Hatethought?

So, while I am not the movie fan I used to be--basically because I lack the free time to go see them these days-- I wanted to go see Adam Sandler's Don't Mess with the Zohan. Sure, it's bound to be juvenile and silly--that's kind of his thing. But one reviewer over at WaPo doesn't seem amused:

In the world according to Adam, Arabs are childish, violent, stupid; Israelis are aggressive, mendacious, oversexed; white Americans are gun-crazed, violent rednecks or smarmy aristocratic businessmen/gangsters; post-menopausal women are riven with lust. And all this hatethought is expressed in support of a political argument that's no more sophisticated than "Can't we just all get along?"

I haven't yet seen the movie--and it very well may suck--but this little diatribe isn't about to stop me from seeing it. Anyone who has ever seen a Sandler film knows that the characters are always exaggerated, stereotypical, and crude. That's what makes them funny.

And before you ask "What if he was doing that to black people? Would you still be as forgiving?," I'll give you two words: Soul Plane.

Without debating the merits of the film or Sandler's value as an "artist," he is clearly a satirical absurdist. The preview shows an array of ridiculously impossible feats (and feet) that only highlights the unreality of the film's setting. This isn't a movie promoting hatred in any way--save, perhaps, for the sheer banality of Hollywood film making.

So, Mr. Stephen Hunter, lighten up. Just because you don't find someone funny, it is irresponsible to accuse him of 'hate'--and even more so make up the word "hatethought" to express it.