Jones and the Jews: You Must be Kidding

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National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones, on "Face the Nation," Oct. 4, 2009.

/ CBS

So a priest, a minister and a rabbi - and a general - walk into a bar..."

Another week, another crisis in the latest installment of "Perennially Pissed Off Nation, 2010."

This time the sensitive souls expressing outrage went ballistic over the warm-up joke that the president's National Security adviser made during a presentation to a pro-Israel Washington think tank last week.

Here's a link to the offending clip of General James Jones, trying to do shtick. (OK, I can understand some of the ire; the routine does need a little work.)

In order to set the stage for my remarks I'd just like to tell you a story that I think is true. It happened recently in southern Afghanistan. A member of the Taliban was separated from his fighting party and wandered around for a few days in the desert, lost, out of food, no water. And he looked on the horizon and he saw what looked like a little shack and he walked towards that shack. And as he got to it, it turned out it was a little store own by a Jewish merchant. And the Taliban warrior went up to him and said, 'I need water, give me some water.' And the merchant said, 'I'm sorry, I don't have any water but would you like a tie. We have a nice sale of ties today.'"

"Whereupon the Taliban erupted into a stream of language that I can't repeat, about Israel, about Jewish people, about the man himself, about his family, and just said, 'I need water, you try to sell me ties, you people don't get it.' The merchant stood there until the Taliban was through with his diatribe and said, 'Well I'm sorry I don't have water for you and I forgive you for all of the insults you've levied against me, my family, my country. But I will help you out. If you go over that hill and walk about two miles there is a restaurant there and they will have all the water you need.' And the Taliban, instead of saying thanks, still muttering under his breath, disappears over the hill, only to come back an hour later, and walking up to the merchant says, 'You're brother tells me a I need a tie to get into the restaurant.'"

That's it? OK, Henny Youngman, he's not. But we're not talking about the second coming of Haman, either. After reading the reactions to Jones' joke, though, you would have thought that the beleaguered soldier-diplomat had shook up the crowd with a few gratuitous references to Shylock, the Elders of the Protocol of Zion - or, at the very least, a disparaging comment about  my personal hero, Sandy Koufax. Still, more than a few critics projected onto Jones - and by extension, the Obama White House - positions that one normally associates with your garden-variety anti-Semite.

 The most interesting takeaway from this eminently forgettable affair was the reaction from the familiar roster on the right. Turns out that this crew, which can be depended upon to issue scarifying denunciations of political correctness was, well, as priggishly politically correct as their left-wing counterparts. A representative sample:

• Atlas Shrugged: led with the headline "Obama NSA Adviser's Vile Anti-Semetic (sic) Jokes To DC Audience" before going on to blast Obama for his "weakness and partiality to antisemitism."

• Gateway Pundit:"Obama's National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones Ret. cracked a greedy Jew joke during a key note speech at a Washington Institute For Near East Policy last week...it's interesting that the same President that see racism in the legitimate actions of the Cambridge Police and the State of Arizona, hides the anti-Semitic prose of its National Security Adviser."

• Hot Air:"Jones shot himself in the foot with his delivery. Not only did he painfully parse through what should have been a quick joke, but Jones has a particular bias in his political correctness. He carefully uses "Taliban militant" instead of "Muslim terrorist" or just "Muslim," which would make more sense for this joke than setting it in Afghanistan, where Jewish shopkeepers are, needless to say, rare. "
  

• William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection">: "I have no problem with the joke. I think we have to be able to laugh at ourselves, including laughing at stereotypes; in humor we often expose the stereotype rather than build upon it...That said, this is another one of those "can you imagine" moments. Substitute blacks or latinos or gays or almost any other group for Jews, and the joke playing on old stereotypes never would have been told by Jones. And if it were, Jones already would be gone from the administration."

• Andrew Breitbart: Obama's National Security Advisor Tells Joke Depicting Jews as Greedy Merchants."

On and on it went all day as the sharks joined the frenzy. Boy, that was fast. We've already moved on from "Obama is a socialist" to "Obama is a Jew-hater?" The speed of that transition was impressive - even for America, where the half life of political discourse is measured in nanoseconds. I guess you don't need to be a Borscht Belt graduate to learn the lesson of the day: Humor, it seems, depends upon whose ox is being gored. As always.

