A debate over ‘Mrs. Maisel’
Regarding “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” [“Oy, the Stereotypes,” by Paul Brownfield, Jan. 5]: It’s a comedy. A damn good one, with no more stereotyped or exaggerated characters than “Seinfeld,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Veep” or “Barry.” But maybe Brownfield is right. Maybe the anti-Semites of the immediate future will be fueled by binging “Mrs. Maisel” rather than by listening to their elected leader. Bill Nuss Brentwood
Stereotypes only have negative connotations when used in a prejudicial way to demean a particular group of people. But the Jewish characters in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” are wonderful stereotypes putting on display all of their cultural idiosyncrasies, good and bad, funny and irritating. The writer’s notion that this wonderful series with Jewish stereotypes could somehow encourage anti-Semitism is wrongheaded. Robin Garb Calabasas
Thank you for your insightful commentary. Not being Jewish, all of the issues you broached were ones I had frankly not ever considered. Even the term “Holocaust” and the timing of its adoption into our current language I had never explored even though the timing of word adoption frequently interests me. Paul Brown Newport Beach
Paul Brownfield misses the point of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Writer AmySherman-Palladino makes being Jewish a wonderful thing to be. Maisel is the funniest, chic-est, wittiest and prettiest show on TV. I love the colorful period costumes worn by Rachel Brosnahan and Marin Hinkle. Mr. Brownfield must have been watching a different show. Enjoy already. Sonya Sargent Los Angeles
I am the daughter of Holocaust survivors, who arrived from ravaged Europe and met each other in Los Angeles in 1947. My handsome doctor father and my elegant jewelry designer mother, both multilingual, both without family, established their lives in Los Angeles and embraced America wholeheartedly, yet always retained their European-ness. For my brother and myself, our childhoods were mixed with survivor guilt, great adventures, beauty and education. We never felt completely like American Jews, because we were first-generation, and didn’t relate to the relaxed, casual kids at school….We were a bit different.
In watching “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” it is, for me, a snapshot into a life that I truly wish my parents had….One of being born in the U.S.; safe, secure, taking family vacations in the mountains… rowing boats and laughing … and not spending a chunk of their lives reliving the sound of bombs, the constant nightmares and PTSD that my mother suffered for decades. Anti-Semitism has always been just under the surface, not just recently. I have seen films and TV shows far more insulting and stereotypical. Maybe we should all just lighten up a bit and see this show as a deliciously wrought, beautifully designed entertainment, and nothing more. Mona Shafer Edwards Los Angeles
Thank you for your column about “Ms. Maisel.” The show is cringe-worthy and embarrassing. These characters do not represent any Jews I have known in my 68 years (as a Jew). In fact, they don’t represent any humans I have known.