not sure where this is going, but it has some fun(ny) links
As I read about rising tensions between Israel and Iran, I couldn't help but think about an Israeli advertisement that tries to capitalize on Iran's role in the "clash of civilizations". It's an advertisement for cable and shows Iranians, including an ersatz Ahmadinajed, dancing and singing in praise of this great programming (there appear to be two highly similar versions: you can see them here and here). The ad is rather similar to another one by the same company that featured orthodox Jews, and that one got pulled from the air because the orthodox folks were not amused. As a general thing, Israelis don't think about "political correctness" (literally it's not part of the language - this fall it somehow came up during Hebrew class and the teacher said, "Oh, that doesn't exist."). Perhaps the most striking example of this is that it's the only place in the world I've ever heard Jewish people telling Holocaust jokes (in Sunday school I remember hearing a particular joke, "What's the difference between a Jew and a pizza? One screams when you put it in the oven." in the context of, "Horribly disrespectful things you should stand up against if you ever hear them", but a few months ago I heard that same joke being told in Israel (though granted Israel also has a weird relationship with the Holocaust because part of the national ethos is, "We should be strong [unlike those victims who let themselves be killed]." But I digress.) So comparatively speaking, those ads aren't so offensive. But when searching for the links to them, I came across this beauty. It's the same general format of people who one would never expect to want cable singing cheerily about the great programming on YES, but this one features POWs in Vietnam. And I have to say, I found it to be hilarious because it's so preposterous, but I'd imagine it's rather PTSD trigger-y given that it features blasting machine guns so am surprised they aired it for that reason if no other. Speaking of advertisements that attempt to use humor about traumatic experiences to sell stuff, someone in one of the LJ communities I'm in recently posted a picture of an advertisement for a real estate company that references Israel's disengagement from Gaza (and the commentary about it got a bit, shall we say, "heated").
Lest you think that Israeli humor is limited to advertisements, there's a funny bumper sticker I'd love to get a hold of but have only heard of in The Sticker Song (a song consisting of various bumper stickers seen in Israel and intending to show the diversity of thought in the country and perhaps start to bring some sense of unity). The sticker references one of, if not the most, common form of graffiti in Israel, a sound poem popular among a particular sect of Hasidim that goes, "Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman." The sticker translates to, "My name is Nachman and I stutter." You would never get away with something like that in the U.S., but then, the U.S. doesn't have that sound poem graffitied in several hundred thousand (if not more) places...
The last bit of humor I'm going to post for now isn't actually intended to be funny, and you're all probably more mature than myself so won't find it funny, but here goes. Like the rest of the world, Israel has talk shows in which various celebrities are interviewed, and one of the most popular, a late-night show, is called, "Erev Tov im Guy Pines". Now, the straightforward translation is, "Good night with Guy Pines." But because Hebrew doesn't have an indefinite article, and the names "Pines" is pronounced pee-nez, it could also translate to, "A good night with guy penis."
To wrap up this post, a bit of celebrity news: Angelina Jolie gave birth to twins. Those are going to be some beautiful babies...
Hope you're all doing well!
Lest you think that Israeli humor is limited to advertisements, there's a funny bumper sticker I'd love to get a hold of but have only heard of in The Sticker Song (a song consisting of various bumper stickers seen in Israel and intending to show the diversity of thought in the country and perhaps start to bring some sense of unity). The sticker references one of, if not the most, common form of graffiti in Israel, a sound poem popular among a particular sect of Hasidim that goes, "Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman." The sticker translates to, "My name is Nachman and I stutter." You would never get away with something like that in the U.S., but then, the U.S. doesn't have that sound poem graffitied in several hundred thousand (if not more) places...
The last bit of humor I'm going to post for now isn't actually intended to be funny, and you're all probably more mature than myself so won't find it funny, but here goes. Like the rest of the world, Israel has talk shows in which various celebrities are interviewed, and one of the most popular, a late-night show, is called, "Erev Tov im Guy Pines". Now, the straightforward translation is, "Good night with Guy Pines." But because Hebrew doesn't have an indefinite article, and the names "Pines" is pronounced pee-nez, it could also translate to, "A good night with guy penis."
To wrap up this post, a bit of celebrity news: Angelina Jolie gave birth to twins. Those are going to be some beautiful babies...
Hope you're all doing well!