‘Pallywood’: A particularly ugly ethnic slur

[Jefferson23]

And a very popular one among right-wing Israelis and Diaspora Jews.

I’ve been writing for years against the “Pallywood” theory – the right-wing notion that videos showing Palestinians getting killed by Israelis are really elaborate fakes meant to blacken Israel’s name. Yet it’s only this morning I realized that the term “Pallywood,” which was coined by Boston University Prof. Richard Landes, is an ethnic slur, and a particularly ugly one.

It not only mangles the name of an entire people, it does so in the most contemptuous context – it links the name Palestinian with the telling of lies, and not just any lies, but lies about Palestinian deaths at the hands of their conquerors.

Pallywood. Compared to that, referring to New York as “Hymietown” is mild stuff.

What a bigoted term Landes invented, and what a popular one it is in the Israeli/right-wing Jewish political lexicon. A Google search for “Pallywood” this morning turned up 406,000 entries. There’s a Wikipedia page for it, too.

http://972mag.com/a-particularly-ugly-ethnic-slur-pallywood/98824/

[Demoiselle]

1. I've never heard the term "Pallywood" before. It's awful…But

"Hymietown" is NOT "mild stuff." Not ever.
Damn! I wish we could stop all the bigotry.

[Jefferson23]

2. It's mild to some, which is subjective and rather pointless when you want to talk

about exposing bigotry. It all sucks, no matter who does it.

[Mosby]

4. is Bollywood an ethnic slur?

[Jefferson23]

5. I'll take your question to mean you are in disagreement with the OP.

Bollywood is the sobriquet of the Hindi language film industry, based in Mumbai India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; however, it is only a part of the large Indian film industry, which includes other production centres producing films in multiple languages.[1] Bollywood is one of the largest film producers in India and one of the largest centres of film production in the world.[2][3][4] It is more formally referred to as Hindi cinema.[5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood

Pallywood Pallywood (Arabic: باليوود? Bālīwūd; Hebrew: פאליווד?, a portmanteau of "Palestinian" and "Hollywood", is a coinage that has been used by some pro-Israeli media watchdog advocates, among others, to describe alleged "media manipulation, distortion and outright fraud by the Palestinians and other Arabs ... designed to win the public relations war against Israel." The incidents of the Muhammad al-Durrah tapes and the 2006 Lebanon War photographs controversies (dubbed "Hizbollywood" or "Hezbollywood&quot [1] are notable events which have been cited as examples.[2]

The term has been publicized in part by Richard Landes, as a result of an online documentary video he produced called Pallywood: According to Palestinian Sources, alleging specific instances of media manipulation.[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallywood

[azurnoir]

8. The term Bollywood was derived from the city name Bombay (Mumbai) where much of Indian cinema comes

from

[yeoman6987]

3. You can't stop bigotry until everyone knows what words to stay away from

It seems like words we can't say are multiplying by the day. Again knowledge that these words are unacceptable is the only way to have them stopped being used. I never heard of the word either, but now probably will and can stop them from using them. It is amazing what happens to our brain once we do hear a new word. It's seems to show up everywhere after.

[Bluenorthwest]

6. I've never heard the term, it stinks but “Hymietown” stinks equally and is in no way mild.

That line gives me pause.

[Jefferson23]

7. The author feels it is mild, evidently, by comparison. These types of slurs are wrong, the

idea that you need to rate them is foolish and takes away, in part, your
overall purpose in calling out the Pallywood ethnic slur.

[Bluenorthwest]

11. That's what I'm saying about the author. He feels the need to rate the slur against a Jewish slur.

That minimizes both slurs. The fact that the author feels it is mild suggests to me that the author has highly selective vision and an agenda apart from educating people about slurs.

[Jefferson23]

12. As I said I find that a foolish endeavor. Nevertheless, he has opened up a conversation

on the ethnic slur of Pallywood..he lives in Israel where this type of propaganda
is used in no small measure by the Israeli government. They are also going after the
human rights group, B'Tselem, who one of their top Israeli officials deemed a group that
"aids terror" because they challenged the video. The Israeli public tends to be heavily
persuaded by these types of slurs and then find the human rights group as untrustworthy,
when there is no logical reason to do so. That may be why he feels the term Hymietown
is a milder term. You do understand there is now an investigation into the shooting, correct?


I can't read his mind, but my sense is that is where he may be coming from.

