Cut the Shi'ite

December 2, 2003

Drudge reports that Michael Eisner called Steve Jobs and two Disney board members "Shiite Muslims," apparently an accusation that they were extreme in their views. I suppose the Disney Chairman's failure to head off the Treasure Planet debacle was evidence that he's not quite as together as he once was, but just how out of it can Eisner be? Doesn't he realize that the Shi'ites are our pals these days? Hey Mike, the only extremists are in the Sunni Triangle. (It's like that place where the Navy planes disappeared in Close Encounters.) The Shi'ites are the ones we liberated, dummy. Now it's all about politickin', fatwa-issuin', head-cuttin' fun, Shi'a-style! Get with the program!

Comments

|12.2.03 @ 2:01AM|#

Interestingly, the only way I can see to dispense with this sort of hypocrisy is to say that Islam is the enemy.

People lose their jobs saying things like that.

|12.2.03 @ 2:45AM|#

People lose their jobs saying things like that

Which is why the spin has always been that some specific subset of Islam is the problem.

I'm an atheist; both Sunni and Shiite theology teaches that I must be killed. They're all my enemies.

|12.2.03 @ 3:06AM|#

Back in the '80s, some Democrats would refer to the religious right as the "Shiite wing" of the GOP (this changed to the "Taliban wing" in the late '90s). Consciously or not, Eisner may have been influenced by that particular piece of Reagan-era Capitol Hill lingo.

All of this is kind of ironic if you look at the history and practices of Shi'a Islam relative to Sunni Islam, and in particular its views on the relationship between religious and political authority. But it shouldn't surprise anyone that the CEO of the company that produced Pocahonatas is in need of a history course or three.

|12.2.03 @ 3:27AM|#

You are funny Tim!

:-)

PS I agree with Dan, except he forgot that Christians and Jews, hell all religious folk look at we atheists (or 'brights' if you will) as the ultimate enemy, cuz we would trash their racket.

rst|12.2.03 @ 3:32AM|#

People lose their jobs saying things like that.

If it was good enough for Greg Easterbrook...

|12.2.03 @ 4:00AM|#

"People lose their jobs saying things like that."

People do. CEOs don't.

|12.2.03 @ 4:36AM|#

Steve in CO,

I'm an atheist, yet I'm not too worried about Christians and Jews trying to kill me for it.

|12.2.03 @ 5:02AM|#

Anon (4:36),

I agree. I was just saying, nonbelievers are universily loathed is all.

:-)

|12.2.03 @ 5:03AM|#

why was the Iraq/democracy comment erased???

joe|12.2.03 @ 5:04AM|#

yeah!

|12.2.03 @ 8:20AM|#

I'm about a 15 watt "bright" myself, but I don't like jumpin' up and down too many times on somebody else's religion.
What most religions aspire too, but fail to address head-on--like our Constitution aspired to this and that, but it took our Bill of Rights to address certain issues head-on--is a true love of fellow/mate.
We need to remove all impediments to that love: borders, immigration policy, clothes, tariffs, level playing field, calling mackerel-snappers mackerel-snappers and so on.

A pox on your vo-biscuit, and daisies on your scimitar!

|12.2.03 @ 8:55AM|#

Are you sure it is not a way of saying shite. Also, as I understand it, christians and jews are somewhat believers to the moslems, their pet hate was the persian fireworshippers

Tim Cavanaugh|12.3.03 @ 2:04AM|#

I'm inclined to believe that, Mark, and not just because of my enormous regard for Jolly Roger. I was surprised when the Bad Santa preview made clear that Billy Bob is supposed to be a crook in a Santa suit. As you note, the stories Drudge was puffing all made it sound like an anti-Miracle on 34th Street, where he really is Santa. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League described it the same way, even though he says he was working from a report from a CL official who'd attended the screening. Observe how, in his comments, Donohue throws in the following list of people involved in the film's making:

"This is a movie put out by Harvey and Bob Weinstein, directed by Terry Zwigoff and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen. Michael Eisner, Disney's chief executive, is said to be disturbed by the movie. But we don't believe him."

It's funny, cause all those people seem to have something in common, which producer John Cameron, co-star Bernie Mac, writer Glenn Ficarra and others do not... I can't quite think what that one thing is, but maybe if you give me a hint...

Anyway, the American people have spoken. Bad Santa roolz!

|12.3.03 @ 2:26AM|#

re: Bad Santa

Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes is that it is worth seeing for not compromising on its cynicism, but the plot could have been better done: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/BadSanta-1127300/

|12.3.03 @ 4:19AM|#

Maybe he hasn't heard it's a religion of peace.

|12.3.03 @ 4:23AM|#

Why does the Catholic League care about this movie ? Has Santa been absorbed into catholic dogma ? Just curious.

Tim Cavanaugh|12.3.03 @ 11:35AM|#

I think that when Eisner says "Shiite Muslim", he must actually mean "competent". Or maybe "able to turn a profit".

Well, Bad Santa (which I'm itching to see, for the title alone) is delivering goodies at the box office. The catch is that Eisner was reportedly shocked and infuriated at a screening of Bad Santa.

I just wish he'd go back to doing his 10-minute addresses to America before each Wonderful World of Disney picture.

|12.3.03 @ 11:55AM|#

"The catch is that Eisner was reportedly shocked and infuriated at a screening of Bad Santa. "

According to a recent Roger Ebert "Answer Man" column, the reports of Disney execs' horror over the film are unfounded and come from Republicans' efforts to "drive a wedge" between Eisner and Weinstein, who is a big Dem supporter. Ordinarily I don't buy these conspiracy theories, but in this case I'm halfway inclined to accept it. Disney has always let its Miramax subsidiary put out edgy, controversial stuff. I have a hard time believing that they would suddenly come over all outraged after "Priest" and "Pulp Fiction".

Plus the articles I've read about this (two in all) avoid all mention of the fact that the Santa in the movie is a guy in a suit working at a department store, not the "real" Santa Claus. It seems like a snow job to me, so to speak.

|12.3.03 @ 12:02PM|#

I think that when Eisner says "Shiite Muslim", he must actually mean "competent". Or maybe "able to turn a profit". Or perhaps it means "not prone to churning out crap".

|12.4.03 @ 10:07AM|#

The Catholic League whines if you step on two twigs crossed at right angles. They're the worst of the left and right brought together - a professional grievance organization that thinks it's on a mission from God.

Tim...I think I've got it. Those people are all cosmopolitan.