Anti-Semitic comments
Last edited Sun Jul 28, 2019, 02:00 PM - Edit history (1)
are becoming more blatant and aren’t met with much, if any, pushback. Any ideas for responding?
(Note to jury if this happens to be alerted on: this is posted in the Jewish Group)
= new reply since forum marked as read
I mean that sincerely as someone who is very aware of dangers of anti-semitism. I think its important that when any of us make a statement and allegation about something, it needs to be able to be with very clear examples of it and these examples, in particular the second one, in my opinion do not do that. Bernie Madoff for example is one of the biggest Ponzi scheme financial criminals of all time. Any reference to his scheme or it being a "money racket" is accurate. He could have been Roman Catholic or Atheist. Or if he had been Black or Asian or Hispanic. Either way, he is a financial criminal. Any comment pointing out that a financial crime took place wouldn't make it anything but that.
I will always be on the look out for something that is anti-semitic, racist, homophobic or misogynistic in every aspect of my daily life and especially on DU as we all should be doing.
...perp that comes to mind....not because they are Jewish....but because they are the most egregious and worst of the worst
1) Who committed one of the largest financial Ponzi schemes?
2) Who represents one of the most blatant rapists/abusers of women in Hollywood?
3) Who is worst serial sexual abuser of underage girls and trafficking of underage girls?
I believe that Madoff, Weinstein and Epstein are who people would name when answering those 3 questions during this current era (maybe 20 years ago it would have been others. Not because of them being Jewish, but because they are the worst of the worst that people are in current memory aware of. R. Kelly and Bill Cosby are horrible - but they were not at the scale of these three.) My kids don't even know who Bill Cosby is - but they know who Epstein is. I believe Epstein will prove to be so horrendous and prolific in his abuse and there will be people associated with him of many different faiths, races and backgrounds that also committed these heinous crimes against many young girls. Just as I don't see this as political (Dem vs Republicans) I see this as a lumping of crimes - and nothing to do with their religion, race or political affiliation.
I don't want to get into any arguments or debates about it here. I know personal history of anti-semitism and rise of nazism in Germany all too well from my family and family friends. I have spoken personally to both family members who were in Germany at the time and to family of my first boyfriend in high school whose mother and uncle were twins at Bergen-Belsen and his grandmother who survived the experiments on them. They told me about how they had to leave Germany and go to Holland, only to be arrested and taken to Bergen-Belsen. They have talked to me about anti-semitism and its roots. My grandparents told me about the early days in Germany when the Nazis and Hitler came to power and the things that were said and taught. The Director of the holocaust museum in LA is a sorority sister of mine and good friend and her husband just made the movie After Auschwitz. My family on both sides had helped Jews escape and hide in Germany and Denmark and I have participated in seminars and conferences discussing them as a topic. I have seen the children books and the characters that were done about Jews. I have participated as a Danish-German Catholic whose family and relatives in Germany and Denmark helped save Jews and were active in speaking out, as do I.
I think we need to always be aware and speak out. If you or anyone in any aspect of our lives see anti-semitism, racism, homophobia, sexism - speak out. We need to focus on the really obvious big stuff - like references to "Vermin", "infestations", "People not looking like citizens" etc... statements like "Jews will not replace us" and then holding those that defend that accountable....But I think too, if you attack the smallest things, you won't have the strongest argument and people don't learn - they get defensive or turned off and then don't listen anymore. I sincerely feel that no one on that thread you referenced has a anti-semitic view - especially fellow DUer Malaise.
Just my two cents as someone who has always made every effort to point things out. I am not perfect and I am learning everyday and I can and do make mistakes. But I needed to answer what you showed as an example because I was the first one to come to this thread and say how important it is that we stop anti-semitism and I always will.
