# What's your interpretation of this comic strip? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2006, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047 "2006-11-28T08:02:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/1 "2006-11-28T08:02:36Z")
_Multiplex_ is an online comic strip about the staff of a movie theatre. It’s generally a good strip. But I was surprised when I read [this strip](http://www.multiplexcomic.com/strips/027.php). The joke seems obvious to me. But I don’t want to comment on it because maybe I’m missing an obvious joke. Reading it first, what’s your interpretation of it? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/2 "2006-11-28T08:11:22Z")
Well, the credit lists a lot of Jewish last names and thanks a kosher deli, so it seems clear to me that the cartoonist is saying that Hollywood makes sterile Christmans movies because the movies are made by Jews. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/3 "2006-11-28T08:11:25Z")
All the names listed in the credits of the movie are Jewish-sounding…I’d take the strip as anti-semetic. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/4 "2006-11-28T08:11:56Z")
Everyone who made the movie has a stereotypically Jewish name (except for one Khan). Hence the loss of Jesus from Christmas. And the increase in commercialism…? Not sure. Was it drawn by Mel Gibson? ---
**Author:** ![Carnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carnick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnick)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/5 "2006-11-28T08:12:34Z")
All the names in the credits are Jewish sounding. Christmas movies aren’t authentic because they’re written, like all movies, by a bunch of Jews. That’s it, right? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/6 "2006-11-28T08:13:01Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] The joke seems obvious to me. But I don’t want to comment on it because maybe I’m missing an obvious joke. Reading it first, what’s your interpretation of it? [/QUOTE] I suspect it’s the same as yours. The number of apparently Jewish names is way too prominent to be coincidental. It’s…a bit jaw dropping, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Carnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carnick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnick)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/7 "2006-11-28T08:15:38Z")
[QUOTE=Oakminster] All the names listed in the credits of the movie are Jewish-sounding…I’d take the strip as anti-semetic. [/QUOTE] Isn’t the cartoonist Jewish? He gets a free pass to make anti-semetic jokes, like Sacha Baron Cohen. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/8 "2006-11-28T08:15:40Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] _Multiplex_ is an online comic strip about the staff of a movie theatre. It’s generally a good strip. But I was surprised when I read [this strip](http://www.multiplexcomic.com/strips/027.php). The joke seems obvious to me. But I don’t want to comment on it because maybe I’m missing an obvious joke. Reading it first, what’s your interpretation of it? [/QUOTE] Did you pay attention to the credits rolling up on the screen in front of the protagonists? You noticed **all** the names there are stereotypically Jewish? It’s a _Christmas movie made by Jews!_ (judging by some of the names, possibly supposedly even “filmed in Israel”) – which just goes along with the general feeling of _angst_ I think the writer of the strip is feeling at the total meaninglessness the holiday has achieved. Is the writer a Christian, I wonder? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/9 "2006-11-28T08:15:44Z")
Sorry, I should have posted in spoiler box. Can a mod fix it? ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/10 "2006-11-28T08:16:43Z")
Gah, when I started responding there were **zero** relpies. Everybody beat me to it! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/11 "2006-11-28T08:17:12Z")
Me too. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/12 "2006-11-28T08:18:25Z")
[QUOTE=Carnick] Isn’t the cartoonist Jewish? He gets a free pass to make anti-semetic jokes, like Sacha Baron Cohen. [/QUOTE] Copyright notice names Gordon McAlpin. Doesn’t sound like a Jewish name to me, but I dunno… ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/13 "2006-11-28T08:21:22Z")
It’s obvious to me too. Christmas movies are generally shallow and commercialized because they’re produced by Jews (or Jews-by-proxy), who don’t really care about Christmas. Which may or may not be true, but I’d like to note that most of the best Christmas songs have been written by Jews, so _nyah!_ ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/14 "2006-11-28T08:24:30Z")
Where’d all you people come from? Oh, and **jjimm** : Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! ---
**Author:** ![Carnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carnick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnick)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/15 "2006-11-28T08:24:52Z")
Well, this [one](http://www.multiplexcomic.com/strips/101.php) is about non-minorities making racist jokes. I got the vibe from that strip that the cartoonist is Jewish. I think he’s pulling a Borat of his own. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/16 "2006-11-28T08:24:53Z")
If it had just been a joke about the movies not being about the christian element of christmas, that would be fine. But this line “Not even the slightest attempt to say something substantial about the holiday, \* or even just real life \*” doesn’t ring right to me. What, jews aren’t in touch with real life either? ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/17 "2006-11-28T15:40:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Christmas movies are generally shallow and commercialized because they’re produced by Jews (or Jews-by-proxy), who don’t really care about Christmas. That’s what I’d take the comic to be saying too. > [@](#): > > Copyright notice names Gordon McAlpin. Doesn’t sound like a Jewish name to me His [MySpace page](http://www.myspace.com/gmcalpin) doesn’t state a religion but does state that he is of Pacific Islander ethnicity…which isn’t the mental picture I had developed from his name either, so I guess I wouldn’t be any more surprised to find out that a McAlpin was Jewish. 🙂 The impression I get from the other strip linked here is that he isn’t Jewish, but probably feels that it is hypocritical for people to think that joking around about race/religion is only okay if you’re part of that group. Maybe someone can write him and ask for a clarification. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/18 "2006-11-28T15:57:19Z")
[He’s no stranger to racial jokes.](http://www.multiplexcomic.com/strips/022.php) (I thought the strip in the OP was kind of funny, if I don’t think about it’s literal inaccuracy, just like any joke.) ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/19 "2006-11-28T16:02:08Z")
Don’t blame the Jews for Christmas movies (or any other kind of movie) being mindless drivel- its what the mindless masses want. I thought the steretypical Jewish names were hilarious- all that was missing was Schmolie Lipshitz. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047/20 "2006-11-28T16:05:49Z")
Check out [this episode](http://www.multiplexcomic.com/strips/101.php) as well. Good strip. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-interpretation-of-this-comic-strip/382047.md?page=2)