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Check out this article I had to read for my Holocaust class.

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SammyBlue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Dec-07-05 02:02 PM
Original message
Check out this article I had to read for my Holocaust class.
I almost puked!

Anti-Semitism Evolves


by Daniel Pipes
New York Sun
February 15, 2005


Anti-Semitism may seem to be a static, unchanging phenomenon but in fact the obsessive hatred of Jews has a history that goes back millennia and continues to evolve.

Developments since World War II and the Holocaust have been especially fast-paced and portentous. Here are four of the most significant shifts:

*From right to left: For centuries, anti-Semitism was the hallmark of the right and merely episodic on the left. To take the ultimate examples of these trends, Stalin's Judeophobia was peripheral to his monstrous project, but Hitler's was central to his. Even a decade ago, this pattern still basically held true. But recent years have witnessed a rapid and global realignment, with the mainstream right increasingly sympathetic to Jews and Israel and its leftist counterparts cooler and more hostile.

*From Christian to Muslim: Christians developed the abiding tropes of anti-Semitism, (such as greediness and ambitions to world domination), and historically Christians killed most Jews. Therefore, Jews regularly fled Christendom for Islamdom. In 1945, this pattern abruptly changed. Christians came to terms with Jews, while Muslims adopted both the old Christian themes and murderousness. Today institutional anti-Semitism is overwhelmingly a Muslim affair. One result has been a steady reverse exodus, with Jews now fleeing Islamdom for Christendom.

*From religious to secular: What began as a rejection of the Jewish religion evolved over the centuries into a bias against the supposed Jewish race, (thus, our continued use of the nonsensical term anti-Semitism) and lately has evolved into anti-Zionism, or hatred of the Jewish state. An astonishing 2003 poll in which Europeans found Israel to be the leading threat to world peace indicates the depth of this new sentiment.

*The conflation of anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism: Jews and Americans, Israel and the United States – they have merged in the minds of many around the world, so that one prejudice routinely implies the other one too. The two hatreds also share a basic feature: neither is susceptible to rational argument, so each is better understood as the symptom of a psychological disorder than of some arcane political logic.

Combining these developments prompts several reflections on the parlous future of three major Jewish communities.

Israel faces the most extreme danger, surrounded as it is by enemies who in the past generation have dehumanized Jews in ways reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. In both cases, governments have engaged in a systematic campaign to transform the Jewish next-door neighbor into a beast-like threat that can only be controlled through his destruction. In Nazi Germany, this outlook culminated in the death camps; today, it could, and I stress could - I am not predicting it will - end up in a hail of nuclear bombs descending on Israel, a prospect that one powerful Iranian leader has publicly mused on. This in turn could result in a second Holocaust, again of six million Jews.

European Jewry is next most in danger, though in a more mundane way: Political and social isolation, depredations by Islamists, Palestinian radicals, and other hotheads, and a growing sense that Jews have no future in that continent. An exodus may take place in the near future that replicates the post-World War II exodus of Jews from Muslim countries, where the Jewish population has collapsed from about a million in 1948 to 60,000 today.

And finally, the United States: American Jews may not have been conscious of it, but they have lived these past 60 years in one of Jewry's golden ages, arguably more brilliant than those in Andalusia, Aragon, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, and Prague. But now, in a milder form than in Europe, Jews face similar currents swirling through American life, especially the Islamist surge coddled by leftists. The golden age of American Jewry, therefore, is ending. American Jews have had the relative luxury of worrying about such matters as intermarriage, coreligionists around the world, school prayer, and abortion; if current trends continue, they increasingly will find themselves worrying about personal security, marginalization, and the other symptoms already evident in Europe.

As the 60th anniversary of V-E and V-J days approach, it is clear that problems apparently buried in the crematoria of Auschwitz and Birkenau have revived and are increasingly with us.


Here is the link to this shit article. It's written by Daniel Pipes

The assignment was the comment on this article. Here is my response.

With the exception of his historical perspectives, I find this entire article insulting! This is what is referred to as a propaganda piece, this time the Author has decided that "leftists" are the ones who need to be demonized. This is s disgusting piece of turd laced drivel.

