Vox Tablet

Word Matters

Discussing the recent burst of celebrity anti-Semitism—and whether it really matters—with Abraham Foxman, Jeffrey Goldberg, Emily Nussbaum, and Matthew Hiltzik

March 4, 2011
John Galliano arriving at a Paris police station, February 28.(Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images)
John Galliano arriving at a Paris police station, February 28.(Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images)

When John Galliano was fired earlier this week as the chief designer for Christian Dior because of his stunning anti-Semitic outburst, some saw the start of a trend. Charlie Sheen had taunted the creator of his CBS sitcom, Two and a Half Men, Chuck Lorre, by calling him Chaim Levine. And Julian Assange, of Wikileaks, allegedly accused a group of journalists of being part of a Jewish conspiracy to smear his organization.

But does it matter if a celebrity gets drunk and utters something offensive? Might it be counterproductive to call attention to every stupid remark? Vox Tablet host Sara Ivry asked Anti-Defamation League chief Abraham Foxman, Atlantic national correspondent and blogger Jeffrey Goldberg, New York magazine cultural critic Emily Nussbaum, and public-relations guru Matthew Hiltzik. [Running time: 16:05.]

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Vox Tablet is Tablet Magazine’s weekly podcast, hosted by Sara Ivry and produced by Julie Subrin. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.

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