The Jews - Have you Dunham Wrong Lena? - Is It Funny or Offensive?

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March 30, 2015 – Lena Dunham is getting a lot of attention right now, and this time it’s surprisingly with her clothes on. In a recent issue of The New Yorker, the star and creator of HBO’s series Girls wrote a piece entitled “Dog or Jewish Boyfriend? A Quiz.” Lena’s no stranger to controversy and it’s unlikely she didn’t expect a fair amount to accompany that headline.

Dunham seduces the reader in with comparisons like: “The first thing I noticed about him was his eyes,” and “we love to spend hours in bed together on Sunday mornings.” What’s wrong with this? It’s basically a Hallmark card, if not an especially funny one. So went the list until number eight set off alarm bells at the Anti-Defamtion League. Before we get to some of Dunham’s remarks that raised the most ire, it’s worth noting that her mother is Jewish as is her boyfriend. That apparently wasn’t enough street cred to spare her the arrows from a number of groups for such gems as:

“I feel that he is judgmental about the food I serve him. When I make something from scratch, he doesn’t want to eat it, but he also rejects most store-bought dinners.”

“This is because he comes from a culture in which mothers focus every ounce of their attention on their offspring and don’t acknowledge their own need for independence as women. They are sucked dry by their children, who ultimately leave them as soon as they find suitable mates.”

“As a result of this dynamic, he expects to be waited on hand and foot by the women in his life, and anything less than that makes him whiny and distant.”

“He doesn’t tip.”

“And he never brings his wallet anywhere.”

“Every week it’s some new health issue: urine crystals, sprained foot, beef allergy.”

“In fact, he has hair all over his body, like most males who share his background.”

Unfortunately Girls isn’t shown in most Arab countries, or she probably could have picked up a number of new fans. Dunham’s far from the first comic to play on such stereotypes – and she certainly won’t be the last. Are Dunam’s remarks funny satire comparing dogs to Jewish boyfriends? Or are they offensive? Vote now!