‘Inside Amy Schumer’ Sums Up Antisemitism in One Brilliant Sketch
Being Jewish right now feels really weird. Not a good, quirky, fun kind of weird, mind you—more the kind of weird that’s an uncomfortable, nauseating feeling in your gut. Antisemitic sentiment has been on a steady rise for some time now, but things have escalated considerably over the last few weeks. It started one quiet evening in October, when Kanye West (who now goes by “Ye”) tweeted, “I’m going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” It’s almost too difficult to put into words what it feels like to have a musician you idolized growing up threatening to go “death con” on you, but that’s a story for another day.
Since then, West has leaned in, spewing antisemitic hatred whenever he possibly can. Companies have been quick (or, in some cases, really slow) to end their business relationships with him, and he’s been removed from many social media platforms. But the backlash to West’s comments seemed to spark its own backlash, with several fans defending and celebrating him for speaking the “truth” that most wouldn’t dare say.
It’s hard to articulate just how much that sucks. It’s one thing to have a prominent figure go completely off the rails. It's another thing entirely to have average people come out of the woodwork and agree with his takes. Sure, West has been attacked relentlessly on Twitter, but seeing his supporters across the country heading to the streets, emboldened to speak out on his behalf, is horrifying.