Poisonous Mutterings

One grumbles about "the Jewish thing," blaming a cabal of Jewish reporters for his bad press. After a chance, late-night encounter in a Paris nightclub, another snarls at people who are or who look Jewish, "I love Hitler!" and, "Your mothers, your forefathers" would all be ‘gassed!' And in Hollywood the third does the guttural throat-clearing pronunciation, mockingly gargling the name ‘Chaim' to insult his Jewish boss. No it is not a sleepover for neo-Nazis. It is three of the highest profile celebrity icons of the modern-era letting us see how close to the surface anti-Semitism can be, even in famous smiley faces.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange went off the tracks in a rambling mid-February phone call with the editor of Private Eye magazine; he was complaining about a story that alleged Assange was pals with a Holocaust denier. Dior chief designer John Galliano just started spewing pro-Hitler, anti-Semitic filth at a nightclub, maybe because he didn't like tourists in his space. Unfortunately for him, one of them caught him on a tape that is now an internet sensation; watch it as he breaks French law apparently committing the crime of inciting racial hatred and anti-Semitism. That prompted gorgeous Oscar winning Natalie Portman, who represents ‘Miss Dior Cherie' perfume to say, "In light of the video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way."

So bye bye Johnny. And remember who told you last Friday that you can be a serial women beater in Hollywood, as long as you get good TV ratings, but that once Sheen crossed the line into anti-Semitism his career is over? Well, he is really toast, if he texted his estranged wife Brooke Mueller today that, "Need to speak now. I must execute mark b like the stoopid jew pig that he is and I must do it in the next 10 seconds. If u want him gone for ever, call me now;" although I sort of believe Charlie that someone else did it using his phone. He's a junkie, but he's not stupid. Still, point is, it's unfashionable to talk about racism and anti-Semitism, but as with the "N" word there's a lot of poisonous muttering in the night, even among the rich and famous.