June 11, 2008
Raunchy Writers
I get in constant trouble from rabbis and other religious Jews for raunchy writing.
I’ve been kicked out of four shuls for this sin.
How come these same shuls celebrate screenwriters who write R-rated Hollywood movies filled with sex, nudity, and profanity — stuff I’ve never produced (aside from making my one movie WHAT WOMEN WANT in 1996)?
These Orthodox screenwriters of R-rated movies get the odd chiding but nothing like the relentless aggravation I get. They get called to the Torah, they get important positions in the community, they get countless honors precisely because of the R-rated movies they’ve made. They pay their mortgages and their day school bills and their shul bills through writing raunchy movies and TV shows.
Why do I get this grief and they don’t? Because I’m a convert. Because I’m write for my own blog. Because I reveal unpopular things about Jews.
Filed under Personal by
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to comment
Comments on Raunchy Writers »
Movie? What movie? I MUST SEE IT!
But why be a part of something that is clearly one-sided? You would be a happier person without religion of any kind keeping you down and dictating to you how you should live your life when they don’t practice what they preach.
Because I reveal unpopular things about Jews.
Right. You’re a fifth columnist of a sort, out to harm the community (under the guise of “Truth,” of course). Why would you expect honors?
This has nothing to do with you or prurient interests. There is no “All things being equal.”
Raunchy is not the major the problem. Contempt is. It’s one thing to report and entertain and laugh at the hypocrisy of people in power, and quite another to jeer when people (regular people in the community) fall short.
It’s tragic that you grew up in such an unsafe, biting and sarcastic household full of doublespeak and intellectual one-upmanship, but if you catch yourself being mean (through your blog), you might slow down enough to think about how you can also be fair and positive to balance that out.
The other issue is money. If you are not contributing to the financial upkeep of the shul or hosting Shabbat dinners or sponsoring the shul banquet, then you better be doing some positive PR work for the shul.
I’m sure they are extra critical of you because you don’t look like a born Jew to them. There is no way for you to change that. You are seen as an interloper. I don’t really think it is in keeping with the teachings, but most people are very far from the ideal in that regard.
Harm the community? You mean the same community that he’s been a part of for many years now? He and other should expose corruption wherever need be.