Sunday, April 20, 2008

"Who knew? Not Mr. Spurlock, apparently, who serves as his own straw man, repeatedly debunking his own disingenuous prejudice or naïveté. Wherever he goes, he finds people who respond to his amiable, good-humored questions with smiles and platitudes. There are, to be sure, a few exceptions. He hears a virulently anti-American, anti-Israel sermon in a Saudi mosque, and the repressiveness of that country freaks him out a little. And he receives a hostile welcome in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Israel, where the residents greet his inquiries with shouts and shoves." And of course the reviewer was offended by the negative reference to Israel so he adds: "He does not stick around long enough to explain that their behavior has more to do with tensions within Israeli society..." This proves my theory about the New York Times: the last word always goes to Israeli propaganda. I swear I once was reading the obituary page: and they had a rather big obituary of a chef. The headline said something like: Chef X, one worked in Israel...