The Atlantic - Latest Comments in A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Hanan Kolko — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 20:41:07 -0000

Lou Reed, and the guys from Kiss.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

dana — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:44:24 -0000

If we're allowed fictional characters, Ari Gold from Entourage. Hug it out, bitch.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Sorn — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:16:59 -0000

Plus he was Iago in one of the greatest movies ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuTXgfvhsWo

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Sorn — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:05:58 -0000

If you want to offend people Ariel Sharon wouldn't be a bad choice.

Gilbert Gottfried keeps with the "actors/singers nobody cares about" motif.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Dre — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:34:15 -0000

LEON TROTSKY!

...or Woody Allen: "I am not a self hating Jew! I may hate myself, but its not because I'm Jewish."

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Ben — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:21:19 -0000

Uncle Ebeneezer: I know, I looked it up. Rod Carew isn't actually Jewish. He's a just a very sympathetic fellow traveler. But the average Jewish boy (and some of the girls) in the 70s somehow "knew" that Rod Carew was Jewish, and this fact was really important, for reasons that I won't bother explaining but should be obvious to anyone who thinks about the Woody Allen stereotype and the archetypes of masculinity in the 70s.

Besides, I didn't read anywhere in the ground rules that the spokesperson actually had to be Jewish.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

jr — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:14:04 -0000

Why am I still thinking about this?

When I was a kid, we used to listen to 2 different comedy records (yes, records): Mel Brooks' "The 2000 Year Old Man" and whatever the name of the Richard Pryor record was where he does his white people eating dinner/black people eating dinner routine.

White (jewish)girl thinking to herself; "Who ARE those white people? That black family sounds just like us!"

And of course, Mel Brooks sounded like my relatives, so. . .

No conclusion. Just keeping arguing amongst yourselves.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Rab01 — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:36:15 -0000

Woody Allen had the position but resigned when he started dating Soon-Yi.

If fictional characters, like Lando, are allowed, my personal choice would be David Greene from the movie School Ties. Me and my friends used to joke about how he was "!super jew!" - a character that shows up occasionally in movies (including some wierd ones, like Porky's).

For female nominees, I can't believe no one has named Barbra Streisand. She fits exactly what makes me squirm about so much of my Tribe and there's no way you could beat her away from the microphone if she realized the post was up for grabs.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

EdTheRed — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:54:44 -0000

@brucds: To borrow a phrase from Walter, "Forget it, Newt - you're out of your element!"

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

brucds — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:50:40 -0000

Looks like Billy Dee's position is being challenged by Newt Gingrich:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/12/gingrich-cao-liaison/

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

CitizenE — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:36:54 -0000

A minyon (ten) is the bare necessity--it's in the gamebook--preferably all talking at the same time, some angry, some idealistic, all dirty mouthed, some funny as fuck.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Ropty — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:29:06 -0000

Walter!!! You cannot ignore the passion of a convert. If if he is a fictional convert.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

lizkdc — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:55:54 -0000

Neil Diamond as "The Jazz Singer."

Or Magneto (c'mon, "gypsy" is a retcon. Bryan Singer had it right).

Come to thing of it, Bryan Singer? Isn't it uncool to be a gay, jewish, comic-book loving member of the AV club? Nah, somehow he makes that actually pretty hot.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Dan — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:50:09 -0000

Failing that, I second the nomination for Amy Winehouse.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Dan — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:44:07 -0000

I respectfully nominate the delightful Chinese family that runs Absolute Bagels on the Upper West Side.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

jr — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:05:01 -0000

Didn't you already ask this question?

Jesus isn't a bad idea.

Woody Allen once did fill this slot, I'd say.

Larry David tries to.

Gilbert Gottfried still is my favorite pick. He pisses off everyone.

The Beastie Boys are a close second, as they are as far from the parade of ego-inflated comedic men that are being nominated here.

Jon Stewart?

Nah, on second thought, I'll go with Jesus. Hey, Jesus, what do you think?

"I don't want to touch this with a ten foot pole." Well, that's what Jesus said on South Park some years back. . .

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Breukelyne — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:40:07 -0000

This shiksa seconds the nom for all 3 Beastie Boys.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Colette — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:16:12 -0000

If my white self has to be represented by that John Rich dingleberry (yeah, I looked him up some more), then I insist on an equal level of Jewish self-humiliation. Woody Allen is really the only choice, for all the reasons mentioned previously, but especially for the fact that he has made a large part of his living out of being embarrassed about his own Jewishness. He's been able to wring the maximum possible amount of guilt, squirming, self-betrayal, and sheer creepiness out of it. What's not to love?

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Randall — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:24:47 -0000

Oh, and Lenny Bruce.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Randall — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:08:48 -0000

Karl Marx?

Sigmund Freud?

Albert Einstein?

Henry Kissinger?

Bugsy Siegel?

Steven Spielberg?

Paul Newman?

Bob Dylan?

Franz Kafka?

George Gershwin?

Harry Houdini?

Groucho Marx?

Stan Lee?

Jack Kirby?

Damn. We roll deep. I say we just pick Eric Bana in his role as the most attractive Jew ever in the movie "Munich" and leave it at that.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Jer — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:07:16 -0000

Gramsci: I don't think Lucianne is actually a Jew herself. I think she just married in.

But I like Fran Drescher. Although Sheila Broslofski (Kyle's mom) is the best pick so far, I think.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

MTS — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:42:28 -0000

Roberto may have been onto something with Gabe Kaplan!

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

SeanH — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:11:51 -0000

It has to be Jackie Mason, but since the ladies don't seem to be getting much love I'll nominate Sandra Bernhardt, Barbara Steisand, and Kyle's mon on South Park.

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

Shawn — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:24:12 -0000

If embarassment over being Jewish is a major criterion, then this may be George Allen's big chance at a comeback!

Re: A spokesperson for a people, for a people without a spokesperson

MikeCronin — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:01:01 -0000

Sara Silverman. The Great Shlep wasn't enough you douche nozzles? :P