Was Jackie Mason’s Obama remark racist?

Is comedian Jackie Mason “such a relic that he doesn’t fully understand the implications of his own vernacular?” said Cheryl Taragin in the Examiner.com. During a recent performance, Mason called President Obama a “schvartze,” which is Yiddish for black. This is unacceptable. “Like blackface and other hurtful stereotypes, certain references are layered in hateful nuances and preconceived notions.”

This isn’t the first time Mason has come under attack for using that word, said Eric Fingerhut in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Twenty years ago, Mason “got in trouble” when he referred to then–New York mayoral candidate David Dinkins as a “fancy schvartze with a mustache.” And “not to make excuses for Mason,” but much of his “act for decades has involved making fun of various ethnic groups.”

“Let’s be honest,” said Joseph Farah in World Net Daily. “If you criticize Barack Obama today, you run the risk of being labeled a racist”—witness the fact that Jackie Mason “is being marginalized, stereotyped,” and “demonized.” People really need to give it a rest. Jackie Mason is a comedian, and he “doesn't like Barack Obama because of his politics—not because of his skin color.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up