Comics I Don’t Understand

That’s funny, she doesn’t LOOK tru-ish…

Cidu Bill on Sep 3rd 2010

Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, One Big Happy, Rick Detorie, comic strips, comics, humor | 33 responses so far

33 Responses to “That’s funny, she doesn’t LOOK tru-ish…”

Nicole Sep 3rd 2010 at 12:27 am 1

So … since this is NOT a CIDU … the question is… Dum dum duuuuuum

Is this a ethnically or religiously insensitive comic
Cidu Bill Sep 3rd 2010 at 12:36 am 2

Nicole, why do you say this is not a CIDU? It’s tagged “CIDU,” and it came online at 12:02am.
mitch4 Sep 3rd 2010 at 12:58 am 3

It was a long time before I connected the “J.A.P.” clichés to the memory that my dad actually did often address my sister as “Princess”.
Folly Sep 3rd 2010 at 12:59 am 4

Oh, in that case, the joke is that it sounds like Jewish Princess. I’ll let urban dictionary handle the definition there.

Or if you’re watching Spaceballs, A ‘Druish’ princess.

“That’s funny, she doesn’t look Druish”
John Small Berries Sep 3rd 2010 at 01:01 am 5

Why is it a CIDU? I thought you pegged the comic’s apparent punchline in the title.

The strip just took the long way around to get to the pun.
Cidu Bill Sep 3rd 2010 at 01:18 am 6

To quote Lou Costello: “‘That’s right’?? I don’t even know what I said!”

“Jewish princess” was actually the joke here? And “But she is true-ish” was merely the heavy-handed set-up for that??
Folly Sep 3rd 2010 at 01:21 am 7

A True-ish Amelian Princess? hmmmm…
Cidu Bill Sep 3rd 2010 at 01:25 am 8

On the same subject, I guess, I’d never heard the expression JAP until I was a college freshman (though in hindsight I knew quite a few of them in high school including one girlfriend). I’d met up with a friend during Thanksgiving break and we were talking about our respective colleges and she asked me if my school had many JAPS. I thought this was a horrendous, uncharacteristically racist thing for her to say, until I found out it stood for Jewish American Princess.

I guess you can make the argument that Jewish American Princess can be offensive as well, but that goes under the heading of “We’re both Jewish, so we can say it.”
Kilby Sep 3rd 2010 at 02:15 am 9

@ Folly (4) - There’s also “Bored of the Rings“, in which Eorache says to Gimlet (son of Groin): “Funny, you don’t look dwarfish!”
Igelino Sep 3rd 2010 at 03:07 am 10

Bill #6: you might like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2royG2Pvy8
Detcord Sep 3rd 2010 at 03:50 am 11

Cidu Bill (8)

I also first encountered Jewish American Princesses at University. They usually introduced themselved as JAP’s and then explained what it meant. It was all light-hearted so I never associated the term with anything offensive. Just a different slice of Americana.

I suppose any term, or sobriquet, can be deemed offensive if it is used improperly or with the intent to offend. Such, for example, was how ‘Yank’ was intended. I think it’s up to the individuals for whom such terms are aimed at to allow them to become offensive by responding negatively to them.

I’ve been called “Yank” here in Europe and I knew it was negatively intended, but as I am proud to be an American, I overtly took it the other way and thus disarmed my protagonist. Some have since become friends as their prejudice was acquired 3rd hand and reality replaced hearsay.

To that end, I would argue that the idea, “We’re both Jewish, so we can say it.” is backwards. Usage legitimises terms for everyone. If it doesn’t, then the offensivness is within such individuals toward outsiders, whomever they may be. If I happily called myself a Yank, but became offended if you called me one, wouldn’t that, in itself, be offensive?
Proginoskes Sep 3rd 2010 at 04:22 am 12

@4, 9: And if you watch the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine: “You don’t look bluish …”
Nicole Sep 3rd 2010 at 07:41 am 13

See this is what happens when you go to sleep after yo make a comment … yes Bill — the reference is to Jewish American Princess and yes I thought you got it because your headline SO echoed the “Funny, she doens’t look Druish” line from Spaceballs. That is why I was wondering if you were asking if it was offensive or not.

