Meryl Yourish emailed to let me know about a review of the Quentin Tarantino movie Kill Bill by Gregg Easterbrook at the New Republic, in which antisemitism (yes, it really does exist, and it seems to be getting more open and unapologetic every day) rears its stinking, decaying head. This is the casual antisemitism of privileged Americans, not the murderous hatred of 1939 Germany—but it’s just as evil and virulent, and just as soul-rotting.

Set aside what it says about Hollywood that today even Disney thinks what the public needs is ever-more-graphic depictions of killing the innocent as cool amusement. Disney’s CEO, Michael Eisner, is Jewish; the chief of Miramax, Harvey Weinstein, is Jewish. Yes, there are plenty of Christian and other Hollywood executives who worship money above all else, promoting for profit the adulation of violence. Does that make it right for Jewish executives to worship money above all else, by promoting for profit the adulation of violence? Recent European history alone ought to cause Jewish executives to experience second thoughts about glorifying the killing of the helpless as a fun lifestyle choice.

Roger Simon also gives his perspective, as a Hollywood insider, on this appalling article. Shame on the New Republic for printing this crap. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised after their recent turn toward idiotarianism with Jonathan Chait’s article glorifying Bush hatred; but this is another huge step in a very wrong direction.