Lake Theater and Café, based on Lake Oswego, Oregon, has become well known locally for having witty headlines on their marquee. Over the years (the theater was built in 1940) they have mocked Taylor Swift and Melenia Trump, and made jokes about abortion and domestic violence. All headlines are related to a movie being shown.
While some locals (and non-locals) have taken issue with some of the messaging, most find it entertaining or just shrug their shoulders knowing a new one will appear in a few days.
However, the recent marquee for the Odyssey movie has resulted in some unwanted attention.
The banner reads “BEFORE THERE WERE THE JEWS… THERE WAS THE ODESSEY”
The image of the marquee has gone viral. And with it a wide range of feedback, much of it saying that
the message is inappropriate
the message is factually incorrect
why are the Jews even being mentioned
it’s derogatory slight against a group already facing intense racism
The marquee was changed within days of it going up.
My question is can a company be funny? Unlike comedians who have personas and share their material in environments conducive of humor, companies speak to everyone.
As such, they should make everyone feel welcome. Jokes can often be misinterpreted or viewed as being in poor taste.
But I think there’s something else to this: timing.
Since October 7 2023, when Israel was attacked by Hamas, Jews around the world have faced a level of antisemitism not seen since the 1940’s. I would suggest that while there is nothing racist about what the theater showed, it is not a good time for this kind of messaging.
It would not be the first example of poor timing.
A joke about the New York skyline made soon after 9/11? (Radio Shack)
A cheeky campaign about Black Lives Matters? (Pepsi)
A campaign making light of the Rodney King verdict (LA restaurant Wok Fast)
My advice to any company hoping to gain some attention by riding a trend: think about what’s being said and what people might hear. Sometimes just keeping quiet can be the best strategy.
After all, there is such thing as bad press.
