas Mann's Tonio Kröger, meaning that he's full of combination of many different attributes. He's bisexual, like Kröger; he speaks German and French (and probably Spanish, too); he's a mulatto; he's an artist, but also becomes a professor because he needs a job, so he's searching for a balance between the aesthetic life and the professional.
Eff yeah.
8/12/09
Progressiveness Is Relative
I've always considered that defining "liberal" was dependent upon one's geographic location or socio-economic position. The other day, I was listening to a radio station that branded itself as "progressive," and they had a guest on the air who proceeded to criticize Israel in myriad ways. Being "progressive" or "liberal" in America usually entails siding against Israel and being very critical of that nation.
On the other hand, though, I think the "liberals" and "progressives" in the MIddle East are people who probably respect Israel's right to exist and maybe even praise the country for some of the things it has done. Take homosexuality for example. "Here's one thing the Jewish nation got right," the "liberals" in The West Bank or Syria might say. "Sure, there was Deir Yessin, (by the way, there were Palestinian reprisals as violent as Deir Yessin that you haven't heard about) but do the Israelis murder gays in 'honor killings'?"
The "progressives" in Jordan might say, "well, they also treat their women fair; they can vote and hold political office. Shit, there was a woman prime minister in Israel before there was a female president in America." Remember the Iran Contra affair? The militants, upon capturing the Americans, immediately released the women and the african-americans, because surely they couldn't hold positions of importance. Liberals in America pride themselves on being "colorblind" when it comes to race.
Sure, Israel has done plenty of fucked up shit. Israelis will often be the first to admit that. Israel and Israelis still do some crazy stuff today: maybe if you visit and ride a bus in Jerusalem, an old Hasidic man will yell at you for not dressing modestly, you harlot. And God forbid you go in a synagogue without wearing a kippah. And, after all, there was Deir Yessin.
Some people say that even the formation of Israel and Zionism itself were racist and unlawful. But are Americans allowed to say that? Especially all those "liberals" in California? What about people living in Hawaii? Aren't you all living on stolen ground? How many Indians were murdered in the name of Manifest Destiny? Whose that guy on our twenty dollar bill? Didn't he do some institute some Indian Removal thingy? Do Israelis give Palestinians blankets ridden with disease? Does the IDF actively target civilians like those Hamas guys do?
Do I even have a conclusion? No.
On the other hand, though, I think the "liberals" and "progressives" in the MIddle East are people who probably respect Israel's right to exist and maybe even praise the country for some of the things it has done. Take homosexuality for example. "Here's one thing the Jewish nation got right," the "liberals" in The West Bank or Syria might say. "Sure, there was Deir Yessin, (by the way, there were Palestinian reprisals as violent as Deir Yessin that you haven't heard about) but do the Israelis murder gays in 'honor killings'?"
The "progressives" in Jordan might say, "well, they also treat their women fair; they can vote and hold political office. Shit, there was a woman prime minister in Israel before there was a female president in America." Remember the Iran Contra affair? The militants, upon capturing the Americans, immediately released the women and the african-americans, because surely they couldn't hold positions of importance. Liberals in America pride themselves on being "colorblind" when it comes to race.
Sure, Israel has done plenty of fucked up shit. Israelis will often be the first to admit that. Israel and Israelis still do some crazy stuff today: maybe if you visit and ride a bus in Jerusalem, an old Hasidic man will yell at you for not dressing modestly, you harlot. And God forbid you go in a synagogue without wearing a kippah. And, after all, there was Deir Yessin.
Some people say that even the formation of Israel and Zionism itself were racist and unlawful. But are Americans allowed to say that? Especially all those "liberals" in California? What about people living in Hawaii? Aren't you all living on stolen ground? How many Indians were murdered in the name of Manifest Destiny? Whose that guy on our twenty dollar bill? Didn't he do some institute some Indian Removal thingy? Do Israelis give Palestinians blankets ridden with disease? Does the IDF actively target civilians like those Hamas guys do?
Do I even have a conclusion? No.
7/10/09
My Parents Are Fucked Up
The fam out to lunch today and we somehow started talking about how Australia and France outlawed either the wearing of Islamic Religious Apparel (Hijab, Burqa, etc) or all Religious Clothing. Don't know why I used all those caps. Anywho, my folks were like, "good thing they started cracking down on those crazy Muslims," but I was like, "don't you see how those countries pretty much fucked themselves over by probably angering them even more?" And also how it's a shame that a country which used to be a formal penal colony is not allowing religious freedom and is acting fairly fascist.
My dad starting going off about how Muslims are prone to violence in pretty much every other part but he wondered why they weren't like that in America. So I made the point, or observation, that we don't need crazy Muslims here because we have plenty of crazy Evangelical Christians who murder abortion doctors and we have white supremacists that shoot up Holocaust Museums.
