Jews Own Hollywood?

Jews own..."

Without all the predictable feathers getting re-ruffled, let's recall again that Marlon Brando said so in an interview, and got tons of pushback about it. More recently-- and, full disclosure here, I'm a big fan-- Dave Chappelle also said it in a different form, both humorous and generally truthful. There ARE a lot of Jewish folks in Hollywood. Considering it was also the movie town's origins, and still today about 25% of Hollywood execs are Jewish. With only 2% of the U.S. population being Jewish, Chappelle's harmless, funny jokes have some factual context. But, his routine doesn't include the historical record of how and why Jewish folks were mostly employed in certain fields and jobs. His stage act isn't meant to include the reasons Jews were forced into certain professions, while strictly excluded from others. But, through humor, Chappelle also includes the humanity of every group he jokes about, and includes all groups.

So, then why is it so wrong to say "Jews Own Hollywood"? First and last, the facts. Warner Bros, Disney, 2Oth Century, Universal, Paramount, and Columbia-- these are the top six Hollywood studios.

Warner Bros is owned by AT&T. Disney is owned by major shareholders Vanguard Group and Black Rock Corps. 20th Century is owned by Disney. Universal is owned by Comcast. Paramount is owned by major shareholder National Amusements Inc. Columbia Pictures is owned by Sony.

Younger generations continue in larger numbers, as heirs to the Jewish founders. But, today corporate, not Jewish, dominance owns these six top movie makers. Yes, Jews, only .02 of the world population, have also outperformed in the sciences, Academia, Law, Medicine, and the Nobel Prize. But, this isn't really the point to ponder. The intrinsic problem with saying "Jews Own Hollywood." Or, "Black males, 7% of the population, commit most of the shootings in America." Or, "There are mostly white people on welfare." All of these statements are accurate and also lacking in context. In their raw, unexplained form, they become working slogans for the true bigots. 

Giving audience to these disjointed generalizations also helps the haters. Whether it's in a comedy bit, an aging actors public tirade, or a billionaire entertainer's incoherent utterances, re-shopping these dull, worn-out saws won't cut it, if you're the type who thinks for yourself, and you have the lone courage to summarily reject these baiting and hurtfully divisive statements, and their inherent evil.