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Antisemitic Elmo

Rob Beschizza at 6:50 am Wed, Jun 27, 2012

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Elmo was removed from Central Park zoo in an ambulance after embarking on a anti-semitic tirade: "the scariest Elmo I've ever seen in my life," observed a bystander. Video link via Gothamist, The Awl, etc.

Update: There is also footage of Antisemitic Elmo screaming "TOUCH MY SHIT," etc.

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MORE:  antesemitic elmo • elmo • racism

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  • snagglepuss

    The kneepads are almost scarier than the rant.

    • pahool

      Protection. He doesn’t want to become “Cripple-Me-Elmo”

  • http://www.facebook.com/charles.lenchner Charles Lenchner

    Speaking as an international Jew, I wish all our opponents were like this. 

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=30003282 Houston Lang

      It’s actually Cookie Monster that you have to worry about.

      • http://www.aarongilliland.com/ Aaron Gilliland

        Malevolent Matzoh Monster
        Gefilte Golem
        Challah Haunter
        Levi the Lox Leprechaun

    • Cowicide

      Watch out, Elmo has got some back

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sez4KB0ec20

  • Boris Bartlog

    Ambulance? Why? Guy seems seriously bent but not really in the ‘harm to self or others’ category…

    • dragonfrog

       He was abducted by international Jews disguised as ambulance drivers.

    • http://jdparadise.blogspot.com/ jp_in_nj

      Cuz Elmo ranting in the back of a cruiser would scar the heck out of kids…

  • http://mordicai.livejournal.com Mordicai

    The average Gothamist commenter.

  • ackpht

    As though the regular Elmo wasn’t scary enough.

  • Steve Faiella

    This is what years of merciless tickling will do to you…

  • http://www.facebook.com/rebecca.lieb Rebecca Lieb

    The bf and I are lifelong New Yorkers and both agree hands-down Elmo was the most batshit crazy thing we’ve ever seen in this city – and we’ve seen a lot. Here’s a picture of the guy ranting without his Elmo head on. We got a ton of video, too – but both the content as well as the comments on YouTube are so disturbing we aren’t sharing it publicly.

    • Antinous / Moderator

      He looks like Jackie Gleason.

      • lieblink

        you’ve kind of got a point about Mr. Gleason. only our friend here had a weird piece-of-tape-like thingee stuck where a goatee would be.  you can sort of see it in this shot. would not begin to venture a guess as to what. or why.

    • http://twitter.com/writebastard Ian Wood

       The best part is the kneepads. Because Elmo needs kneepads.

      • cdh1971

        Presidential Knee Pad Elmo 

        Monica Lewelmo 

        Mr. Elmo goes to Washington

        Elmo goes to Hollyelmo 

        Bedtime for Elmo

        YMCElmo

        George Willelmo

        Dear Elmo

        Pliny the Elmo

        Ask Elmo

        Barak Obelmo

        George Elmoshington

        I am Elmo the VIII I am (Elmo)

        Marsha! Marsha! Marsha! 

        John Malcavelmo

        Teddy Ruxelmo

        Tickle Me Elmo

        Stand and deliver Elmo

        Shih-tzelmo

        The wheel goes round and round it makes an ancient rumbling sound

  • snagglepuss

    Somebody needs to explain to this guy that psychotic screeds and bigotry sound EVEN MORE STUPID when they come out of Elmo’s mouth.

    • http://profiles.google.com/marc.k.mielke Marc Mielke

      But he wasn’t even doing the Elmo voice! Guy wasn’t even making the bare minimum effort. Worst Elmo EVER.

      • AviSolomon

         The dude betrayed both Elmo and the kids.

  • http://twitter.com/stevenstark3 Steven Stark

    Relax, he’s just advertising the next Christmas toy sensation:  Conspiracy Theory Ranting Elmo.

  • voidmstr

    Not the first anti-Semitic children’s character! 

    http://www.6nobacon.com/?p=4201

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YAPRGK4ISKSKB3HYIB4JMCFVSM Tom

    I think this is a slightly better video.  The same guy in action, but in front of a Toys R Us (a much better location for “Elmo”) and with a normal aspect ratio:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuouL4WnM9A&feature=related

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/Freethinkersanon Christopher

    Wow. And I thought Soupy Sales was bad. 

  • knappa

    I was there with my daughters this past Saturday and saw a (possibly different) Elmo acting more or less normal. I guess he stopped taking his anti-psychotics.

  • Rickenbacker4001

    After watching wondershowzen (again), this just blends nicely together.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Casey-Ray/100003904672087 Casey Ray

    Maybe we don’t have a lot of Jewish people where I live or maybe because the ones we do have have never given me anywhere near as much trouble as the local Christians, but I just will never understand antisemitism.  

    It’s like a concept so foreign it might as well be from another planet.  

    The Jews I’ve met over the years have been very nice responsible, down to earth people.  

    This whole what do they call it?  ”Zionist Conspiracy”  is as crazy as saying “Aliens built the pyramids”, or “the world will end in 2012,” because a bunch of Mayans said so (except they really didn’t).

    I can only hope that these idiotic ideas will fade away with time. 

    • http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby

      Jews have had a pretty hard time throughout history, and I know what you mean, seriously, what have they actually done to deserve backlash from anyone? Is it because they don’t meddle in other peoples business, and this makes them somehow untrustworthy? Is there a bit of history I’ve never been exposed to that shines a light on why anyone would have a problem with Jews as a whole?

