Reply #29: The apology was insufficient [View All]

[Shaktimaan]

because his original article tapped into some serious aspects of anti-semitism that have been used to denigrate and negatively differentiate Jewish people for ages, and when he was called on it he issued an "apology" that centered around confirming his beliefs while merely admitting that they didn't apply to ALL Jews. He made no mention of the fact that he drew upon anti-semitic memes to critique Israel while interchangeably using Israel's history to criticize Jewish culture in general. Specifically, he made no apology at all for what were the most offensive parts of his post, namely the idea that anti-semitism and anti-Israel sentiments are the result of Jews inability to cease pestering the world about the Holocaust; and singling out Israel and the Jews as the BIGGEST players in a culture of violence that will destroy us all.

He backpedaled without acknowledging his error by minimizing his criticism of Israel and the Jews by saying, "Indeed, many are as concerned as I am by the use of violence for state purposes, by Israel and many other governments." His article was not about "the use of violence for state purposes" at all! It was about, it centered on, a flaw in Jewish culture that has antagonized Israel's friends and encouraged Israel to become the world leader in a culture of violence. By pretending Israeli policy was the centerpiece of this essay, and not Jewish culture, he dodged responsibility for the truly hateful things he said, (which he clearly believes as evidenced by his insignificant "not all Jews support Israel's policies" statement. I noticed he mentioned nothing renouncing his views of Jewish culture at large, the Holocaust or our role as the biggest players in a culture of violence.

You think if someone said Israel was the biggest player in a culture of violence that'd be bigoted. But when similar sweeping statements are made about Arab states, that's not bigoted. How does that work?

It would be. I've yet to see anything similar leveled at any Arab state on this forum.

Sorry, but can you supply me with a Shakti-approved list of adjectives that aren't going to have you implying that there's an element of Holocaust denial in using them?

Excuse me? I did not imply that at all. I said that he minimized the scope and cause of the holocaust... as in, "The holocaust was the result of the warped mind of an individual who was able to influence his followers into doing something dreadful." Okay Violet, the Holocaust was not the result of a single individual and his warped mind who managed to convince "his followers" into doing something that was "really, just DREADFUL!" It was the culmination of centuries of anti-semitism whereby the Jews were systematically exterminated in a continent-wide purge involving millions of like-minded individuals working in concert. It was not the result of a single warped mind but of millions of people who were like-minded enough to participate enthusiastically. It wasn't an accident of some one person's "warped mind," and "his followers" and to say so is to minimize the causes and long held xenophobia that made something as hideous as the Holocaust possible.

By stating exactly what the Holocaust was in such a way he implies that its scope was somewhat less than the reality of this situation. It is not just a burden for "the Germans" for instance. It is a burden that all of Europe carries, in Poland, in France, in Austria, all over the entire continent, and (to a lesser extent) the world who refused to allow refugees into their nations, countries like Britain who turned refugees away from Palestine, and so on. Yes the Jews expect the entire fucking world to "regret" what happened because the entire world was complicit... not just a single dude with his warped brain and some unnamed followers.

That Gandhi doesn't see this is unsurprising, but I am shocked at your inability to grasp this without having it explained, Violet.