Adam Sandler on the Arab-Israeli Conflict. I saw the movie Zohan, and although it is a silly and stupid movie (and sometimes I enjoy silly and stupid movies) I was rather surprised that I found it to be the least offensive mainstream movie that deals with Middle East issues and with Arabs. It really tries to strike a balance toward both sides, regardless whether it succeeds or not--it does not, in fact. It is not funny, although I enjoyed the Hummus jokes. But do you notice that the Hummus in the movie did not look like Hummus at all, and they never poured olive oil over it? The movie basically promoted the notion that both sides are stupid and that they should stop the hate. It certainly made fun of both sides but it was not similar or balanced: Israelis were ridiculed for having a bad taste in music (that really offended the New York Times reviewer--how dare any movie say anything negative about Israel and Israelis) and for being typically involved in electronics stores. And Arabs were instead mocked for being too obsessed with hate and with violence. The movie also referred to Israeli violence as "counter-terrorism" and Arab violence was referred to as "terrorism". Israelis were also ridiculed for being over-sexed, which usually is a charge applied to "inferior peoples" in Western literature. Furthermore, the preachment at the end by the main female lead (who played the Palestinian) was typical Israeli propaganda of the left: the notion of "let-us-stop-the-wars-and-hate" is all too convenient a message for Israeli occupation because the balance of forces is to their favor. I am sure that the Palestinians would not have any problem in delivering a message of "let-us-end-the-wars" AFTER the liberation of Palestine and the return of all the refugees. But having said all that, I still think that it was least offensive mainstream movie regarding Arabs--and I can't say that about mainstream movies in the U.S. (possibly with the exception of Syriana which was so painfully boring). But still: Zohan tried more to be balanced--although it failed--than any other movie, and some small credit should be given to it in that regard. And the movie did address the issue of prejudice against peoples in the Middle East. Finally, the movie also promoted the false view that Arabs and Israelis have been fighting for "thousands of years."
PS The movie contained a reference to that link between shoes and insults in Arab culture.