In the dark theatre I couldn’t see my friends’ faces as they watched, so I waited in anticipation to hear them share my laughter. I’d already seen the movies, and it was as if I’d waited my whole life for this dialogue:
Allison: I’m in the midst of doing my thesis.
Alvy: On what?
Allison: Political commitment in twentieth century literature.
Alvy: You, you, you’re like New York, Jewish, left-wing, liberal, intellectual, Central Park West, Brandeis University, the socialist summer camps and the, the father with the Ben Shahn drawings, right, and the really, y’know, strike-oriented kind of, red diaper, stop me before I make a complete imbecile of myself.
Allison: No, that was wonderful. I love being reduced to a cultural stereotype.
Alvy: Right, I’m a bigot, I know, but for the left.
Leave a Reply