“So what’s your take?”

“There should be a kids’ section on flights,” opines the young woman with big teeth and big earrings.

“100% agree,” the interviewer shoots back. “There should be a kids’ section everywhere.”

This conversation is one of hundreds, maybe even thousands, hosted by the curly-haired, casually debonair Kareem Rahma of SubwayTakes. It’s a simple but effective model, one that appeals to his large social media following. Add in a few charming quirks — microphones fashioned from (now-retired) MetroCards, occasional celebrity cameos, and the visibly moving subway car behind him — and it manages to check all the boxes: entertainment, humor, and cultural commentary. 

Of course, lately, cultural spaces have been increasingly shaped by geopolitical tensions. And SubwayTakes is only the latest casualty in the Israel-Palestine culture war.

In his most recent video, Rahma — wearing a dark suit over a dark sweater — speaks to Julian Casablancas of the rock band The Strokes. Casablancas looks like how you might imagine a washed-up rockstar: his hair is unwashed, his maroon pants are too tight, and hard-to-decipher tattoos dot both of his forearms. 

Casablancas has four “controversial takes” to defend. The first three are not particularly noteworthy; the rocker thinks people need to stop sending long audio messages (Rahma disagrees), that modern........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)