MESSING WITH THE ZOHAN

“You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” stars one of my favourite comedians, Adam Sandler. I enjoy most of Adam Sandler’s work because they are all subtly meaningful. For example, “Click”, “Waterboy”, “Big Daddy”, “Chuck and Larry” and even this one “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”.

However, for this instalment of Sandler, I have torn feelings because I didn't appreciate the jokes that are a bit distasteful. For example, how Zohan ‘services’ all the makcik-makciks (old ladies) with his “birdie” is not really my cup of tea (call me innocent). There were a few other disgusting comics, like how he catches his fish in between his a**. Well, maybe it’s just personal preference; I am just not really into these comedies. I have to admit though, they are some funny parts that cracked me up.

But every Adam Sandler movie has got its values, including this one, and this one is related to the Israeli-Palestinian tensions. Using a light-hearted approach, Zohan speaks about the wrongs of inter-ethnicity conflicts.

Ethnicity: Does it matter?

The most memorable quote: "In America, we’re all the same."

Palestinians or Israeli look the same in America. You can’t even tell them apart but within their own communities, they differentiate each other by their tribes or ethnicities. This is similar to the Tutsis and Hutus in Darfur. The main point of the movie, why can’t we live as brothers (or sisters) and help each other?

The Powerless vs. The Powerful

I feel that the movie also indirectly criticize those autocratic countries. When these Arab people are busy fighting each other, their real enemies are taking advantage of the distrust they have for each other. They should be working together to fight their enemies. 

In the movie, a big company wants to tear down their city to build a mall. I guess the 'big company' is representative of the big countries with authority in real life.

Of course in the movie, all ends well, but in the real word, there are still some on-going conflicts. Tun Dr. Mahathir once pointed out at an OIC meeting to all the Islamic countries about working together and not fighting one another. Going against each other not only provides an easy advantage for stronger countries, but also, these Islamic countries continue to be poor and undeveloped. Then they shall continue to be under those ‘Big Bosses’, who are manipulating them to fight each other and then take advantage of the situation.

War is not a solution to many things and even a strong commando like Zohan hates war.

Who are we to Judge?

Zohan subtly highlights how Americans misjudge these Middle East nationals. America especially, portrays them as terrorists, which is very unfair. Zohan, in some ways enlightens us that we all humans are all the same, regardless of our nationality or ethnicity. Like you and me, they would go to America because of the need to earn a living, a need to survive. Some of their people might be terrorist, but we can't stereotype all of them. I'm glad that there are some Americans who have more sense and many of them are writing movies which in fact criticizes how shallow some of the other Americans are.

There was an episode of CSI, if I'm not mistaken, in which the police had to investigate a murder case of an Israeli teenager who was tortured and raped. The police first suspected that it was her father because they were stereotyping Muslims as conservative and strict. They thought the father murdered the daughter because she was a disgrace to the family (she was pregnant before marriage). The truth revealed later, is that the daughter was murdered by her American boyfriend.

After the boy was arrested, the girl's mother said that, because of the stereotypes, the cops never once suspect their own people (the Americans). They say that Israelis are heartless and called them terrorists but some of the Whites are also as ruthless. So why aren't we afraid of them? I guess that reminds us that it's not our ethnicity or where we come from that determines who we are, but rather what we do that identifies us.

This is just another reminder to not stereotype, but to define others by what they do and not what they are born as.