The "Jar-Jar Effect"

I recently read an article in Jacksonville's weekly liberal rag Folio Weekly in which the author coined a new phrase called the "Jar-Jar Effect" to describe what she sees as racial stereotypes that have been transposed into various alien species in science fiction films and video games (I managed to track down an online version of the same article here).

I haven't played Halo so I can't speak for her assertions that the aliens caricature jihad-crazed Arabs, but I just can't agree with her statements that Jar-Jar Binks spoofs Jamaicans and Anakin's boss in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is a stereotypical Jew-cum-alien. I mean, if you really, really reach for it, I guess you can come up with these analogies, but I don't get it.

I think it's good to really think about the meanings behind things, but this is a little much. I trust my gut, and I did not think, "Ooh, these are racial stereotypes!" when I saw Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.