The Author's "from right to left" is semi-true. Most white supremist organizations are right wing (National Alliance, Aryan Brotherhood, et al) Because people have a beef with Israeli policies doesn't entail anti-Semitism (I am a left winger. . .I am a liberal and I am a Zionist who supports Israel 100%). Does disliking the death penalty make a person pro-crime? Does supporting a woman's right to choice make a person a baby killer? Yes, the left wing has come out against AIPAC and alot of Israeli policies, but the right wing his is a haven for white supremists and bigots, who don't have policy disagreements, but outright HATREDs of Jews (Hal Turner is one of the worst).

I agree with the author's religious to secular argument and his Anti-Semitism/Anti-Americanism argument (since the US is Israel's biggest ally). Even the Christian to Muslim argument has validity, but Christianity is still hostile to Jews in most parts of the world.

Adding to the argument, I agree with the author's implication that one Arab nation with an itchy finger, an axe to grind and a manhood deficency can launch nukes at Israel. Israel blew up the nuclear power plant in the 1980s to prevent that from happening. Israel was the recipient of world wide scorn for that action.

Daniel Pipes' research and hyperlinks are suspect as well. He quotes himself? Who is Daniel Pipes? Why should we care what he says? I resent some outside evidence to your points, Mr. Pipes. . .don't quote yourself!

Finally, as much as I get dirty looks from bigotted right wing christians in this country when I politely tell them I don't celebrate Christmas after they wish me a Merry Christmas (last night as Albertsons, I responded "Happy Chanunkah" to this fat bell ringer and he almost jumped down my throat. If I didn't remain calm, I'd be writing this from jail), I have never fear my safety. Daniel Pipes offers a trend with no support, ideas with no evidence and right wing propaganda with no logic.

What is his answer aout the rise of "Islamists?" Wipe them all out? A Holocaust of bibical proportions? Mr. Pipes' article is a disgrace to the modern Jew and has no place in an academic setting unless, of course, this was Bob Jones University or some other non-accredited place of "higher" education. I am dumber for reading his drivel!
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Dark Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Dec-07-05 02:05 PM
Response to Original message
1. You're right. The author equates not liking Israel with not liking the
Jews. Which is fallacious.

However, I personally have no problem with the Jews or Israel.
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ayeshahaqqiqa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Dec-07-05 02:07 PM
Response to Original message
2. refreshing response
hope your instructor reads it.

BTW, you might find it interesting that there are a large number of Jews who are Sufi initiates here in the US. In fact, I heard one of them once say the Sufi Ruhaniat Society was an "old Jewish men's club" or words to that effect.
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eppur_se_muova Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Dec-07-05 11:43 PM
Response to Original message
3. Daniel Pipes has written a LARGE number of books, articles on Middle East
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/ref=s_sf_b_as/002-6927330-5855241

Can't tell from titles alone what his views are *exactly*, but he does seem to be critical of Islam/Muslims, possibly leans to the pro-(State of) Israel POV for political expedience (his Web site would reinforce that opinion).

I thought the remark about anti-Semitism shifting from right to left to be little more than a statement of the author's prejudices, not anything based on reality. He conflates love/hate of Jews with love/hate of Israel as if there were no distinction. Frankly, as big a mistake as this is, I found most of the rest of the article reasonably factual (except for that gratuitous reference to the left "coddling" Muslims), making allowances for simplification to fit a short length. My bigger concern is his justification for writing it, and like so many things right-wing, what facts there are may help cajole the reader into acceptance of the prejudices hiding in the belly of this horse. Facts + prejudice --> camoflauged prejudice.

