Hollywood Finds Humor in Racism

Has Hollywood bridged the next gap of comedy or do they need to take a lesson in political correctness? There are a few summer movie releases that play on racism, this time in the form of humor at the expense of the Middle Eastern cultures.

The first movie to do so is "You Don't Mess with Zohan", where Adam Sandler plays a counter-terrorist who has dreams of becoming a hairdresser. We follow him pursue is dreams by faking his death and coming to America where he works through the ranks of a beauty salon and gains a customer base through performing sexual favors. If the plot isn't crass enough, the humor plays off of typical stereotypes of Israelis, Palestinians and homosexuals. According to the website Kids-In-Mind, the message of this movie is "People of all ethic backgrounds are regular people trying to make a living and should be respected and not feared." It appears they take a strange approach to prove it.

The next movie to do so is "The Love Guru", where Mike Myers dons a wig, beard and fake nose to play an Indian Guru. The premise of the movie is that Pitka (Mike Myers) was an American who was left at an ashram in India as a child and then raised by gurus. From what I understand of the movie, it is about a self-help coach (The Love Guru) who tries to solve the marital woes of a Toronto Maple Leaf player.

And the third is "Tropical Thunder". While this film is still in productions and isn't based on Middle Eastern humor it still uses a racial theme in that it appears Robert Downey Jr. plays an actor who undergoes some sort of procedure so that he can play the role of a black man. What? I guess it is all in the name of comedy.

Because it is comedy, are they exempt from being politically correct? On some levels I would think yes but with these three films I feel the line is being crossed. I find myself uncomfortable watching the previews, I feel uncomfortable laughing at the humor at another culture's expense.

I haven't heard objections to these films. There doesn't seem to be a movement to boycott or make opinions known. Maybe I am in the minority. Maybe these films aren't that offensive? Will we see more of this theme? I suspect it depends upon the box office numbers and the over all revenue generated.