Here is the Spaceballs scene done in LEGOS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqINDkR1xxI

May the schwartz be with you
Powers Sep 3rd 2010 at 07:59 am 14

I’m lost. I always knew the line in Spaceballs was a pun on “Jewish” — it’s that obvious — but the very consistent form the jokes take (”Funny, she doesn’t look ___ewish”) implies that it comes from somewhere else. (And obviously, Yellow Submarine predates Spaceballs!) WHERE IS IT FROM? And what’s a “Jewish American Princess”?
The Bad Seed Sep 3rd 2010 at 08:39 am 15

For some inexplicable reason I read and love Ruthie, even though she does tend to go the long way around the barn for a weak joke or pun like this one. But something about the drawing style and facial expressions makes up for that for me.
The Bad Seed Sep 3rd 2010 at 08:52 am 16

Oh, and one more thing… way back in high school (1977-81) I used to lovingly call my best friend (since 5th grade) a JAP, which she totally embraced and seemed almost flattered by. I think, growing up in the WASP-Land of Chadds Ford, PA, in the cultural-embracing 1970’s, most people outwardly and vehemently acted like religious and cultural differences didn’t matter, so we were almost afraid to talk about or even mention them (I guess it was the burgeoning surge of awkward political correctness). Even if you were describing someone’s physical appearance to someone to see if they knew or had seen them, you were leery of stating obvious things like that they might be black. So my friend seemed delighted to be openly acknowledged as Jewish (with a pretty mild label), like we were accepting her cultural identity and not forcing her to fit in. And she’s never been one to be ashamed of being financially spoiled.
mitch4 Sep 3rd 2010 at 09:04 am 17

Detcord — no, you’re just plain wrong on the “If it’s acceptable for within-group use, it’s acceptable for anyone”.

And I need to warn you off about how that would be taken, in the U.S., by somebody who didn’t know any more about you than seeing that argument. (Got that? I’m not labelling you, because I’ve seen more of you right here. I’m warning you how that would look for someone whose only encounter wth you is hearing you make that remark.)

To put it most bluntly, it would come over as racist. Or at least rude, adolescent, and pugnacious. That argument is only made seriously by disaffected young white men, who hear “the N word” in music or in dialogue between black people, and then start going around saying it themselves. And when called out on it, they parrot that same “If it’s okay for you to call yourselves that, it’s okay for me to say it too!”. But nobody ever thinks “Hmm, you’re right, maybe it makes no difference who is speaking”. No, it is always “you’ve shown your racism, punk-ass white boy”.

That’s not to say all conscious commentary and humor about race, religion, and national origins are out of the question for across-group treatment. It has been remarked that the widespread appreciation of Chico Marx’s parodic Italian was a sign that both Jewish and Italian immigrants were becoming well-established in the fabric of American culture and people could start being comfortable about differences. But none of that wipes out the offense when out-group speakers take an historically insulting term that has been jokingly rehabilitated within-group, and try to use it claiming non-offense.
billytheskink Sep 3rd 2010 at 10:06 am 18

I assume Amelia has a garlic aroma that could level Tacoma.
Igelino Sep 3rd 2010 at 10:36 am 19

Yeah I like Ruthie too. The facial expressions are very good.

Back in the seventies one of my first jobs was a cook’s assistant in a nice steak restaurant. The owner was Chinese. One of the other employees (who happened to be Jewish) said once: since you’re a minority, one would think you would hire more minorities. The owner replied that there weren’t enough minorities nearby. And anyway, he did what he could and had a Jew working for him.

The other employee said there were blacks in the neighborhood… The owner got a bit angry and said he would NEVER hire a black. The whole kitchen was suddenly quiet. The owner said “and anyway, I’m more a minority than them. I can say that.”

I still chuckle when I think about it. But it’s too true - depending on who’s around at the moment, a person may or may not be a minority and subject to rules about what labels to use.
Mark in Boston Sep 3rd 2010 at 11:14 am 20

The Jewish-American Princesses at my college were there to get their Mrs. degree.

My roommate Joel (who was there in a futile effort to prepare him to inherit his Daddy’s business) was a serial exploiter of them. He had three or four one-and-only girlfriends simultaneously, not counting the one-night stands, and usually the girl who was in bed with him in the morning was not the one who was there the night before.
Irene Sep 3rd 2010 at 03:05 pm 21

@14
My sister-in-law is a JAP. They are (steroetypically) raised in affluence and very used to getting whatever they want for no other reason than they think they deserve it. Salon hair and nails, designer clothes, nose job make them easy to spot. Some use it as a self-effacing thing, others play it to the hilt.
And yes- SIL sounds like Fran Drescher.
turquoise cow Sep 3rd 2010 at 06:34 pm 22

I knew lots of princesses in school, from kindergarten all the way through the end of college, but none of them were Jewish (okay, one was half but I don’t really count that since they didn’t celebrate any Jewish holidays). What possibly offensive nickname or acronym could I use to refer them?

