Wednesday, July 07, 2004

The House of Hock points out that Brando's accusations weren't far off: Jews do run Hollywood, and outside the whining nebbish, there aren't many Jewish stereotypes (especially the classic ones). Of course, Brando was nuts, obsessed with the Indians and feeling Hollywood was out to get them and racial minorities in general (maybe in the fifties, but not for many years). And then you read this (no mention of Star Trek, alas), and you start to wonder if Brando had a point:

Mr. MacFarlane describes himself as "an equal opportunity offender," and the series seems to take special pleasure in ridiculing Protestants, Roman Catholics, Jews, blacks, gays, feminists, Arabs, Europeans - just about everyone. Everything is also grist for the show: minority quotas, disability claims, Aunt Jemima, sexual harassment.

But then,
Although Fox programming practices executives are constantly negotiating with Mr. MacFarlane and his staff over the show's language, taste and subjects, only one episode, "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein," was killed by the network. In it Peter, a beer-swilling, porno-loving loser, decides that to make money, he has to kidnap a Jewish man and force him to act as his adviser because Jews are so smart.


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