Actress and comedienne Lena Dunham is under fire for a humor piece she wrote for The New Yorker that critics call anti-Semitic. (RELATED: Gawker Thinks It Found Lena Dunham’s Alleged Rapist… And He’s A Democrat)
In the piece, entitled “Dog or Jewish Boyfriend? A Quiz,” Dunham, who is herself Jewish, presents a series of statements and invites readers to guess whether or not she is talking about her dog or Jewish boyfriend. Many of the statements play off of offensive Jewish stereotypes.
- “…he comes from a culture in which mothers focus every ounce of their attention on their offspring and don’t acknowledge their own need for independence as women. They are sucked dry by their children, who ultimately leave them as soon as they find suitable mates.”
- “He doesn’t tip.”
- “He never brings his wallet anywhere.”
- “He has hair all over his body, like most males who share his background.”
- “Every week it’s some new health issue: urine crystals, sprained foot, beef allergy.”
“The piece is particularly troubling because it evokes memories of the ‘No Jews or Dogs Allowed’ signs from our own early history in this country, and also because, in a much more sinister way, many in the Muslim world today hatefully refer to Jews as ‘dogs,'” the Anti-Defamation League said in a press release that blasted the piece as “tasteless.”
Criticism from Twitter users was equally pointed.
@NewYorker, substitute the word "black" for "Jew" in Lena Dunham's "Dog Or Jewish Boyfriend?" quiz, and tell me if you'd still print it.
— H Maryles Shankman (@hmshankman) March 27, 2015
Bigotry isn't what Lena Dunham wrote, bigotry is that this is only accepted when directed at Jews. Satire should be equal-opportunity.
— John Nolte (@NolteNC) March 27, 2015
Bad week for the @NewYorker, first they call a Latino Senator "uppity", then they publish an anti-semitic groaner from Lena Dunham.
— CounterMoonbat (@CounterMoonbat) March 27, 2015
Holy cow is this Lena Dunham NYer Shouts & Murmurs piece anti-Semitic. http://t.co/Qi2MZS7tfM
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) March 27, 2015
Bigotry aside, the worst thing about Dunham’s piece is that its a blatant rip-off of a The Big Bang Theory gag. That’s right, she somehow managed to take a The Big Bang Theory joke and make it less funny.