Thursday, October 14, 2010

"The Good Wife" discusses: Hamas, the Gaza flotilla, the cultural boycott of Israel...

Thanks to Noa, who alerted me to this. I had not seen "The Good Wife" previously, but now I am going to start watching this series. You've gotta see this episode (broadcast on October 12).

A macher in the gay community who also happens to be Jewish causes a big drop in donations to Peter's Attorney General campaign. Not, as it turns out, because Peter's brother-in-law said (it was a joke) that Peter was homophobic, but because Peter was photographed carrying a copy of Jimmy Carter's book, Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid. Peter is forced by his campaign aide to host the potential Jewish donor at a Yom Kippur dinner, where he will be expected to give his mea culpas and to proclaim his undying support for Israel.

At the dinner Peter and his aide express their 1000% support for Israel, the cultural boycott (Elvis Costello, The Pixies) of Israel is mentioned as a terrible thing. Then, Peter and Alicia's daughter reveals that the book was in fact hers, and she proceeds to argue with the Jewish (potential) donor, and criticizes the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla.

What is interesting is that Peter and Alicia don't chide or shut up their daughter (probably they don't agree with her). Her position, critical of Israel and sympathetic to the plight of Palestinians, is not punished. It is permitted, and not contested. Moreover, the Jewish guy is made to seem rather creepy and small-minded for going after Peter for simply carrying a book--which turned out not to be his in any case.

Rather remarkable for US television.

No comments: