Emmy campaign targets ‘bloated, overprivileged Jews’

We’ve heard of American politicians courting the Jewish vote, but this is probably the first time anyone’s so explicitly targeted the “bloated, overprivileged” Jews who vote for the Emmys.

In its campaign to win the prestigious TV award, American sitcom “Family Guy” has sent out mailers encouraging Hollywood Jews to give the show this year’s prize for best comedy series. “Come on, you bloated, overprivileged Brentwood Jews. Let us into your little club,” the flyer says, naming a wealthy Los Angeles neighborhood that’s home to many industry executives.

The mailer’s flirtation with an old anti-Semitic trope — that Jews control Hollywood — is exactly the point, as anyone familiar with “Family Guy” will know. Deadline Hollywood notes that the show ran a similarly provocative Emmy campaign in 2010, in that case involving the movie “Precious.” And the show has a history of using Jewish stereotypes in its scripts: Fox, which broadcasts the series in the US, initially pulled a 2002 episode called “When You Wish Upon a Weinstein,” in which the cartoon’s protagonist decides his son should convert to Judaism so he’ll be better at handling money.

The episode was later shown on Cartoon Network, and eventually on Fox as well.

The 2012 Emmys will be awarded Sept. 23.