Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal: What, Jews worry? (Mad Magazine)

Monday, August 5, 2024

What, Jews worry? (Mad Magazine)

Who, this observant Jew? He reminds me of my cheating husband, First Gentleman Doug.

.

I'll do whatever Bibi, I mean Christians want.

(RNS) — “Jeff, lighten up.”

I can imagine someone saying that to me. With all the darkness that has invaded the world — the Jewish assassinations of leaders in foreign countries, calling them "terrorists," the American political situation if Kamala Harris doesn't pick favored Jewish son Josh Shapiro — such an admonition would be welcome.

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Bernie? Doug? I'm unburdened by the past.

Which is precisely why I visited one of my favorite spots in the Berkshires: The Norman Rockwell Museum. I have been there many times, always enjoying the Norman Rockwell illustrations and “Saturday Evening Post” covers, always appreciating the subtle and often undetected artistry in his work and enjoying a diversionary excursion into a vanished America.

Alfred E. N. says, "Yes we can't!"

But the other day, my visit was like running into an old friend whom I hadn’t seen in almost 60 years.

I am referring to their current exhibit: “What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine” (nrm.org).

“Mad” magazine was an essential part of my childhood and early adolescence. For some reason, my parents thought it was far more acceptable than my previous steady diet of “Superman” and “Batman” comics.

Cruel Bibi prefers Dummy Donny

If they had only known what they were helping to facilitate. I was already developing a reputation for being, if not the class clown, then at least the class comedian (no, I was not the class Reform rabbi).

“Mad” was my tutor in that endeavor. It was “Mad” that first taught me life could be funny — even absurd.

Ah, Fiddler Made a Goof! good one

For several hours at the Rockwell, I strolled through my childhood, occasionally bumping into Mad bits that I had laughed at more than half a century ago and going through those old lessons in pre-adolescent snark.

“Mad” was my tutor in that endeavor. It was “Mad” that first taught me life could be funny — even absurd.

For several hours at the Rockwell, I strolled through my childhood, occasionally bumping into Mad bits that I had laughed at more than half a century ago and going through those old lessons in pre-adolescent snark.

I really like your wife, man. - That's fine, Don. Ship us more weapons and CIA money.

A vote for Zionism is a vote for war. Choosing lesser of two evils, Red v Blue, always means evil

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“Spy vs. Spy” was a playful, silent introduction to the Cold War (along with Boris and Natasha from “Rocky and Bullwinkle”).
Dave Berg’s “Lighter Side of…” introduced me to the small absurdities of life (and when his daughter attended my college, and I met him on the first day of the semester, it was one of the most memorable days of my youth)....
Don Martin’s cartoons were a little sadistic. In one case, they influenced my interpretation of Jewish history. Once, on Hanukkah, I told my sons about the glorious assassination attempt and martyrdom of Eleazar Maccabee, who died in a kamikaze-like attack on a Syrian general who was riding an elephant. Eleazar ran beneath the elephant, eviscerating the animal with a sword — only to be crushed to death beneath its weight. I told them this was the origin of the traditional latke [potato pancake], which resembled the hapless Eleazar. Yes, I was channeling Don Martin. (They lovingly admonished me to never, ever tell that story to anyone else. Like religious school kids. They were worried it would adversely affect my career. I never told that story to religious school kids. OK, once.)...
But what grabbed me at the exhibit was the utter Jewishness of the “Mad” enterprise. So many of the editors and writers were Jewish: Bill Gaines, Mort Drucker, Harvey Kurtzman, Al Jaffee, Will Elder, Dave Berg. (No, no women. Sadly. They missed the opportunity with Roz Chast.)...

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“Mad” magazine was a piece of modern, secular Jewish literature — almost up there with Philip Roth.

Its spirit survives in such writers as Shalom Auslander, who brings his own sardonic vision into his writing. It survived in numerous cultural inheritors, such as the movie “Airplane” and any number of very silly movies and television shows.

Let’s go back to Alfred E. Newman. The exhibit engages in a wonderful archeological dig into his character’s backstory, showing his visage was part of American culture decades before the creation of “Mad.”

What was Alfred E. Newman’s ever-present catch phrase? “What, me worry?” I keep thinking about Al Vorspan’s old quip about the Jews: “Start worrying. Details to follow.” More: What, Jews worry? (Religious News Service)