In his New Biographical Dictionary of Film, British critic David Thomson says of actress Rachel Weisz:
Hahahaha! What a fucking moron! I’d make him Cunt of the Week™ if I weren’t so lazy tonight.
This absurd quote was brought to my attention by an argument on Twitter, in which an Australian film critic kept insisting that Mr. Thomson is trying to give Ms. Weizs a compliment, as opposed to exhibiting any racism.
I jumped into the argument, suggesting that exchanging the word “Episcopalian” for “Jewish” would demonstrate what a preposterous statement it is. Another guy had already asked in exasperation, Why should she have to ‘mask’ her Jewishness in the first place? But the Australian guy wouldn’t budge.
At times like this, I wonder if I’m giving people too much credit for being even moderately sophisticated.
Anyway, David Thomson, what a fucking cunt™ !
David Thomson needs to find even a scrap of intelligence for himself – definitely a cunt. You can imagine him thinking he was being a wit, playing with words but as you’ve rightly pointed out put any religious or cultural definitive of a person instead of Jewish and it still reads the same – arrogant cuntishness of the worst kind
Of all the cants which are canted in this canting world — though the cant of hypocrites may be the worst — the cant of criticism is the most tormenting!
Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) British writer.
Feel free to substitute u for a.
So, why is Rachel Weisz’s religion/culture even worth pointing out at all? Half of Hollywood seems to be of Jewish or part-Jewish descent.
I do wonder if people would have been quite so ready to jump to this idiot’s defence if he’d been running his keyboard about the “Asian-ness” of an actress of East Asian descent, or, well, anything else.
what the fuck does that mean? How could it possibly be a compliment?
Oh dear god, that’s like people that think all blacks are good at sports. I guess they’ve never seen me get hit in the face repeatedly with the a basketball.
See I thought that comment about her was a jab at the Hollywood establishment where actresses are encouraged to become as “All-American” as they can be, i.e. whitewashing. There has been a long history in Hollywood of doing this.
I think I saw a link to this article on Jezebel a few weeks back? Anyways, it’s pretty interesting/depressing: http://www.cracked.com/article_17501_5-celebrity-careers-launched-by-ethnic-makeovers.html
Without knowing the context of the twitter war, I read the comment as a compliment. “She’s smart and proud of being Jewish!”
I, for one, am glad my heritage is associated with mail-order brides than with intellectual fortitude.
There was a huge question mark above my head when I read that. Really? What? It doesn’t even make sense.
I read the comment exactly the same way PP did.
Michelle and PP – A back-handed compliment like saying Obama is “clean and intelligent” is still racist. To even comment on an actress’s Jewishness, unless she herself has made a big think about it, like Barbra Streisand making “Yentl” or something, is racist in my opinion.
Should we refer to Natalie Portman or Wynona Ryder as “those Jewish actresses”, when we don’t identify Kate Winslet by her religion?
i get where he’s coming from, with the (dumb) mindset that certain ethnic backgrounds are likely to be beneficial in specific ways and that pointing out these wonderful stereotypes are compliments. i come from an area chock-full of white guilt so i’ve heard a lot of “compliments” like that.
Should we refer to Natalie Portman or Wynona Ryder as “those Jewish actresses”, when we don’t identify Kate Winslet by her religion?
But *visible* minorities like Asians are fair game, amirite?
tartandtreacly – No, we should not call an actress “Asian Gong Li” but rather “Gong Li.”
But you have called out Asian bloggers for being Asian (despite their ethnicity not having much to do with the content of their blogs) and implicitly condoned negative stereotypes being made about Asian women.
The British critic’s comment may be tin-eared, but being an outspoken Jewish intellectual is nothing to be ashamed of (unless you’re Norman Podhoretz.)
tartandtreacly – Yes, I wrote about Asian Mom Bloggers because I thought they were funny, in the same way I’ve mocked Gnarlitude for being pretentious. The only part of that post I regret is that Bagsnob isn’t actually a Mom Blogger: She doesn’t involve her child at all in her blogging.