And then I started saying some crazy shit, like how i'm not surprised that muslims today are prone to violence as their religion is young and that it's cyclical how every religion goes through violent phases. When i started talking about christian crusaders riding through jerusalem and lopping off the heads of muslims and jews, my parents were pretty much like "wtf, why are you talking about that? CHRISTIANS DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE [emphasis mine]".
I was just like, "dudes, have you ever heard of the motherfucking KKK?"
THEN I realized my parents also have fucked up notions of freedom. They were telling me this story about a Muslim woman who wanted her driver's license photo taken with her burqa on. They wouldn't let her, so she filed a law suit. She lost. My mom said (and i guess my dad agrees with her), "you can't change the rules, and if you don't like 'em, move somewhere else!"
My response was, "the woman's actions, while albeit stupid, were totally within her rights. we can try to change the laws if we want, no matter how stupid our claims are. But to disallow an ATTEMPT to do something you want is fucked up."
Phew.
My dad starting going off about how Muslims are prone to violence in pretty much every other part but he wondered why they weren't like that in America. So I made the point, or observation, that we don't need crazy Muslims here because we have plenty of crazy Evangelical Christians who murder abortion doctors and we have white supremacists that shoot up Holocaust Museums.
And then I started saying some crazy shit, like how i'm not surprised that muslims today are prone to violence as their religion is young and that it's cyclical how every religion goes through violent phases. When i started talking about christian crusaders riding through jerusalem and lopping off the heads of muslims and jews, my parents were pretty much like "wtf, why are you talking about that? CHRISTIANS DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE [emphasis mine]".
I was just like, "dudes, have you ever heard of the motherfucking KKK?"
THEN I realized my parents also have fucked up notions of freedom. They were telling me this story about a Muslim woman who wanted her driver's license photo taken with her burqa on. They wouldn't let her, so she filed a law suit. She lost. My mom said (and i guess my dad agrees with her), "you can't change the rules, and if you don't like 'em, move somewhere else!"
My response was, "the woman's actions, while albeit stupid, were totally within her rights. we can try to change the laws if we want, no matter how stupid our claims are. But to disallow an ATTEMPT to do something you want is fucked up."
Phew.
Matrilinearity
This sweet article was posted on Jezebel the other day about "half-Jews". My first reaction was, "hey, something I actually give a shit about is on this site." The article cites The Jerusalem Post and talks about how in Israel there is a lot of debate about how one's "Jewishness" is defined. Apparently half of Israel thinks it only matters if one parent is a Jew, either the father or the mother, which goes against the age-old matrilineal (which, according to firefox, I am spelling wrong) qualification.
My thoughts:
I guess I'm technically a half-Jew, father's Jewish, Mother's not. But I've never identified as Half-Jewish, and would honestly agree that there isn't really such thing as a half Jew; I mean, what's the point? Either you're Jewish or you're not. And I'm Jewish. I guess it's kind of insulting to deny my mom's heritage - but she doesn't have much of one. I was raised completely Jewish. Why would I identify as half-Jewish? Why would anyone identify as half-Jewish?
There were a lot of comments by "half-Jews" who say they were denied admittance to Birthright trips, which is really sad, especially since I got to go. There was even a dude on my trip who was Korean and he was adopted by Jewish parents. I'm inclined to believe, then, that Birthright is disqualifying people on the basis of how "Jewish" they were raised, since both Sam and I had had Bar Mitzvahs and the like. Unfortunately, I think Birthright will still give preference to a full-blooded yid over a mischling, despite how "Jewish" or not the upbringing of the former's may have been.
The author of the article also told a story about how a fellow Jew once told her that "It's people like your father who are ruining the Jewish religion". This is fucking preposterous. It would only be a crime if the author's father did not raise her as a Jew. Would the person still pass that asinine judgment if the author's mother were a Jew but the author knew nothing about her religion or heritage or culture?
My thoughts:
I guess I'm technically a half-Jew, father's Jewish, Mother's not. But I've never identified as Half-Jewish, and would honestly agree that there isn't really such thing as a half Jew; I mean, what's the point? Either you're Jewish or you're not. And I'm Jewish. I guess it's kind of insulting to deny my mom's heritage - but she doesn't have much of one. I was raised completely Jewish. Why would I identify as half-Jewish? Why would anyone identify as half-Jewish?
There were a lot of comments by "half-Jews" who say they were denied admittance to Birthright trips, which is really sad, especially since I got to go. There was even a dude on my trip who was Korean and he was adopted by Jewish parents. I'm inclined to believe, then, that Birthright is disqualifying people on the basis of how "Jewish" they were raised, since both Sam and I had had Bar Mitzvahs and the like. Unfortunately, I think Birthright will still give preference to a full-blooded yid over a mischling, despite how "Jewish" or not the upbringing of the former's may have been.
The author of the article also told a story about how a fellow Jew once told her that "It's people like your father who are ruining the Jewish religion". This is fucking preposterous. It would only be a crime if the author's father did not raise her as a Jew. Would the person still pass that asinine judgment if the author's mother were a Jew but the author knew nothing about her religion or heritage or culture?
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