Hopefully people will take it upon themselves and read more about the damage
that has been done as a result of this term and its purpose, despite the authors approach.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/11/btselem-ngo-hagai-el-ad-interview-israel-palestine-violence.html##ixzz3J5gyw48v

[ZombieHorde]

16. I rate slurs.

I personally consider the phrase "what a gyp" to be less mean spirited than "don't Jew me." Both phrases are racially-bigoted slurs, but people who use the term "gyp" don't generally think about what they're saying.

[Jefferson23]

24. Of course, yet in the context of this article it does not serve him well, I feel. n/t

[Scootaloo]

20. Well, here's the difference

Pallywood is applied to recorded evidence of an oppressed people being savaged and brutalized. It is used specifically to dismiss their oppression and justify violence against them - very much including killing them - by calling them all liars and positing the evidence is all fake. This broadens into denying the existence of brutality and oppression at all, as "Pallywood" is then used to smear all other evidence. it exists purely to suggest that Israel's oppression against Palestinians is completely faked by Palestinians, who are duplicitous, sneaky, shifty, and according to many claimants, willing to murder their own children for it. all to make poor Israel look bad.

Hymietown, however, is a term for New York, apparently meaning "that town has a lot of Jews." The slur "hymie" is derived from the Yiddish name "Hyman" making it the rough equivalent of "mick" or "guido." It carries no inherent negative connotations, other than being a derisive way of saying "those people." It certainly doesn't carry the connotation that killing Jews is okay because all Jews are liars, the way "Pallywood" does against Palestinians (I'm sure there are other anti-Jewish slurs that do exactly that though, god knows there's no shortage there.)

And then there's the scale of the use.

Pallywood, rather ironically has a sort of cottage industry around it. There are entire careers built around "debunking" oppression and viokence against Palestinians. Rather unsurprisingly they come almost exclusively from the right-wing and Zionist part of the spectrum. But there are entire groups and publications dedicated to exactly this. And judging from the remarks of Israel's officials, "Pallywood" denialism has gotten into some pretty high places indeed.

Hymietown, on the other hand, was used by one guy - Jesse Jackson - who later admitted and apologized for the remark. The only time you see the term in use is in reference to Jesse Jackson, either noting the history of his 1984 presidential campaign, or attacking him with it.

Both are slurs. But much like the disparity between "Ni**er" and "cracker" they are unequal ones.

[Shaktimaan]

26. Woah

It never ceases to amaze me how confidently you manage to hold court on issues you hopefully know little to nothing about. Hopefully because the alternate explanation for your bilious remarks would be the spreading of malicious propaganda.

Hymietown, however, is a term for New York, apparently meaning "that town has a lot of Jews."

So it's your honest belief that jackson's use of this slur (at a time he was priming for a shot at the White House no less), merely referred to the amount of Jews who lived there? Rather than a more believable translation indicating NYC's being a seat of Jewish political power; a place where a lot of Jews not only lived, but organized, ran, and even controlled things? Things like the political machinations of the city whose endorsement he needed to acquire?

The slur "hymie" is derived from the Yiddish name "Hyman" making it the rough equivalent of "mick" or "guido." It carries no inherent negative connotations, other than being a derisive way of saying "those people."

Really? No inherent negative connotation whatsoever? Perhaps it was something about the context then that upset so very many people.

Your perverse explanation reeks of the same linguistic gymnastics often used to justify liberal use of the n word, based on its liberal use within the black community itself. After all, if they use it then it can't be bigoted, right scoot?

It certainly doesn't carry the connotation that killing Jews is okay because all Jews are liars, the way "Pallywood" does against Palestinians

So you honestly believe the term pallywood carries the connotation that killing Palestinians is okay because all Palestinians are liars?!

Really?!?!

REALLY?!

Because I've never read anything close to such an interpretation. Not by a long shot. It certainly veers from the accepted meaning of the term, roughly, the propaganda wing of the pro-palestinian movement which stages events depicting palestinian innocents being hurt, oppressed or killed by the IDF or other Israeli Jews; events which are then described as real and widely disseminated amongst news media.

There's nothing about the term that negates REAL videos of events where Israelis violently oppressed or killed innocent Palestinians... Those videos certainly exist. Very few people would argue otherwise, despite what you seem to think.

It certainly doesn't imply that "killing Palestinians is okay because all Palestinians are liars."

It cites the existence of a type of propaganda that shows staged events or doctored footage for political gain. Like it or not these videos do exist. The idea that targeting the groups making these videos is somehow seen as a license to kill Palestinians is as disgusting as it is ridiculous.

