dreamer_easy | Digging in the dirt

Last night: read Orwell's 1945 essay Antisemitism in Britain. He pointed out that rather than ending irrational and mean-spirited feelings towards Jews, Hitler had just driven those feelings underground: everyone had convinced themselves that they're not an anti-semite, since that would be an irrational thing to be. Orwell suggests we start with the assumption that we do have such feelings, and then try to analyse why. He's right: unless we acknowledge that we're human beings and therefore prone to irrational prejudices, however embarrassing or troubling that might be, we can't get at those prejudices and uproot them.

So here's my turn: reading in

nostalgia_lj's journal about the Nazi Google bomb, I found myself balking at the sensible counter-attack of linking to Wikipedia's definition of a Jew, with the aim of bringing it to the top of Google's search results in place of a hate site. Various rationalisations floated to the surface: it's as artificial as the original bomb, I can't get involved in every cause, etc etc. Prompted by Orwell, I dug deeper, and realised that I didn't want people to think I was supporting Israel's bad behaviour.

Thinking back, it's not the first time. When the now famous Hussam Abdo gave himself up rather than blowing himself up, my rage at the pigs who sit on their arses sending children to die in their place exploded - but I didn't comment on it here, because I didn't want people to think I was supporting Israel's bad behaviour.

Admittedly, this is not entirely my fault. Abdo has become a weapon for the other side. Letters to the editor rightly condemn the vicious bastards murdering Israeli citizens and making martyrs of their own children, but are tight-lipped about Israel's human rights abuses and the killing of Palestinian children. This is not a situation in which it's morally possible to choose a side. That's not to make the simplistic argument that "they're just as bad as each other", which is just throwing up one's hands rather than dealing with a difficult issue.

(Obviously this is further complicated for me by the fact I've married into a Jewish family from the US. It would be all too easy to use this as an excuse not to examine any anti-Semitic feelings I might have - "Some of my best family members are Jews" - but that's not good enough. Falling in love with Jon has meant a bit of a crash course; the first time I ever heard of Judaism was in a Captain America comic.)

Crucially, of course, Jews != Israel's bad behaviour. Heck, even Israel != Israel's bad behaviour; these are the decisions of a particular government, lead by a man accused of war crimes and corruption. He no more speaks for all Israelis or all Jews than John Howard speaks for me.

That means I'm free to condemn the bad behaviour of both sides - or, at least, I should be; some people take any criticism of Israel as anti-Zionism, anti-Semitism, and/or an apology for terrorism. I'll just have to risk that; frankly, the nationality or religion of child-killers are several thousand times less important than the fact that they are child-killers. Like Amnesty or Human Rights Watch, I choose to be on the children's side.

And it means I'm free to link to Wikipedia's definition of a Jew. So, as my little brother once memorably wrote in an account of the 1936 Olympics, get off Nazis.

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It never ceases to amaze me just how badly humans hurt each other.

We are such an awefully warlike and cruel species...*sigh*

Great post Kate,

The Wikipedia's defintion of a Jew is pretty extensive and from what I could tell, accurate - which is a change.

With regard to Israel - well I'm Orthodox and very right wing when it comes to the conflict and I'm quite happy to defend Israel and all the percieved bad things it does. While I do believe that Ariel Sharon is corrupt, I don't think he is war criminal... but that's another issue/argument.

I do believe there needs to be a soverign Palestinian State. I believe that State has to encompass Gaza and most if not all of the West Bank. I also know that this will never be enough for the terrorists. Because they see the Jews as living on their land, the land they were kicked out of after 1948. And they won't stop fighting (and blowing themselves up) until they get their land back.

Yes, Israeli soldiers have killed children. A cousin of mine is in the army and I believe her when she tells me that the killing of children is not part of the army's mandate. Children who die in Gaza etc, die accidentally. It's not good enough, I know, but I get very upset when I see posters proclaiming Jews to be child killers.

So yeah, I'm pretty right wing when it comes to Israel. I think it's because I've got family that lives there, and because I have a connection to the land, and because my religion and faith means a lot to me. I've often avoided any arguments about Israel. I'm not trying to persuade anyone. I see media bias on the side of the Palestinians, others see media bias on the side of Israel - it's all sooooo subjective.

Anyway, just thought I'd offer this ramble.

Kate, hope you and Jon have a Happy Easter and a Happy Passover.

Seeya,

Mondy

Mondy! What a great response - ta! Y'never know who's reading these things.

Did my bit today for interfaith understanding by explaining kosher for Passover to my physiotherapist. :-)

Had a think during the day, and realised that this...

I get very upset when I see posters proclaiming Jews to be child killers

... expresses exactly the mental confusion I was experiencing. It would be the very essence of racism to hold all Jews, or all Israelis, responsible for abuses by Israel's military or government. I understand that consciously, and yet, my subconscious was doing something not so very different in worriedly associating the two. What an ugly thing to drag up into the light, and yet I'm glad I did.

I'd been out of the office for two days, and anytime I leave my desk for more then 15 minutes the crapola hits the fan. So things were busy at work... real busy... and whenever I have deadlines looming and clients calling and bosses griping I go into procrastination mode and start trawling the net.

I'd read Jon's journal entry on a recent Jade Pagoda thread, and once I'd read that... seconds ticking away... work still mounting... clients still ringing... boss still griping... I thought I'd do some more trawling... and through Jon's page I found yours and, of course, your brilliant post.

And now it's 9:30 and I've just come home from work. I have two Big Finish short stories to work on (and finish) and my brain doesn't want to function. More deadlines.

But it was fun reading your post and writing a reply.

Anyway... it's very easy for me to think that every Arab, or Muslim, is a dynamite strapping, bomb blowing anti-semite. Intellectually, I know that's not true. But it's hard to fight those feelings. And it's not because of community pressure. It's because I truly believe in the wacky shit I believe in, and I think it's important and because I think it's important I draw some dark and horrible conclusions.

About a year ago I saw a very Pro-Israeli documentary on the conflict at a local cinema. It was meant to be balanced, but was balanced in much the same way Fox News is balanced. I went with a bunch of right wing mates, and when we left the cinema we felt sick. We'd seen our own prejudices thrown at us, and we didn't like what we saw. I think what helped was that there was a Q & A session after the film and a Palestinian who'd been brave enough to come to the screening asked a series of telling questions that the film-makers fumbled. They were the sort of questions I'd been thinking about, picking out the holes in the film. I think that's what made us re-evaluate

And yet I will support Israel. I will support the Government and the military. I will support them killing Sheikh Yassin. Why? Because my family live in Israel, because it's at the core of my faith, because I can sometimes see the horrible truth in some of the actions the Israeli's committ.

I could speak forever about this. Israel is a paradoxical place. Deserts turned into farms. Socialism and Capitalism living side by side (in the form of Kibbutzim). The spiritual and secular. I love Israel. I wish I had the cash and the guts to visit it more.

Anyway, another ramble... I should probably stop now... Deadlines... deadlines... deadlines.

Seeya,

Mondy

I wish I had the cash and the guts to visit it more.

I hope to visit with Jon one day. I'd also love to go to Egypt, and even to the ruins of Babylon - I hope to live to see the day when no-one would think twice about visiting any of those destinations.

If those stories are written with as much soul as what you wrote above, Mondy, they're in good hands.

Thanks Jon, I really appreciate that :-).

Seeya,

Mondy

Digging in the dirt

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