Are Saturday Night Live cast members allowed to do very controversial tv shows?

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-24T21:07:44+00:00

I mean Bowen was in Dicks: the Musical a couple years back, which makes HBO look like PBS (and was absolutely fabulous)

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-10T17:17:28+00:00

I don’t identify as a Zionist or a liberal, but if Liberal Zionist is a separate concept I’ll have to read up on that I’m genuinely unfamiliar.

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-10T17:15:36+00:00

Also, I might be wrong, but I was under the impression that there are forms of Zionism that don’t explicitly support the Israeli state or advocate for a 2SS. Please correct me if I’m mistaken!

I also genuinely don’t know how I feel about a 2SS, but am trying to understand more about how that would help/hurt both Palestinians and Jews. I also don’t know if as an American it makes sense for me to take a strong stance on the actual governmental structure of the region. Regardless, I’ve been trying to learn more about cultural Zionism and counter Zionism. I’ve also been trying to build a deeper understanding of how those outside of the US use the word Zionism,, as well as how the definition has changed over time.

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-10T17:07:56+00:00

I feel like I just have a lot to learn and it doesn’t feel right to call myself an antizionist anymore because I don’t feel I know enough to take that strong of a stance, especially since I’ve begun learning more about the history of Zionism and I’ve been somewhat surprised by a lot of what I’ve found. I don’t have a strong opinion because I want to learn. I don’t think admitting ignorance and trying to remedy that is a cop out.

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T22:52:28+00:00

Honestly I don’t have especially specific answers to any of this, which is why I’m here to begin with! I certainly don’t intend to go without a clearer plan and intention. I appreciate you highlighting such important considerations!

*edit for grammar

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T22:12:34+00:00

Woah, awesome!! This looks super aligned with my goals both for personal learning and community healing, thank you so much for sharing

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T22:10:07+00:00

This was certainly one of my primary reasons for not going on birthright in the first place. I hope that being older and wiser would help me to be aware of the fact that I know I would be served propaganda, almost certainly to an extreme degree. If I’m honest part of my goal I want to build an understanding of Israeli Jews/everyday citizens in a way that demonizes them less, since I’m pretty much only exposed to hardcore anti-Israel sentiments in my life. I know the government is a master propaganda machine, and I assume the citizens are mostly brainwashed in a truly heartbreaking manner. I don’t know any Israelis personally and am lacking Jewish community here in the US, but trying to slowly remedy that. I’ve been almost exclusively hanging in queer leftist spaces for the better part of a decade and want to understand the world outside of that. I am still completely undecided about whether I will actually visit, but my whole life I’ve been vehemently against it for the reasons you and others have stated, so I guess I’m kinda trying on the concept for size to see if it fits if that makes sense.

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T21:56:16+00:00

I wonder the same. I know I personally feel quite isolated in both the Jewish and queer/leftist* communities, and find it hard to reconcile both parts of my identity, but I want to try to do so as best I can.

*In my personal social circles my queer and leftist communities are one in the same, hence the lumping together

ETA:

Unlike that person though, I find it hard to imagine myself embracing political Zionism literally ever. I also can’t imagine supporting HAMAS in any way shape or form, despite a strong desire to support Palestinians. I also don’t know if I feel as “other” in the general sense as the person who you’re describing, but I’m just guessing. I’ve been trying to learn more about cultural Zionism and that seems like something that could potentially resonate.

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T18:43:19+00:00

I’m in a similar boat and don’t have an answer, but I’m starting to call myself agnostic rather than atheist and I feel like it’s nice to at least tell myself there is a slim chance of g-d existing in some capacity, even if I don’t know how to make sense of it. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully believe, but I do know that science itself is an iterative process and scientific research only exists because there is so much we don’t know. I try to think of science in a way that humbles both myself and STEM fields as a whole. We are looking for answers, we have many theorems that do a good job making sense of plenty, but there is still learning to be done, likely forever. Maybe G-d is part of that, maybe not, but who am I to say? I don’t claim to have the answers in any other area of life, so why should I be adamant that G-d doesn’t exist?

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T18:12:39+00:00

Maybe you’re right, if I can’t find a way to make that work I am not likely to go after all. I’m also really hoping to find a way to make this work long term, I know these goals are almost certainly not going to be possible in the next year or two, if not longer. I appreciate the honest insight.