Your key complaint seems to be that by calling attention to fake palestinian videos the real videos showing oppression will lose credibility. On that point you're right, I'm afraid. But I'd argue it's the staged events (no matter how few), which are undermining their credibility. Not the groups pointing it out.

This broadens into denying the existence of brutality and oppression at all, as "Pallywood" is then used to smear all other evidence. it exists purely to suggest that Israel's oppression against Palestinians is completely faked by Palestinians,

So Pallywood is a way to deny that ANY violence or oppression EVER occurs against Palestinians AND that we should also kill them for saying that we tried to kill them. ALL of them, btw. Pallywood means we should kill ALL of them for being snaky, lying people. Which they ALL are, as pallywood has demonstrated.

: :

So that's what you think, huh?

[Scootaloo]

34. I'm glad you three managed to coordinate your nonsense.

It never ceases to amaze me how confidently you manage to hold court on issues you hopefully know little to nothing about. Hopefully because the alternate explanation for your bilious remarks would be the spreading of malicious propaganda.

Given your record on the UNCF and affirmative action, this is a laughable statement.

So it's your honest belief that jackson's use of this slur (at a time he was priming for a shot at the White House no less), merely referred to the amount of Jews who lived there? Rather than a more believable translation indicating NYC's being a seat of Jewish political power; a place where a lot of Jews not only lived, but organized, ran, and even controlled things? Things like the political machinations of the city whose endorsement he needed to acquire?

I have no idea what Jackson's intent was. Well, beyond being a derisive dick.

Really? No inherent negative connotation whatsoever? Perhaps it was something about the context then that upset so very many people.

Do you have the context? 'Cause as far as I know it was made in an unrecorded conversation.

Your perverse explanation reeks of the same linguistic gymnastics often used to justify liberal use of the n word, based on its liberal use within the black community itself. After all, if they use it then it can't be bigoted, right scoot?

This is complete nonsense. I don't justify it use. I repeatedly note it's a slur. Granted a weak slur, but still a slur. I certainly never said it was okay to use. I don't think I ever posited that it's okay to say because Jews say it - and in fact I'm pretty sure Jews don't. So... yeah, this whole line of yours is make-believe.

Maybe you need to take lesson from Oberliner and Dave and leave your accusation as vague insinuations.

So you honestly believe the term pallywood carries the connotation that killing Palestinians is okay because all Palestinians are liars?!

Really?!?!

REALLY?!

Yes, absolutely. It's a term that justifies the dehumanization, violence, ause, and yes, killing of Palestinians, because all the evidence for it is "fake."

Because I've never read anything close to such an interpretation. Not by a long shot. It certainly veers from the accepted meaning of the term, roughly, the propaganda wing of the pro-palestinian movement which stages events depicting palestinian innocents being hurt, oppressed or killed by the IDF or other Israeli Jews; events which are then described as real and widely disseminated amongst news media.

If that's what makes you feel better when you use the term after a long day of insisting that the United Negro College Fund oppresses white people, sure.

There's nothing about the term that negates REAL videos of events where Israelis violently oppressed or killed innocent Palestinians... Those videos certainly exist. Very few people would argue otherwise, despite what you seem to think.

It certainly doesn't imply that "killing Palestinians is okay because all Palestinians are liars."

Except that's exactly how it's used. From the asshole who coined the term, Richard Landes, all the way down here to DU. "Pallywood" is used to try to negate ALL evidence of crimes against Palestinians. It's all fake, and Palestinians are all untrustworthy liars. And when they are killed, well, it's entirely because Palestinians did it. Or the deaths are fake. Whatever happened, Israel is always completely and utterly innocent of wrongdoing on all occasions, and it's just the perfidious Arabs who are lying to make it look otherwise.

Your key complaint seems to be that by calling attention to fake palestinian videos the real videos showing oppression will lose credibility. On that point you're right, I'm afraid. But I'd argue it's the staged events (no matter how few), which are undermining their credibility. Not the groups pointing it out.

Except again. the "groups pointing it out" apply it to everything. Again, it's like using Otto Frank's editing to deny the Holocaust (and again, comparing the mentalities, not the events.)

So Pallywood is a way to deny that ANY violence or oppression EVER occurs against Palestinians AND that we should also kill them for saying that we tried to kill them. ALL of them, btw. Pallywood means we should kill ALL of them for being snaky, lying people. Which they ALL are, as pallywood has demonstrated.

