I just confirmed that that section is not included in the abridged version that the students want to present. You can go to 16:46 of the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jKRwdsq-As to conform for yourself. It would be really helpful for this discussion if you would just watch the video yourself so that I would not have to keep correcting your misinformation. I will also note, however, that the advice that Luntz is quoted as offering as been followed assiduously. You will not find a single discussion here about Hamas in which its charter is not brought up. So, I am not sure why you find this objectionable. |
Oh so you’re doubling down on the “anti-semitism is not real - it’s just hasbara propaganda.” Nice. |
dp: I think you are looking for gotchas rather than acknowledging the complexities of the situation. |
I am not sure to what anti-Semitism you are referring, but the video that the students want to show is not anti-Semitic. Accusations that the video is anti-Semitic may be "hasbara" but they are more likely simply your clumsy effort to denigrate the video. In either case, the accusation is wrong. It is notable that I have repeatedly suggested that others view the video in order to confirm that my description is correct. But, none of the opponents have similarly suggested that the video be watched to confirm that their accusations are true. Rather, you have made false statements and engaged in this type of post that ignores substance and puts false words in my mouth. |
It is, indeed, the complexity and sensitivities around this issue/film that is why the school and principal were justified in wanting to be thoughtful and deliberate before letting the students show the film. In fact, it would be totally irresponsible for a school to rubberstamp any film on this topic without viewing it and considering how it would impact the student body and figuring out how the group could go forward to stage a viewing in a safe way. |
How long do you believe this process should take? Approximately to the end of the school year? The video is 50 minutes long. The school could deliberate over the course of an afternoon. |
The thing about the title being problematic is overdone. As Jeff noted, the title is working off the occupation of Gaza. And, yes, there has been a strong pro-Israel lobby in the US for decades. If it is not anti-semitic to say that.
If it is unfair to call it the pro-Israel lobby "the Jewish lobby" without clarifying that many Jews have differing perspectives on Israel, that's accurate but, well, picky. Generalizations are made about people everyday, all.the.time. Southerners sound dumb, VCs are all lax bros, private school kids are entitled, DC government is inept, federal workers are overpaid, Gazans are terrorists, etc etc etc. Describing something without footnoting the accuracy thereof (80%, 40%, 60%) is normal to functioning in the everyday world. Learning to be wise enough and analytical enough to recognize overstatement and to consider when it's misleading is a critical part of education. But if nothing can be discussed, then little is learned. |
No, I’m not. The purpose of the documentary is to make students believe that Israel has no legitimate security concerns, Hamas is not antisemitic, and it’s all a massive Israeli mind-control effort to take over America. |
Try again. There is ZERO way that any DCPS school would allow a film that came thisclose to a well-known racist stereotype to be screened. I am all for education and open dialogue but this is an extremely biased piece of, yes, propaganda that is affirmatively pro-Hamas (still a US designated terror group). All that said I believe in free speech and that the doc could be screened, but there would have to be a chance for others to put it into context. |
Huh. What about a speaker who asks ES students to describe a racist family member? This is not near the same level. |
This is completely inaccurate and, unfortunately, very typical of Israel's supporters. The poster is either outright lying or has not viewed the video. I will say for the third time that the film explicitly denies that there is any brainwashing. The video does not suggest that Israel does not have legitimate security concerns, but rather argues that those concerns are frequently exaggerated and put above all other concerns (such as the security concerns of Palestinians). The video hardly discusses Hamas because Hamas is not the point of the video. Rather, the focus of the video is on pro-Israel efforts to influence American thinking about the conflict. We are seeing those efforts in this very thread, following the script outlined in the video almost perfectly. The video is an effective illustration of how the narrative about the Israel-Palestine conflict is influenced. Because of that effectiveness, there is an effort to suppress it. The tactic used to suppress it is not legitimate criticism (of which some could certainly be made) but rather the tried and true tactic of labeling anything with which the pro-Israel crowd is uncomfortable as anti-Semitic. |
You have not watched the video. As such, you are not describing it accurately. Please watch the video and then provide your honest feedback. This is not an honest portrayal of the video. |
The video does not use the phrase "the Jewish lobby". That was a misstatement made earlier in this thread. The most vocal critic in the video of pro-Israel lobbying is a former AIPAC employee who is, of course, himself Jewish. |
It's a little insulting to J-R students tobthink that a documentary could "make" students believe such simplistic hyperbole. The documentary having that much power would--ironically enough--be some serious mind-control. |
Absolutely anything I say you’ll just accuse me of being hasbara. |