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Lena Dunham’s ‘Jewish Bf or Dog’ Quiz is Anti-Semitic

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Writer Lena Dunham is facing harsh criticism for an essay she wrote for The New Yorker in which she compares her Jewish boyfriend to her dog.
Jewish comedian Lena Dunham is best known for her HBO show “Girls.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reacted on March 27, to an essay in The New Yorker in which the humorist and writer Lena Dunham quizzes herself on whether she should keep her “Jewish boyfriend” or give him up for her dog. The article, it said, was “tasteless” and “plays with offensive stereotypes” about Jews.

In the quiz, Ms. Dunham ruminates on whether she should give up her Jewish boyfriend for her dog, noting that, among other things, he “doesn’t tip,” “never brings his wallet anywhere” and “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.”

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

Humor is a matter of taste, and people can disagree if it is funny or not.  Some will certainly find offensive Lena Dunham’s stereotypes about cheap Jews offensive. Others will take issue with the very idea of comparing a dog and a Jewish boyfriend.  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.”

We doubt that Ms. Dunham had any intention of evoking such comparisons.  While we understand that humor is its own special brand of expression and always try to give leeway to comedians, we wish that she had chosen another, less insensitive way to publicly reflect on her boyfriend’s virtues and vices.  We are surprised that the New Yorker chose to print it.

CBS said the following about the incident:

Lena Dunham, the creator of HBO’s hit show “Girls,” is facing criticism for an article she penned for the New Yorker magazine.

The article is a quiz entitled “Dog or Jewish Boyfriend.”

It lists a number of statements and asks readers to identify which of the two they refer to.

Among the statements that are drawing criticism are “He doesn’t tip and he never brings his wallet anywhere,” “In fact, he has hair all over his body, like most males who share his background,” “In addition, he is openly hostile toward the Hasidic community, focusing most of his rage on their bulky (but chic) fur hats,” and “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. As a result of this dynamic, he expects to be waited on hand and foot by the women in his life, and anything less than that makes him whiny and distant.”

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