And somewhere… Jack Abramoff breathes a sigh of relief
It looks like David Brooks, founder and CEO of DHB Industries, (and current contender for world’s worst person) has done a lot of bad stuff. The federal government just charged him with, among other things, securities fraud and tax evasion. According to the indictment, Brooks sold $185 million of dollars of stock in his company (that’s the insider trading part) upon learning that 6,000 bullet proof vests he was selling didn’t work. As in, they couldn’t stop bullets. Yeah. the company produced were about to be recalled for being faulty.
This is some pretty loathesome behavior, allegedly. But what does the Post lead with? War Profiteer Hates American Troops and Wants Them Full of Holes? Nah. War Profiteer Bilks Investors AND Hates Troops? Nahhhh. Too obvious. Nope, the Post’s  headline on this story: the $10 million dollars he looted from his company to pay for his daughter’s bat mitzvah. Two years ago. Granted, this is shocking and repulsive. But the focus on the bat mitzvah ends up shaping the way that other outlets spread the story. See today’s post on Jezebel, where the comments end up focusing on JAPs and the excesses of the modern Bat Mitzvah. And, frankly, I can’t help feeling like there’s a whiff of subtle anti-semitic incitement in choosing to lead with the sensational, Jewish exploitation aspect of the story. Call me crazy, but I felt a little scared reading this. Whatever the impact, this is yet another reason to hate the Post, I suppose.
Interesting. I don’t want to deny that antisemitism COULD be a component, but I think it had more to do with the ridiculously overblown party and the sensationalism therein. I could see the story being played the same way even if it were wasps with a Coming Out party or Latino Catholics with a Quincinera or whatever. It does seem like a weird focus to some extent.
I agree with you 100%.
But, as a side issue, can someone tell me how one can spend $10 million on a Bas Mitzvah? What do you spend it on?
Norm,
if I recall, he hired Jay Z, Aerosmith, and others to play at it.
As a side note, I know the rabbi who was in charge of the service that Saturday morning (for that bat mitzvah, I mean). Apparently the dad kept looking at him and tapping his watch, because clearly the whole thing was taking too long.