It doesn't say "Go out and kill" it says "killing them is okay." The death of a Palestinian is no big deal. The death of a Palestinian is always another Palestinian's fault, even when it's an Israeli shooting him or beating him or bombing him. When you SEE an Israeli doing this, it's fake, because Palestinians are all liars, and because of their lies and incitement, their abuse is deserved.

It's the same bigoted shit that the people in power always apply to the people they're oppressing Shaktimaan.

[Shaktimaan]

38. Well now.

You seem pretty amazing at extrapolating a lot of (quite extreme), meaning from small terms and statements. Your technique seems to hinge on plumbing your own beliefs about what the person using said term "really" believes, and then applying it to anything they may have said.

You insist the term "pallywood" indicates that ALL Palestinians are liars and thus killing them is "no big deal" because they deserve it. Now I have my doubts about that.

But you've also said that I believe (and frequently espouse), that the UNCF is oppressing white people. So let's put your methodology to thee test.

I recall writing the following about affirmative action:

Affirmative action is based on the reality that centuries of oppression and disenfranchisement have created a socio-economic structure that distinctly favors white Protestants while hindering minority ethnicities' educational, economic, and political opportunities. Without undertaking the massive project of fixing the myriad and entrenched structures that disadvantage non-whites, the only thing we can do is try and mitigate their negative effects in whatever ways we can. Which is why affirmative action makes perfect sense.

So I'm well aware of what my beliefs on the subject are. Let's see if you can back up your accusations with evidence. If I truky spend "all day" discussing how the UNCF oppresses white people then you should have no problem linking to it.

Good luck.

[oberliner]

28. This post is a great illustration of where you are coming from

I am glad it is here for all to read.

[Scootaloo]

36. Because I loathe bigoted propaganda used to justify the abuse of an entire class of human beings

Sorry if that's an inconvenience.

[azurnoir]

37. I would invite those wondering to check out the 2 links I'm posting to Google searches of the terms

Strangely when I Google 'Hymietown' every first page reference goes to Jessie Jackson not so Pallywood

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Hymietown

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Pallywood

[King_David]

33. Thanks for this post,

Tells everyone what motivates you and brings you to this group.
One of many.

[Scootaloo]

35. I don't understand your post n/t

[azurnoir]

9. well it's not just me that feels that way but OtOH

I don't much like Zio or Pal either and feel the sam about all 3

[Jefferson23]

10. Yep. +1.

[Igel]

13. Yup, because "Pally" is a well-established ethnic slur.

Just like "hymie" is.

Or not.

Let's overlook the whole-part fallacy the writer puts over on the reader. It's not every video that's fake. Just some.

It not only overgeneralizes--although the word "link" is so vague that the real logical error occurs later, in retrospect, as the writer silently redefines words without the reader's noticing.

Mostly the problem is that it takes a word that yesterday wasn't an ethnic slur to the writer and now, given the writer's epiphany, is an ethnic slur. So that anybody that uses the term, will use the term, or has used the term, is suddenly defined by a person as racist. A stunning assertion that we must all respect, since it is entirely proper for one person, in a truly democratic way, to impose his definition on millions of people. Anything less than respecting that imposition of authority would be rebellion against True Democracy. Which is to say, absolute linguistic autocracy.


The real problem is that this is a red herring. One that wasn't properly pickled before being packed in the jar, but whose liquifying and putrescent corpse we're to consider as delectable as it's laid on our plate next to a roll. The problem isn't that there's an offensive term, it's that there's something offensive and false that the term is applied to, something offensively false that must be defended because the truth that the lies try to promote is more important than the fact that people are lying and expect to be honored and respected for it. It exalts image over substance, ideology over accuracy, and wants us to emote our way to his mindset, to feel with our brains and think with our hearts--knowing full well that the brain is where both processes happen, so asking that we think with a muscle is just saying, "Don't think."

Which, of course, makes the whole-part fallacy, the overgeneralization, and the whole redefining of terms mid-argument something that really can't be noticed by the discerning critical thinker. It would reject the supremacy of the writer in defining both the terms and conditions that we're supposed to accept on our thinking.

[Jefferson23]

14. What level of critical thinking determined.."just some"? How were these found to be fake

and what was the intent..were any found to be fraudulent by the man who coined
the term?

On edit: How many fakes does it take to discredit their purpose?

[shira]

19. "Were any cases found to be fraudulent..."? LOL!!!!

Seriously, what would you do if even one incident was proven to your satisfaction (200% proof)?