      • Tynam

        Four bits of history to get you started:

        1) Historically, Jews formed highly-educated but ghettoised communities as a minority across a range of host states.  This made them very convenient targets of racism.  The cultures in question were usually racially prejudiced against a whole bunch of other people too… but the others weren’t as convenient to attack.

        2) As always, follow the money.  For complicated religious, social and historical reasons, in the middle ages to early renaissance a significant fraction of Europe’s traders and bankers were Jewish.  This combined resentment with a significant profit motive for harassment.  (For example, the Inquisition was frequently funded with the profits from stealing the property of its victims.)  Several medieval expulsions of Jews boil down to ‘rich nobles owed them money and didn’t want to pay up’.

        3) While we’re on the subject of the Inquisition… medieval churches, especially in Catholicism, had a habit of painting Jews as ‘the killers of Christ’ for evangelical and propaganda purposes.  This was closely tied in to (2); the church usually hated non-church trade and power groups.

        4) A combination of British stupidity in the middle east, careless missteps by Israel and imported Nazi antisemitism turned centuries of peaceful Jewish/Muslim coexistence into a bloody mess in the space of years.

        • http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby

          Thanks for the informative reply!

        • Petzl

           All you needed to say was, “Historically, christians have been a-holes.”

          • Tynam

             Historically, almost all nations, religions and power groups have been a-holes.  I felt that didn’t quite answer the question.

        • Antinous / Moderator

          Historically, Jews formed highly-educated but ghettoised communities as a minority across a range of host states.

          Frequently ‘forced into’ rather than ‘formed’.

          For complicated religious, social and historical reasons, in the middle ages to early renaissance a significant fraction of Europe’s traders and bankers were Jewish.

          The reasons aren’t that complex.  Non-Christians were forbidden to join existing guilds, so they created the finance industry in order to have some way of putting food on the table.

      • chgoliz

        I think the open acceptance of not fitting in — and not even wanting to — might be a component.  As long as the “other” in society tries to look and act like “us” (for any value of “us”) whenever possible, and is meek and self-effacing the rest of the time, then it’s OK.  But being content with one’s identity despite not being part of the majority?  No, no, no, no….that simply is not acceptable.

    • Cowicide

      never given me anywhere near as much trouble as the local Christians

      What about the international Christians?

      • Petzl

        Don’t buy Leapfrog from the International Christian!

  • http://profiles.google.com/kevintkeith Kevin T. Keith

    Most wonderful press coverage of all time: the Times of Israel concluded its story on the incident by noting that “The reports could not independently confirm whether the man was in fact Elmo.”

    http://www.timesofisrael.com/anti-semitic-elmo-captured-in-central-park/

    • surreality

       Not to mention the excellent phrase “Elmo-bedecked”.

  • http://thedreamerskingdom.org/photoblog TK

    Does Kevin Clash know about this?

  • http://echofox3.blogspot.com efergus3

    All because we ‘killed’ Rabbi Joshua ben Joseph. Sorry, not guilty - I was gone that week.

    • http://profiles.google.com/marc.k.mielke Marc Mielke

      But he was asking for it! No really! Read his book!

      • AviSolomon

         Now you know how a single Jew can cause so much trouble:)

    • jhertzli

       I didn’t do it; nobody saw me do it; you can’t prove anything!

  • Dv Revolutionary

    Sad pathetic elmo. How bad does mental health care have to be? It looks like the guy is failing at life and it hurts him to the center of his being and he blames the jews. 

    Get him some therapy. Right now he’s a big public nuisance at best. I don’t wanna see what he could be at worst.

    • http://twitter.com/writebastard Ian Wood

      Sure, call him mentally ill. How does that explain the Elmo suit? Huh? Not so fast with your pat diagnoses now, are ya!

  • http://twitter.com/ErnestValdemar Ernest Valdemar

    I have never before wanted so much to see a Gerry Anderson-style Supermarionation sendup of “International Jew.” Complete with Barry Gray theme music.

    “Gimel, bet, aleph: International Jews are go!”

  • http://twitter.com/WpgCameraMan Rock Hardwood

    I’ve always wished big corporate logo’d shirts were worn by the crazies of this World, forever linking that product/company with their crimes.  Imagine Lee Harvey wearing a ‘Coke’ t-shirt while being shot in the parking garage….  or Osama doing a video with an X-Box 360 at his side. 

    How would a company respond to this, I wonder.  Especially when it may be the only picture available of the person or incident ..

  • Cowicide

    Is he commenting there at his video on YouTube?  I’ve consulted with several international jews and we think we’ve found him!  Commence Operation Elmo-Sweeper…

    Or maybe it’s just Glenn Beck?

    Don’t bother warning the disbelievers. Allah has made it impossible for them to believe so that he can torture them forever after they die. Quran 2:6-7 Sounds like a real outreach group huh? Just like the Cordoba mosque at Ground Zero. An outreach. Named after the mosque built in Cordoba Spain on top of the corpses of the Spanish Christians slaughtered there. Where’s the hate? Not from this side of the argument. All modern Jews are descendants of apes.Quran 2:65-66 Who’s pretneding lil boy? Who?

  • Petzl

    Wow, I knew the way Kevin Clash portrayed himself was too good to be true, but this?

  • CHilke

    Mel Gibson’s career really has fallen on hard times…

  • http://www.girlalive.com girlalive

    Long long ago I wrote an essay about how Elmo was destroying Sesame Street.  I mentioned that his sub-show “Elmo’s World” was taking over Sesame Street like Hitler in Poland.  Maybe Elmo is more like Hitler than even I imagined…