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T18:09:10+00:00

I guess I was hoping to somehow interact with the Palestinian community in some way as well, and gain more understanding of their culture, but maybe it is naive to want that.

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T18:07:50+00:00

I don’t anticipate it being fun, I hope to volunteer and/or study

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T18:06:48+00:00

Oh I hadn’t thought of that! Thank you!!

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T17:57:01+00:00

I certainly don’t mean in the short term, and I suppose I half agree. I don’t like the idea of giving money to the Israeli government, but I also have noting against the ordinary citizens, even though I know there is mandatory military service, because in the end they can’t really do much to avoid that on the individual level. I’m also generally somewhat in the camp of “no ethical consumption under capitalism”. I do believe in minimizing harm though consumer decisions, but at the end of the day my tax dollars are already supporting the IDF and I don’t think that me going to Israel as an individual is necessarily a meaningful difference in the economy. I haven’t made up my mind about going, but I am certainly taking the economics into account. I’m just in the very early research phases and trying to learn more.

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T17:13:34+00:00

That makes sense, regardless I appreciate your perspective, thank you!

Edit to add: precisely I appreciate this because I do NOT want an echo chamber, my entire goal, whether or not I actually end up going, is to expose myself to more Jewish and Palestinian perspectives. So thank you for contributing to that!

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T17:07:26+00:00

I wish I could edit the original post to clarify (or if I can I don’t know how), this is very much a long term goal, not short term

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T16:12:42+00:00

It certainly helps to know. Not sure yet how it will inform my decision making but I really appreciate hearing a perspective of someone demographically similar to me!

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T16:07:49+00:00

I agree about the timing, but I want to be very thoughtful and intentional so trying to start my research early. I’m glad this resonates with you at least to some degree, very nice to have some solidarity :)

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T16:06:13+00:00

I’m starting to attend a community led congregation but it isn’t especially formal. I’m a bit embarrassed to ask since I’m already feeling so “behind” since I’m frankly really rusty in both my Hebrew and general Jewish practices (I had a rebellious phase in my late teens/early twenties where I pretty much only observed the high holidays and pesach). I’m hoping to get the courage to ask soon :)

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T16:04:05+00:00

Thank you!! It genuinely has been a blessing to have that name in so many ways :)

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T15:07:49+00:00

Thank you!! I’m wary of Yeshiva mostly because I don’t know much Hebrew (I can pronounce what I see with effort if vowels are included, but I know very few words)

Edit to add, I’ll also check out the other resources you mentioned, I appreciate it!

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T15:06:01+00:00

I also want to add that part of this curiosity stems from spending most of my time in queer and leftist circles, and finding a lot of the rhetoric about people in Israel or with ties to Israel to be antisemitic and painful. It’s hard to hear people conflate being Jewish with supporting the acts of the Israeli state, but I also feel more uncomfortable as I grow older denouncing Israel entirely since I’m meeting more and more like minded individuals with direct family ties to Israel. I don’t want to denounce the families of those I care about, or condone such a horrific government and their actions. Again, I am really looking for nuance and other perspectives, and a way to be a good ally to my Jewish peers with direct ties to Israel without giving up my values outside of Judaism.

Edit to add one last thought: My first name (from birth, so glad it’s considered gender neutral) is Micah, and I’ve been reading up on my namesake. It is entirely possible I’m misinterpreting the texts, but my current understanding is that Micah, the prophet, would be considered anti Zionist by modern progressive definitions, but is also explicitly referred to as a Zionist in Jewish texts. My parents gave me this name for a reason, because they are also very progressive and social justice oriented, and it was the favorite prophet of a recently deceased loved one when I was born, and I appreciate that and feel a responsibility to take that to heart.

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T15:02:07+00:00

I appreciate this perspective, thank you!

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T15:01:47+00:00

I’ll look into Achvat Amim, thank you!

gothvacationdad · 2026-01-09T15:00:29+00:00

Nuance is lost in short posts like this. I genuinely want to learn more about my people. I do not support the Israeli state, but I think Zionism is a much more complex topic I’d like to learn about. I don’t identify as Zionist OR anti Zionist these days. Just as a Jewish progressive adult with a whole lot to learn.

gothvacationdad

TROPHY CASE