Ali Wong. Photograph: Alex Crick/Netflix
Baby Cobra gives the lie to the claim that comedians are no longer edgy or that standup as social commentary is being watered down by wet-flannel millennials. Wong knows her material on race and sex will make people uncomfortable; she revels in it. And it works because sheâs never punching down. An Asian-American woman, she is highly literate in social dynamics and the dark humour they give rise to. Rude, whip-smart standup for those who donât want their comedy cosy.
Freddy McConnell, writer
Chris Rock: live at NYCâs the Comic Strip
Expression of anti-Semitism must be made taboo Definitions of racism against Jews get lost in semantics. We need a policy of zero tolerance
about 2 hours ago
As the Jerusalem Declaration on Anti-Semitism is published by an international group of 200 scholars, does a new set of written guidelines help or hinder the fight against anti-Semitism? Is anti-Semitism different from other forms of racism and what measures might be taken to stem an alarming rise in attacks over the last six years?
The Jerusalem Declaration arose in response to the “Working Definition’ published by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2016. IHRA is a thirty-five member inter-governmental body headquartered in Berlin whose main mission is to educate on the Holocaust, protect key sites of atrocities and combat anti-Semitism. Ireland is a member.
The broader quandary is the politicisation of anti-Semitism whereby any critique of Israel is deemed anti-Semitic.
The crude social media conspiracy theory narrative that âeverything is connectedâ augments this, Jews depicted either as secret rulers or sub-human.
Notions of a big secret (The âGreat Replacementâ, âdeep stateâ machinations) may be an antidote for those who perceive their task as exposing this (and thus become an elite who are really âin the knowâ).
However, endless quotidian melodramas in an alternative reality cannot turn fantasies into facts.
No one can vouchsafe these anti-Semitic tropes which will be applied to the next manufactured conspiracy.
Clare Mackintosh is the author of
I Let You Go,
I See You,
After The End. All of her books have been
Sunday Times bestsellers and have sold more than two million copies worldwide. Clare s books have been published in more than 40 countries. Join us for this livestream event where Clare will talk about her latest novel, the deeply moving and life affirming
After The End, as well as her other hugely successful books, before taking questions from the virtual audience. This online event forms part of a highly entertaining programme which has been put together for one of Wales premier literary festivals. To book your tickets and for more details please visit www.wrexhamcarnivalofwords.com
Now that David Baddiel’s book Jews Don’t Count has fallen out of the Sunday Times bestsellers list, I was finally able to peruse the chart for the first time in a while this weekend, without choking