"If We Have a Sense of Humor, I Expect Them to Have One as Well"

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

As a Jew with a pretty solid claim on owning a functional sense of humor, I have to say that Hadar Goldman, co-owner of the Zarmon Goldman advertising agency in Tel Aviv, is being disingenuous. His company's ad, depicting a wild-eyed Arab sheik wailing on a Nissan Tilda for its [theoretical] effect on his bank balance, is over-the-top, over-the-line and not-so-funny. What if an Arabian agency created an ad that portrayed Jews as money-grubbing shysters? "It's a humorous campaign that was loved by both the Jewish and Arab worlds," Nissan spinmeister Daniella Ribenbach told The Jerusalem Post. Uh, we'd like to see some data on that Danny. Meanwhile, "It's my opinion that Nissan made a huge error by igniting these [racist] instincts," official Hani al-Wafa told Saudi Arabian TV. "In order for Nissan to keep its interests in the region, it must apologize." And so it will.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • Rodster205 Rodster205 on Aug 07, 2008
    Freedom of speech, thought and life in general is being emasculated and whisked away each day. The last time I checked these don't exist in Saudi Arabia. Or anywhere else in the world outside the U.S. Or for that matter in the U.S. either any more.
  • Strippo Strippo on Aug 07, 2008
    No one has to take kindly to being made fun of; the offended party can boycott, whine, or express themselves as they please, within the confines of the law. But last time I checked, Strippo was not the U.N. Minister of Privileges, deciding who gets to express themselves & how; I guess, not being Jewish or Arab, I shouldn’t even be commenting on this issue. You seem to have lost sight of the fact that we're talking about a car ad here, the purpose of which is to sell cars, not alienate people in a racially charged part of the world. Freedom of speech has nothing to do with it. Context is everything. Arab entities of far more import routinely portray Jews as that and much worse But (thankfully) "tit for tat" wasn't the explanation given by the ad firm. And it's all the more reason Nissan should have had sense enough not to run the ad in the first place. if this ad is disingenuous, how much more so are those “offended” by it. The ad isn't "disingenuous". It is the notion that Hadar Goldman would readily laugh off an ad from an Arab firm that pokes fun at Jews, as he implies in the quote that gives this post its name, that appears disingenuous. And for the record, I think I would make a damn good UN Minister of Privileges.
  • Kjc117 Kjc117 on Aug 07, 2008

    What is offensive about the commercial? He threw his shoe?

  • Westhighgoalie Westhighgoalie on Aug 08, 2008

    Im not arab or Jewish, I kind of find stereo types funny... ok, they are really funny! but this was over the line and just not funny at all, at least the VW add with the terrorist car bomb made me laugh!! This was over the top, offensive and downright stupid! Im with you Robert, these guys went too far.

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