Or is calling someone a religion/race that they are not a part of offensive enough?
Cidu Bill Sep 3rd 2010 at 06:38 pm 23

Well, turquoise cow, there’s always the ever-popular “bitch”: can’t go wrong with the classics.
turquoise cow Sep 3rd 2010 at 06:57 pm 24

Bill - True, and I suppose that would be accurate. It just doesn’t seem as witty….
Lola Sep 3rd 2010 at 09:11 pm 25

Is there some special meaning to the limp wrist in the last panel?
Nicole Sep 4th 2010 at 01:11 am 26

Bill @ 23

Or you could go with the updated Bi-atch
Proginoskes Sep 4th 2010 at 03:14 am 27

@ 14, and 18:

Now, let’s really offend some people out there.

I want a nasty little Jewish princess
With long phony nails and a hairdo that rinses
A horny little Jewish princess
With a garlic aroma that could level Tacoma
Lonely inside
Well, she can swallow my pride

I want a hairy little Jewish princess
With a brand new nose, who knows where it goes
I want a steamy little Jewish princess
With over-worked gums, who squeaks when she cums
I don’t want no troll
I just want a Yemenite hole

I want a darling little Jewish princess
Who don’t shit about cooking and is arrogant looking
A vicious little Jewish princess
To specifically happen with a pee-pee that’s snappin
All up inside
I just want a princess to ride
Awright, back to the top…everybody twist

I want a funky little Jewish princess
A grinder; a bumper, with a pre-moistened dumper
A brazen little Jewish princess
With titanic tits, and sand-blasted zits
She can even be poor
So long as she does it with four on the floor
(vapor-lock)

I want a dainty little Jewish princess
With a couple of sisters who can raise a few blisters
A fragile little Jewish princess
With Romanian thighs, who weasels n lies
For two or three nights
Wont someone send me a princess who bites
Wont someone send me a princess who bites
Wont someone send me a princess who bites
Wont someone send me a princess who bites

(lyrics by Frank Zappa, of course)
Powers Sep 4th 2010 at 10:05 am 28

… okay…. but whence comes the trope? Where did this “Jewish Princess” thing come from, and more importantly, the “She doesn’t look Jewish” response?
mitch4 Sep 4th 2010 at 10:18 am 29

Powers (#28), I don’t think the two expressions are particularly linked.

The “doesn’t look” one is just out there and is part of “did you know so-and-so is Jewish”? There was a piece on This American Life some time ago about Canadians in the U.S. who find themselves doing that all the time (identifying their celebrity or personal-acquaintance fellow-Canadians), and the narrator explained in in terms of the well-known Jewish equivalent.

Some time ago I came across a British site devoted to identifying Jews among political or entertainment celebrities. (Unfortunately, it seemed to be anti-Semitic in intent, even though it kept a careful step back from “Look how deeply they have infiltrated”.) Did you know Gina Bellman is [half-]Jewish? No — funny, she doesn’t look Jewish!
Igelino Sep 4th 2010 at 11:18 am 30

Hey Bill, about the Heavy-Handed setup, with Ruthie, it’s likely they said Jewish Princess at the party, and that Ruthie didn’t have an idea what it meant so she substituted a word she knew. Ruthie does that a lot.
Morris Keesan Sep 8th 2010 at 12:37 pm 31

Powers (#28), the phrase “Jewish Princess”, or “Jewish American Princess” (or “JAP”) is probably older than most of us here. It’s certainly something I was familiar with more than 40 years ago, and I can still recall many of the JAP jokes we used to tell in the late 1960s and early 1970s (”How many JAPs does it take to change a light bulb?” — “Two. One to open a bottle of TAB, and one to call Daddy.”).
Morris Keesan Sep 8th 2010 at 12:40 pm 32

In 1989, when we first visited Japan, we came across a clothing store called “Club JAPS”. My wife still has her “Club JAPS” t-shirt, which says that the business was inspired by “upper-class Jewish-American young ladies”. I don’t recall the exact text, but they clearly didn’t get the idea that “JAP”, as applied to those young ladies, was a disparaging term.
Elyrest Sep 8th 2010 at 12:50 pm 33

”How many JAPs does it take to change a light bulb?” — “Two. One to open a bottle of TAB, and one to call Daddy.”

Morris K - Thanks for the laugh! I haven’t heard that joke in years and I don’t think it’s been told in years. That TAB reference really dates it.