[nonpolitico]

Have just seen a news item on CBS re smoking.
I was always of the opinion that the USA was a land, (perhaps the only land), where a person has the freedom to do what they like,say what they like, and adopt any lifestyle they liked, so long as they adhered to "American Values".
These values, enshrined in the Constitution, are still a beacon to the world.
Why then is there a government move to inhibit freedom of choice if people choose to smoke??
The vast majority of US Citizens are well able to choose for themselves what habits they will take up...after all, anyone`s lifestyle is theirs alone!
Remember the "Un American Activities Committee"??
Well, it seems that this recent move, restricting freedoms by having State disapproval (A bit like Prohibition), is moving in the same direction.
How dare anyone tell an American, "I don`t think you should do that, I think it is bad for you!" Unless this is friendly advice.
If it is because someone has a view, and wants EVERYONE to agree with it, then we should reflect that the USSR used to do that! We do not expect this kind of intolerance directed against our lifestyles.
If anyone owns a gun, it is protected under the Constitution.
If you smoke, this, as a personal choice is also so protected, for the USA was founded of freedom, and freedom to choose is a basic foundation of that freedom.
So, next time you see smokers (or drinkers or large people) being told they should change their lifestyle,call your representative and protest about this infringement of rights dressed up as "concern for your wellbeing".
Too many Americans have died for freedom to allow a select few bigots to interfere with any lifestyle becasue of disapproval.
Remember, Senator Mc Carthy did similar long ago, and caused lots of damage to our liberty which took a long time to repair!
Liberty is precious, small government desirable, nay essential.
Don`t be fooled, we already have political correctness, impinging on our freedom of speech, stop the rot NOW!!

[ridetheltng]

I totaly agree with you about the whole "SMOKING ISSUE"! I think it's a bunch of nonsence.Besides,no one is forcing "NON-SMOKER'S" to light up,and smoke.We're gonna have to change our U.S motto pretty soon to,"AMERICA,THE LAND OF ONLY AS FREE AS THE GOVERNMENT ALLOW'S YOU TO BE!This whole issue is full of disguised excuses from the government,such as minors obtaining tobaco product's ect.If kids want to smoke,they're gonna find a way to do so,no matter what the government,or anyone else does to try to stop them,because it's been going on for decades,and will continue.The government needs to back off.Enough said.

[nonpolitico]

Wow! Can Americans not take a joke anymore?
What has happened to comedy in the US when jokes are studied FOR POLITICAL CORRECTNESS!!!???
Is nothing exempt from PC??? Even the Freedom of Speech guaranteed in the Constitution??
Q: Is Political Correctness Unconstitutional??

[middleoftheroad]

Why was he giving a presentation to a pro-Israel think tank in the first place? That's the real joke - people fear militant Islam so much, but don't realize the the Jews seem to already own America.

[6591Hou]

A joke is only a joke if both parties think it's funny.

[OldProfessor]

Perhaps the reason the joke was not considered funny: It was too close to the truth?

[Berkeley-SkirtLifter]

General James Jones deserves the ridicule ... it's a crappy joke, not funny.

However, the analysis that this is a "greedy Jew" joke is flat wrong. I see it as a "Jew outta touch with other's needs" joke.

The Jewish community often brings ire on itself by portraying itself as: out of touch with the needs, desires, and political temperature of Gentile communities. Add to this political correctness, overreacting haters, overly sensitive subcultures, and a general state of "thinned skinness" and of course there is a backlash.

Face it ... we are a bunch of thinned skinned wussies. America has become wussified...

[teller31]

Exactly. Everyone has to watch what they say. Free speech??? What is that??

[tsigili]

No matter what anyone says, if it identifies any specific group, someone will take exception to it.

It's too bad that there is no one in the Obama administration that accepts any responsibility to do something about illegal immigration, however. rather they just want to make excuses, and attack those who are willing to stand up and take appropriate action. That is the mark of a coward.

[gonzoberger]

I did this joke as a skit when I was like, 8. That was 33 years ago. Sounds like he needs some fresh material.

[SusanStoHelit]

I'm good for a good joke - but yeah - suggesting that people, identified with any race, would not only take money from a man dying of thirst - but would play a trick to make him walk to someone so superficial that they won't give the water without a pointless tie - not good. Doesn't matter which racial group is used - let alone one with a long history of being discriminated against by people who use stereotypes just like that one.

[davcor2]

Actually this is the second time I've heard this joke in a week. . . Last week I went to play golf with a close friend who is Jewish and he told the same joke. Hey, any demographic that can't laugh at itself, crudeity aside, isn't getting it.