I don’t know how to get this message across to you but I will try again: OF COURSE BEING A JEWISH INTELLECTUAL IS NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF! That is why it’s STUPID to praise someone for NOT BEING ASHAMED OF IT.
If you’re angry at me because you think I’m racist toward Asians, just say so and get it over with. Thanks!
But the fact of the matter is that a lot of Jews (and Asians, and Latinos, and African-Americans) in Hollywoodland do consciously or subconsciously whitewash themselves, and it’s refreshing when someone doesn’t.
I don’t think you’re racist, but I don’t think you were disingenuous.
*DO*.
Sister Wolf, you wrote:
“Michelle and PP — A back-handed compliment like saying Obama is “clean and intelligent” is still racist.”
Perhaps you meant to address tartandtreacly’s comment? The comment I was agreeing with was the reading of David Thomson’s comment as a jab at the Hollywood establishment.
Jews are associated with intellectualism just like the Irish are associated with drunkeness. Is it really such a big deal? I don’t think so, and I didn’t think your Asian Mom Bloggers post was racist either, and frankly I don’t see what’s worth getting into a flap about Thompson’s comment either. Everyone here is a cunt if he is.
ALTHOUGH, i will say that i do object to the tone of Thomson’s comment because he sounds like the classic Brit-Twit, dribbling his after-dinner port down his chin and laawfing loudly at the paddies, pakkies and kykes. What a tosser. Maybe that’s why I can’t take his stupid comment seriously. To quote Michael York in Cabaret, “why, you’re as shocking as an after-dinner mint!”
Michelle – Okay, sorry. I disagree with this interpretation though.
annemarie – Blacks are associated with being good dancers. So… “Denzel Washington doesn’t try to make his Blackness or his superior sense of rhythm.”
Racist or just an observation?
I can’t dance worth shit! 🙂
And Jewish people being associate with intellect is nonsense. No group of people, regardless of religion or race are without their fair share of morons.
. . . having said that, I must say Miss Weisz is pretty brilliant. I have found her amazing since I first saw her in Stealing Beauty. And she always offers the odd chuckle in interviews. Definitely a witty woman. But she doesn’t represent an entire group of people. She represents a person. No more than I am represented by President Obama (but, I sure do root for him because I think he’s pretty awesome too).
For the record, I am Irish and not a drunk. That a stereotype about Irish people exists, existed before I was born and will exist long after I’m dead, doesn’t bother me at all. Stereotypes have a purpose- they provide material for late-night bad stand-up comedy and “witty” banter for twats like Thomson.
I don’t think either of you get what I am saying if you read my comment and interpreted it as an endorsement of racial stereotyping. I am acknowledging its existence, not endorsing it.
I won’t elaborate further, but you could re-watch Obama’s speech on race for more detail. Or, indeed, this post here: http://www.godammit.com/2010/01/11/english-motherfucker-do-you-speak-it/#hide
(SW- I hate to write back to this post after the beautiful one about Max you just posted. But this is a big deal to me and I have to defend myself against the insinuation that I’m a racist and don’t know it!! I am so sorry for your loss. A day never goes by when I don’t think about it, but I just don’t know what to say….you’re in my prayers. much love always)
annemarie -“SW- I hate to write back to this post after the beautiful one about Max you just posted. But this is a big deal to me and I have to defend myself….”
This brought back the trauma of people who wrote comments saying “Sorry for your loss but you are a mean bitter old vagina” or variants of Sorry your kid is dead but I have to say that you bla bla bla.”
It is truly and literally sickening to me. Don’t drag Max or my grief into any other discussion of anything. I didn’t call you a racist. I love you annemarie but you are often more impulsive than is best for you.
i am sorry, very sorry.
annemarie – xoxoxoxoxo
Thanks for your comments. I agree with you. I think Thomson is an anti-semite. Not only because of what he says about Rachel Weisz, but check out his comments about Debra Winger and John Garfield.