Skip to content

Sometimes a chickpea is just chickpea

Published by digby on September 13, 2015

Sometimes a chickpea is just chickpea

by digby

Dan Abrams may have found the most perfect example of Villager idiocy I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot.

Near the top of his premiere show, Colbert unveiled what he called an “ancient, cursed amulet” which, as part of his deal to host the show, he agreed to obey. A deal with a devil, he jokingly claimed, which demanded of him “certain regrettable compromises.”

The first of such compromises? “Ladies and gentleman, the amulet commands me to inform you of the delicious taste of tonight’s sponsor, Sabra Red Pepper hummus, made from simple fresh ingredients that bring people together one bite at a time.”

A harmless, humorous, and lucrative way to incorporate a sponsor into an entertainment program. But for New York Times reporter Robert Mackey, it demonstrated a different type of opportunity––a chance to plug a Palestinian effort called “B.D.S.” (Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions), which seeks to boycott products made in Israel.

Lets start with the absurd fact that Sabra hummus is not even made in Israel, but in the United States. Yes, its 500 employees are all right here in the U.S of A. But hey, why let the facts get in the way of a controversy for a cause. As even Mackey himself wrote:

Mr. Colbert’s viewers were quite likely unaware of any political implications of the tongue-in-cheek endorsement.

No doubt. But that is why we can be thankful we have The Times to raise awareness:

…fans who support a Palestinian-led campaign to pressure Israel through boycotts, divestment and sanctions, or B.D.S., were dismayed by the gag. The hummus, which is produced in the United States, has been subject to calls for a boycott because it is made in a joint venture between PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, an Israeli food company that has provided financial support to the Israel Defense Forces’ elite Golani Brigade.

So much hidden spice to digest in that one phrase. Yes, a tiny group of “fans” who support B.D.S. were apparently dismayed and expressed that disappointment on social media. But that’s enough for the Times to assign or accept an entire piece to amplify that handful of advocates? I’m confident there were a host of other fringe groups offended by various Colbert interviews and gags this week as well. Just as troubling is the tortured connection The Times creates between Sabra and the Israel Defense Forces.

Maybe it’s just a hummus bias. After all, a Middle Eastern delicacy like this chickpea mash just makes for a delectable news “spread.” But, of course, far more likely and disappointing, is just a shameless desire to amplify and support B.D.S.:

Any fans who expected him to champion a boycott of Israel — a country that enjoys nearly unanimous support from Republicans — were always likely to be disappointed.

Wait what? “Any fans who expected him to champion a boycott of Israel?” Sure, Colbert’s Comedy Central character seemed to be a satire of mostly Republican pundits, but this is an entertainment program. Yes, Letterman could get political, but even if Colbert believed in said boycott, how exactly, could or should he “champion it” on The Late Show?

And then Colbert brought in that soda-stream pitching Palestinian loving terrorist wannabe Scarlett Johansson the next night. Can there be any doubt about Colbert now? I think not.

So what conclusions to draw from this insidious anti-Palestinian conspiracy brewing behind the scenes at this nascent network broadcast? First, Mackey informs us that there is more to the name of this evil appetizer than meets the eye:

Although calls to boycott Sabra have been heard on college campuses for several years, and the product’s name is a term for Jews born in Israel, there was no sign in the segment that Mr. Colbert was aware of the debate.

Ah, so it’s really just a handful of advocates, and The Times, who even noticed. . .that is, until they built an entire piece around it. Alas, maybe this piece, like Colbert’s shameless plug, was demanded by an evil ancient amulet. But in this case, that amulet might just be a particular bias at the paper of record.

It’s not a joke. The New York Times actually published this nonsensical drivel.

For some reason the Villagers are coming back to life in a big way. I don’t know if it’s Clinton or the fact that the Republicans are such a clown show they feel they need to balance the scale by making the so-called “liberal” media into their proxy. Whatever it is, fasten your seatbelts. The Kewl Kidz are back.

Update 9/15/15:

It appears that I precipitously popped this post off last Saturday morning without fully vetting the New York Times account or the considering the serious issues underlying the complaint about Colbert. I shamefully admit that I didn’t give it a lot of thought.

I’m still not entirely sure why Colbert’s joke was taken so seriously by anyone but then that happens often these days and I should probably not ever post anything that has to do with comedy because it’s a minefield that I no longer understand (or frankly enjoy very much.) I do understand that this is a way of raising awareness, however, but it’s not something I’m particularly suited to sort through. I should know better after all these years than to be flippant or thoughtless about such an important issue. For that I apologize.

I also apologize to Mr Mackey for being dismissive of his work and calling him a Villager. That was a misinterpretation of the intention of the piece on my part.  I will be more careful in the future.

Published inUncategorized