This is silly. I don't recall seeing a single episode of All in the Family in which Archie Bunker advocated persecution of blacks. Any number of American gay-bashers will argue that they do not advocate discrimination against homosexuals; rather, they are against (imaginary) "special favorable treatment" for gays.
I would argue that the existence of race-based hatred renders meaningless any search for further definition. As noted in my earlier series, Israelis are themselves some of the worst racists in the world. Although their hatred of Arabs has had many unhappy real-world consequences, we should never lose sight of the fact that it begins in the heart. Moreover, we should never lose sight of the fact that hatred of Jews also began in the heart and led to many unhappy real-world consequences -- among them, the establishment of Israel as a state based on the principle of racial/religious supremacy.
One of the best indicators of hatred's presence is the willingness to lie. For example, Xymphora goes on to say:
I believe that it is perfectly legitimate to wonder why the Democrats, mostly funded by Jews...How much money does the Democratic party have right now? According to this source,
In the first six months of this year, Democratic federal candidates and the party's three national committees raised $381 million compared with the $291 million their counterparts [the Republicans] collected.Unless someone can prove (prove) that Jews contributed $190,500,001 of that amount, the "mostly funded by Jews" statement should be considered a lie -- and prima facie evidence of anti-Semitism.
Please note that I have asked for proof. Allegation, concoction, sarcasm, haughty presumption, subject-switching, ad hominem and the phrase "Well, everyone knows..." do not constitute the requested proof.
7 comments:
I have read "The Source" and "Stranger than Fiction" and I still don't know which story I find more enlightening.
IMO, Zionist are the same thing as Neocons: a philosophical faction within a society; both of which are deserving of loathing in my opinion.
To criticize the actions and policies of either of these faction is not a condemnation of the Jewish or American people in toto.
I can't address the current #'s, but this should answer the broader question. Note the graph specifies "pro Israeli" and not "jewish". Jews as a whole have been against the war on Iraq, for instance, and are *probably* more left leaning than the general population. But the Pacs and other entities which represent the right-wing war-mongering interests of Likudnic Israel are another matter entirely. The linked graph explains why Dems do not dare criticize Israel.
Semite:
1. A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern
Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews,
and Phoenicians.
2. A Jew.
3. Bible A descendant of Shem.
Anti-semitism would be the harboring of attitudes that reflect consideration of semites
as somehow separate and different from the anti-semite's own perceived class, in ways
the anti-semite considers inferior and/or threatening. (S)he infers these qualities on
all semites, as a group and individually, developing an entire lattice of assumptions
and beliefs concerning semites that grow from this base assumption.
Anti-semitism can and does apply to the harboring of such attitudes toward not just
Jews, but also Arabs and other human beings who derive from a broad area spanning from
northeast Africa to Southwest Asia. The current attitudes toward Islam and its
practicioners is largely a product of a form of anti-semitism directed toward those
practitioners from this region. It stands to reason then, that many jews are both victims and perpetrators of various flavors of anti-semitism.
That's how I define it, anyway.
The big problem with anti-Semitism is that it's used as a "weapon" to silence any criticism of the Zionist in Israel. Combine the "occidental guilt" about the holocaust and the paranoia of some members of the Jewish community and you get a perfect recipe for not being able to discuss anything with rational arguments. In the current discourse, not giving 100% support to the Zionist cause is equated with wanting the destruction of Israel and supporting the evil terrorists.
I'm really tired of being automatically accused of racism every time I oppose the actions of one government, especially when these government actions are criticized by its own people. Like morons here in Canada who will automatically accuse you of being "anti-American" because you oppose the actions of Bush and the neo-cons while 70% of the American population are not satisfied too. I'm sure a lot of Nazi were accusing their critics of being anti-German. The worse part is that the same people who accuse you of racism because you oppose the actions of their government feel free to criticize the Palestinian government without the impression they are racist, it's not racism when THEY do it. I won't go into the racism that exist inside the Jewish community and how the East European Jews considered the "arabic" jews to be cheap labor when Israel was created.
I'm a great admirer of the Jewish community. I believe that for such a small population, their contribution to humanity has been enormous. But I fear that the current "ideological cancer" called Zionism, that justify everything they are doing against Palestinians in the name of Israel's security, is harming their community more than anything, it might backfire. My theory is that anti-Semitism, or the "impression" of anti-Semitism is being used by Zionist to further their cause and create a sentiment "that the wolves are still out there to get us" in the Jewish communities around the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_antisemitism
Proponents of the concept argue that anti-Zionism, anti-Americanism, anti-globalization, third worldism, and demonization of Israel or double standards applied to its conduct may be linked to antisemitism, or constitute disguised antisemitism.[2][3] Critics of the concept argue that it conflates anti-Zionism with antisemitism, defines legitimate criticism of Israel too narrowly and demonization too broadly, trivializes the meaning of antisemitism, and exploits antisemitism in order to silence debate.
"Jews are prone to see a Jewish state as more vulnerable, less powerful, and less culpable, as victim and not as an actor" because they were very recently themselves "the quintessential victims."
"We were mostly undefended and overwhelmingly friendless, and this trauma continues to haunt and perhaps at times to distort our sense of the world around us now. When we encounter antagonism — especially outsized, disproportionate antagonism — the memories of horrible times, whether personally experienced or imbibed secondhand, elicit reactions that are often sincere, acute, and disorienting."
Steven Zipperstein
Whether the current six month period shows anything one way or another about the proportion of money the Democrats raised from Jews is meaningless in considering whether Xymph has a point.
What would be more important, and what Xymph should be held to account for (because that is what he means), is the historical truth of that claim over, say, the past 20 years. If it is true that over the past 20 years Jews have provided the Democratic Party with 65% of the money raised in total, then the fact that in this particular cycle, under the unusual reign and emphases of alleged anti-Semite but certainly a certified internet fund raiser, Howard Dean, is an example of what is not usually happening for the Democratic Party, not some proof of a lie, or that the claim is false if not a lie.
sofla
I think this also points out the fundamental difference between criticism of Israel and "hatred" of Jews. In my opinion, the two are completely separate, although they don't necessarily have to be.
The Israelis use the term "anti-semitism" to shield themselves from criticism and to paint critics as anti-semites...aka Jew-haters...when, in fact, many Israel critics have nothing whatsoever against Jews. They do, however, have a problem with how Israel conducts itself and its affairs. Nonetheless, Israel knows it can use the volatile "anti-semite" terminology to silence and marginalize its critics. It's been an effective political tool of theirs for decades.
I have relatives who are Jewish. I have friends who are Jewish. I have co-workers who are Jewish. I've had roommates who are Jewish. I've dated women who are Jewish. My date to the senior prom was Jewish. I have nothing against people who are Jewish. I do, however, have a problem with how Israel conducts itself and its affairs. Does that have anything to do with the fact that most Israelis are Jewish? No. Nonetheless, that wouldn't stop Israel from trying to paint someone like me as an anti-semite, which couldn't be farther from the truth.
Israel depends on the public's lack of understanding of that fine line. And they take full advantage of it, mostly because it works. Sad, but true.
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