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Halle Berry. (Reuters)
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Last update - 12:52 26/10/2007
Let's cut Halle Berry some slack for her joke on Jewish noses
By Ron Kamara
tags: Halle Berry, anti-Semitism 

The time has come to give people like Halle Berry a break.

Berry reportedly made a Jewish joke during her recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, while showing distorted photos of herself. One photo enlarged the size of her nose, and the award-winning actress commented, "Here's where I look like my Jewish cousin!"

Ok. So she made a joke. Was it an appropriate one? No. Was it a smart choice? Based on the backlash, it obviously wasn't. But was it really all that bad?
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Let me start by saying that racist and ethnic jokes are inappropriate for a reason, and that reason being that they perpetuate negative stereotypes - especially when told while recording a nationally-televised show.

Then again, if Halle Berry were Jewish, nobody would care that she had made a Jewish joke (or alternatively, had the African American actress told a joke about African Americans), but it would have perpetuated the stereotype just the same.

The fact is this was not Mel Gibson's drunken diatribe about the Jews, or Michael Richards' racist rant. Let's be honest, Berry is not the first person to make an ethnic joke about a group that is not her own. In fact, most of us have probably done it at one point or another.

Years ago, I made a certain joke about African Americans and Mexicans - the one about how if there is an African American and a Mexican in a car, the police must be driving. Ironically enough, I told the joke while riding in a car driven by my good friend - who happened to be African American.

No sooner had I had blurted it out than I realized my mistake, and apologized to my friend sheepishly. It's impossible to know if he truly wasn't insulted, or just pretended not to be, but the fact of the matter is we remained good friends. At no point did he conclude that the fact that I had told a racist joke meant that I really hated African Americans.

Admittedly, and unfortunately, I don't know Halle Berry personally. But to label her an anti-Semite based solely on one momentary lapse in judgment in her choice of jokes is completely unfair. It's also grossly irresponsible, because it detracts from the severity and danger of true anti-Semitism.

The time has come to realize that a Jewish joke, inappropriate as it may be, does not an anti-Semite make. The time has come to let people like Halle Berry off the hook, and focus attention on the true anti-Semites, racists, and bigots of this world.

