Re: Cohan: not a Jew.

[Alex Lubet <lubet001...>]

I honestly can't answer this myself, but is there a possibility that songs 
we now find offensive would have been heard differently in their original 
context?  I'm thinking, for example, of how in Hawaii (my wife's native 
state whose governor is a Jewish woman; shaloha!!), the ethnic humor of the 
island's best-loved comedians would be considered absolutely unacceptable 
on the Mainland, but is widely loved there even by those whose various 
'eths' are subject.  The islands' most popular comedian, Frank de Lima, is 
a regular visitor to every elementary school in the state, something that 
he could never do if his stuff was regarded as offensive.

I really don't know how Berlin's humor would have been received in its 
time.  Certainly there was plenty of stuff out there that would have 
offended its subjects (such as blackface minstrels), but I'd appreciate 
hearing from any and all who can enlighten us.



At 04:51 PM 4/22/2003 -0400, you wrote:

>In a message dated 4/22/3 9:23:54 AM, Elkahn (at) JTSA(dot)EDU writes:
>
><< >
> >5) In all his career he never wrote one racist "Hebe" song while his Jewish
> >colleague Irving Berlin wrote over a dozen....
>
>Please be so kind as to list three of these.
>  >>
>
>1) "White Christmas"
>2) "Easter Parade"
>3) "Who Ate The Knish on Yom Kippur"
>
>Is it too late to submit these for Purim?
>Simon
>

Alex Lubet, Ph. D.
Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music
Adjunct Professor of American and Jewish Studies
University of Minnesota
100 Ferguson Hall
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612 624-7840 (o)
612 699-1097 (h)
612 624-8001  ATTN:  Alex Lubet (FAX)

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