His tone in most of the later paragraphs was condemnatory of anti-Semitism; he is not agreeing with what he is describing, IMHO. One needs to make the "use/mention" distinction here. But is he doing this to make useful allies only? I suspect this author is a strong supporter of the Israeli Army but doesn't care much about Jews as such. Demonizing Muslims (and anyone who holds a liberal view toward Muslims) as enemies of Jews is useful to the right-wing militarists who want to exploit resentment of anti-Semitism, or just a sense of justice, as one more justification for attacking oil-rich Arab countries. In the process, the deliberately provoked confusion runs something like petrography = geography = nationality = religion = good/evil --> "Attack the evildoers who attack Jews" = "Attack those countries which (coincidentally) have lots of oil we want!"

There are facts in this article, but they are in bad company, and doing work beneath themselves. Insidious.

I checked newamericancentury.org to see if I could find Pipes' name there but couldn't search the site (hasn't been indexed?!). I know I've seen that name before, but think it was probably in the bookstore.


PS: In that very first sentence: "millenia" = TWO millenia, just barely. Leave no hyperbole unthrown.
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AlienGirl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Dec-07-05 11:50 PM
Response to Original message
4. Very good response
Your response is concise and generally tight, but you have one place where you need a different word: "I resent some outside evidence..." "Resent" doesn't go there; "demand," "expect" or some such would work.

Tucker
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Dec-07-05 11:57 PM
Response to Original message
5. I would take out the personal insults
a manhood deficency

this fat bell ringer


makes it sound like an Op-ed. Unless that was your goal.
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SammyBlue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-08-05 02:16 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. My response was supposed to be opinion
So Op-Ed was my goal.
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Viva_La_Revolution Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-09-05 01:41 AM
Response to Reply #6
7. Then... it's good!
:thumbsup:
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Violet_Crumble Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-09-05 06:58 AM
Response to Reply #6
14. Are you supposed to use references?
It's just that some of the things I had to write were things where they wanted us to comment on something, so are you sure it should be like what you've written or more like an essay would sound?

Violet....
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blogslut Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-09-05 01:50 AM
Response to Original message
8. LOL. Pipes is soooooo humble!
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Swamp Rat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-09-05 01:58 AM
Response to Original message
9. Daniel Pipes = Project for the New American Century: Signatory (12)
He's a member of PNAC. I would NOT trust a single syllable uttered by this lizard.
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No Exit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-09-05 03:19 AM
Response to Reply #9
11. Bingo! As soon as I saw it was by Daniel Pipes, I knew it
would be hate-inspired speech. He is PNAC from the word go.
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gee double you bee Donating Member (160 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-09-05 02:08 AM
Response to Original message
10. never got this
Edited on Fri Dec-09-05 02:10 AM by gee double you bee
We're supposed to be touchy feely bleeding heart types, who care about things like trees and feelings, oh, and we hate jews. Like, where the fuck did that come from?
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Violet_Crumble Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-09-05 06:52 AM
Response to Original message
12. Holocaust studies must be very bizarre in the US...
I studied it last year, and thankfully we didn't have to read crap from Pipes. I don't really understand why anyone teaching the subject would inflict Pipes on their students when there's such a wealth of material on the subject available. The Holocaust can't be discussed without discussing the anti-Semitism that made it happen, but Daniel Pipes is a hate-monger with no credibility at all....

Pipes (and I think he does this intentionally) is an extreme example of the fall-out from the Holocaust. Because no-one saw the Holocaust coming, and because Jews were generally helpless to do anything to save themselves or others, the reaction in some circles has been to pounce on any anti-Semitism and immediately see another Holocaust coming. The Holocaust happened with little to no warning, so the thinking amongst Jews who were traumatised by it, even if they hadn't even been born when it happened, is that they won't get caught by surprise again. Pipes feeds on those fears to foster a hatred of Arabs and Muslims, and while those fears are imo understandable, they're not realistic nor particularly healthy...

Also, if Pipes thinks that any of Israel's neighbours over the past generation have dehumanised Jews in the same way that Nazi Germany in the 1930's did, he doesn't know much about exactly what the Nazis were doing in the 1930's. It's either pig ignorance or a blind hatred of Arabs that must be the explanation for it...

Violet...
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Mutley Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-09-05 06:57 AM
Response to Original message
13. I suppose it's impossible to not be anti-semitic but against the US
Israel policy.
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