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  1.   Are they real? 12:19  |  Seinfeld 26/10/07
  2.   Imagine if Ajewish American actor, say Seinfeld 13:17  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 26/10/07
  3.   positive stereotype 14:16  |  ROB OF MELBOURNE AUS 26/10/07
  4.   Halle Berry and the Jewish Question 14:21  |  SR 26/10/07
  5.   Halle Berry and my nose 14:39  |  Pavlos Koupepis 26/10/07
  6.   Halle 15:04  |  Allan 26/10/07
  7.   Jewish cousin? 15:10  |  Rob 26/10/07
  8.   Max Zinger, really... 15:16  |  Rob van Kan 26/10/07
  9.   who cares 15:32  |  Zack 26/10/07
  10.   It is not offensive, it is true, Jews have big noses, so what? 15:48  |  Aaron 26/10/07
  11.   my nose isn`t big but my.......is 16:18  |  zaq 26/10/07
  12.   Hollywood Liberals Are Allowed To Insult Jews 16:38  |  Tony Anthony 26/10/07
  13.   Nose, shmose...look at those... WOW! 16:48  |  common sense 26/10/07
  14.   Halle Berry 16:58  |  mich 26/10/07
  15.   self-deprecating Jews suck 17:11  |  leokam 26/10/07
  16.   GIVE US ALL A BREAK 17:32  |  Brant 26/10/07
  17.   Seinfeld - Real or not real? 17:46  |  Master Blaster 26/10/07
  18.   It`s pretty funny, you know. 17:48  |  M. Franks-Lhermann 26/10/07
  19.   I can`t believe this, do grow up 18:08  |  Rowan Berkeley 26/10/07
  20.   There`s affection for Jews in her comment, not hate. 18:09  |  John Saul 26/10/07
  21.   I am a Jew, I have a big nose, and I can laugh at myself 18:37  |  Aaron also 26/10/07
  22.   I AM that cousin!! 19:02  |  David 26/10/07
  23.   Berrie`s stupid 19:15  |  W. Allen 26/10/07
  24.   My Date With Halle Is Off! 19:37  |  Arsenio 26/10/07
  25.   my nouse is pretty 19:42  |  Esther Gynther 26/10/07
  26.   no big deal 19:51  |  bob 26/10/07
  27.   SUCH `SENSITIVITY` COMES FROM UR RACIST CLAIM TO BE SUPERIOR RACE 20:04  |  JACKAL 26/10/07
  28.   imagine no more #2 20:05  |  devil`s advocate 26/10/07
  29.   Berry 20:13  |  Connie 26/10/07
  30.   so...? 20:52  |  ravi 26/10/07
  31.   joke 21:02  |  Shmuelshachor 26/10/07
  32.   C`mon now Berry is cool. 21:03  |  Avram 26/10/07
  33.   If I can`t make a joke... 21:18  |  emma goldman 26/10/07
  34.   #27 - it`s not a `claim` - it`s true ! 21:21  |  redmike 26/10/07
  35.   Maybe now she`ll stop complaining about bias 21:38  |  Susan 26/10/07
  36.   Rowan Berkley - Jewish Nose 22:44  |  * BEN JABO 26/10/07
  37.   Emma Goldman 22:45  |  * BEN JABO 26/10/07
  38.   John Saul - That type of affection isn`t appreciated 22:47  |  * BEN JABO 26/10/07
  39.   JACKASS - 22:48  |  * BEN JABO 26/10/07
  40.   Use the term "anti-Semite" only where justified 22:59  |  Roland Wilk 26/10/07
  41.   What a waste of time 23:37  |  Joseph 26/10/07
  42.   Who Nose? 23:39  |  Jeff 26/10/07
  43.   # 8 Rob van Kan: There is a high degree of hypocrisy 23:53  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 26/10/07
  44.   NOSE 23:54  |  SHARON 26/10/07
  45.   nose 23:56  |  SHARON 26/10/07
  46.   nose 23:57  |  SHARON 26/10/07
  47.   Hmmmm...I wonder if this were a joke about.. 00:06  |  Micha 27/10/07
  48.   We don`t claim superiority 00:08  |  Micha 27/10/07
  49.   I have to discuss it face to face 00:27  |  Amazed 27/10/07
  50.   Are we that petty now 01:29  |  Stephen Connor 27/10/07
  51.   Macho Micha 01:34  |  Stephen Connor 27/10/07
  52.   The Question Is 01:40  |  CHGODMK 27/10/07
  53.   Too sensitive 03:26  |  Baz Mann 27/10/07
  54.   She Can Tell Me Jewish Jokes Every day And Every Night 05:08  |  Eli 27/10/07
  55.   Halle, read this, please 05:35  |  Mexi 27/10/07
  56.   Goyim have pig noses 07:11  |  Moishe Kadish 27/10/07
  57.   SILICONE SISTER FINDS LONG LOST COUSIN 08:57  |  Silly Cone 27/10/07
  58.   Jewish people stop humiliating yourself !! 08:59  |  Swiss (Dino) 27/10/07
  59.   Not a bad joke given the situation - but... 09:17  |  Ruben 27/10/07
  60.   Halle Berry 09:18  |  Jan van Mil 27/10/07
  61.   Meditarranean nose, actually 09:47  |  Seeker 27/10/07
  62.   Halle`s faux pas 10:15  |  RobertK 27/10/07
  63.   is the author is anti-semitic or self-hating? 10:56  |  alizarin 27/10/07
  64.   noses 11:05  |  adi 27/10/07
  65.   Hally Berry is so hot she can say anything as far as I`m cocerned 11:07  |  Ruben 27/10/07
  66.   Haaretz, Halle`s Jewish friend made the original comment 11:31  |  Nathan 27/10/07
  67.   Nathan #66 12:01  |  Scott G 27/10/07
  68.   article is right on the money 12:18  |  abc 27/10/07
  69.   How to be entertaining without offending 13:24  |  Jim 27/10/07
  70.   Is it true or not? 13:25  |  Peter 27/10/07
  71.   #21 Just for Aaron also 13:33  |  Jim 27/10/07
  72.   #48 Micha You don`t claim superiority? 13:45  |  Jim 27/10/07
  73.   #63 alizarin 13:59  |  Jim 27/10/07
  74.   She Must Use Me To Make It Up To Us 14:48  |  dyinglikeflies 27/10/07
  75.   Halle`s Jewish joke 14:49  |  Kacey Mathew 27/10/07
  76.   Inappropriate joke 16:10  |  Matthew 27/10/07
  77.   Much ado about nothing. 16:46  |  Deborah 27/10/07
  78.   HB cried at Oscars for black women who Hollywood suppressed 17:22  |  topanga 27/10/07
  79.   Whoop-Tee-Do! 18:35  |  Denton 27/10/07
  80.   The way she looks who cares. 18:36  |  L A 27/10/07
  81.   Halle`s Joke 18:55  |  Len Lippman