[Jefferson23]

22. Figures you'd show yourself in this thread..way to go, shira. n/t

[Scootaloo]

21. "Some" may indeed be fake. The "Pallywood" claimants use this to say ALL are

The same way David Irving's fans claim that Otto Frank's editing of his daughter's diary before publishing means the Holocaust never happened. Or that a retouched photo means that there were no crematoria.

And no, before any ignorant smartass comes by and says I an equating the ongoing crimes against the Palestinians to the Holocaust, I'm not. But the mentality and type of people who engage in denialism is the same. Richard Landes and Ernst Zundl are talking about different things, but they are using identical arguments, assumptions, and hatreds.

[appal_jack]

15. Denying the existence of a propaganda machine is key to its efficacy.

There is no doubt that Palestinians are fighting a propaganda war (as do the Israelis). A concise and compelling phrase to summarize this fact does not constitute an 'ethnic slur.'

-app

[shira]

18. True. Seems the only ones taking offense are those....

.....who wish to deny in absolute terms this vile & slanderous disinformation campaign designed to incite folks to hate Jews and their state. A modern variant of the old blood libel.

[Jefferson23]

23. A concise and compelling phrase...how thoughtful of you. n/t

[DanTex]

32. Do you think "Jewspaper" is a "concise and compelling phrase"?

I certainly don't. So why is basically the same construction -- ethnic group mixed with an information medium -- OK when the group being slandered is the Palestinians?

[shira]

40. IsraeliWood or HasbaraWood would be the equivalent....

Do you find either one to be a slur?

[shira]

17. Hezbollywood also exists. Is that racist too? n/t

[oberliner]

25. How Larry Derfner still gets published is mind-boggling

The Greta Berlin nonsense alone ought to have been enough to discredit him as any kind of journalist or commentator.

[Israeli]

27. Here you go oberliner.......

Contact us :

[e-mail]

http://www.972mag.com/join-us/

Whine away, see if it gets you anywhere ....972 is not the JPost , worked with them ...wont work with us .

[oberliner]

29. And here's for you

Last edited Sun Nov 16, 2014, 11:14 AM - Edit history (1)

A final word on Greta Berlin and the Free Gaza controversy

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/final-word-greta-berlin-and-free-gaza-controversy

On bigotry and solidarity

http://972mag.com/on-bigotry-and-solidarity/57276/

Then read Derfner's pieces on Greta, published at 972mag defending her, believing (and promoting) her lies to the bitter end (and never correcting the record).

972mag has the right to publish whoever they want. My comment is to express surprise that anyone takes Derfner seriously in light of his behavior during the Greta Berlin fiasco.

[Jefferson23]

30. That's one way to agree or not that Pallywood is an ethnic slur.

You were asked that question directly in another thread and avoided
it there, too.

[DanTex]

31. In fact, I'll ask you again, in this thread. Do you think "Pallywood" is an ethnic slur?

It's not possible that you are just missing these questions. At some point, your refusal to answer has to be interpreted as a "no", which implies that you are comfortable with bigoted language as long as it directed against Palestinians. Which is very peculiar, given that your main contributions to this forum are accusations of anti-semitism.

[shira]

41. No more than "IsraeliWood" is an ethnic slur...

And I don't see the slightest thing wrong with "IsraeliWood".

Do you?

[azurnoir]

39. What again was your reasoning as why Ali Abunimah condemned Berlin

seems you had a theory but I can't quite remember

[oberliner]

43. He provides his own reasoning

He has a couple of articles on the topic that lay it all out.

[azurnoir]

45. But what was your interpretation?

[shira]

42. Gotta understand that Israel haters will take anyone....

....seriously (Zionist or not) who bashes Israel or demonizes groups of Jews who support Israel. They will tolerate the most despicably vile Jew hatred if it means bashing Jews or the Jewish state.

From gutter antisemites like Greta Berlin to terrorists like Rasmea Odeh. From terror supporting doctors like Mads Gilbert to his Lancet letter-writing friends who cite David Duke.

That's the Palestinian cause.

By all means. Ugly or not. But mostly ugly...

[grossproffit]

44. I greatly appreciate your posts.

[shira]

46. The BDS anti-Zionist cause.....

Last edited Sat Nov 22, 2014, 02:20 PM - Edit history (1)

...is one of, if not the most vile, morally depraved and racist advocacy movements on the planet today.

[grossproffit]

47. Truth!

I'm beyond disgusted.