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Hellooooooo, Jerry: Let's replace Foxman with SeinfeldBy David Suissa
No, seriously
No, seriously.
It's not just because I have a personal weakness for comedians, or that I consider them as indispensable to a healthy society as heart surgeons.
It's also that I believe that comedians, and especially Jewish comedians, have been the most effective warriors against anti-Semitism and bigotry of any kind.
Just on a basic human level, humor is the gift that keeps on giving.
First, few pleasures are greater than a good laugh. After you work your butt off and feed your family and pay your taxes and help the homeless and answer your e-mails, it's not a good pillow you want. It's a good laugh.
Second, humor creates a human connection. This is a very simple idea --- funny people are usually more likeable. Every time I see Mark Schiff or Elon Gold, I want to hug them. There's nothing like a funny friend.
Third, humor disarms people. I might disagree with some of Jon Stewart's political views, but I love the guy. He's smart, and he's hysterical. He's so funny, in fact, that after watching his biting commentary on the news, I often find myself challenging my own views.
That's the thing -- humor makes serious stuff go down better. Why is that important? Because so many of us today are sick and tired of serious stuff. When we think of serious, we don't think of Abe Lincoln, we think of those cardboard characters in Congress who are deadly serious but never get anything done.
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An organization that ferrets out stuff such as anti-Semitism, racism and hatred and delivers this glum news with a kvetching, scolding finger, well, you get the picture -- it's serious on top of serious.
Yet another press release from the ADL announcing that incidents of anti-Semitism and bigotry are up this year might be good for fundraising, but it feels like "been there, done that." It's more likely to get a roll of the eyes.
In a society obsessed with entertainment, you never want people to roll their eyes.
In other words, it's no longer enough to expose diseases such as anti-Semitism and fight them with predictable means. To make a real impact today, you have to do it the Jon Stewart way --- expose it and ridicule it. You have to make fun of the bigots. You have to make anti-Semitism and bigotry the very opposite of cool.
And who better to do that than the coolest humans on the planet -- the comedians?
For the better part of a century, Jewish comedians haven't just fought anti-Semitism, they've created pro-Semitism. By making America laugh so hard for so long, they've shown that it's not just wrong to hate Jews, it's actually cool to love Jews.
If Seinfeld or other comedians are not available, at the very least, the search committee should put "sense of humor" on the job description. While continuing the amazing work it's doing, the ADL ought to add some cutting humor to its body language.
In fact, in searching for future Jewish leaders, maybe every Jewish organization that "sells" Judaism ought to add "sense of humor" to their requirements.
That's assuming they're serious about reaching the next generation, for whom entertainment is not just dessert --- it's the main course.
The legendary Foxman was right for his time, but the Jewish leaders of tomorrow will need to appreciate that they won't win over too many hearts and minds by being overly solemn and serious.
The ADL's slogan, "Imagine a world without hate," will go further in a world with more biting humor.
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David Suissa is the founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a $300 million marketing firm named "Agency of the Year" by USA Today that attracts clients like Heinz, Dole, McDonalds, Princess Cruises, Charles Schwab and Acura. Suissa's writings on advertising have been published in several publications including the Los Angeles Times and Advertising Age. He is also a columnist for the Jewish Journal in Los Angeles.
© 2014, David Suissa | ||||||||||||||||||
