I don't GET anti-semitic remarks

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:For those interested in details of Assange's conspiracy theory:

Mr. Assange was quoted as saying the Jewish conspiracy was led by The Guardian and included the newspaper’s editor, Alan Rusbridger, and investigations editor, David Leigh, as well as John Kampfner, a prominent London journalist who recently reviewed two books about WikiLeaks for The Sunday Times of London.

When it was pointed out that Mr. Rusbridger was not Jewish, Mr. Assange countered that The Guardian’s editor was “sort of Jewish” because he and Mr. Leigh, who is Jewish, were brothers-in-law. Later, the article recounted, Mr. Assange asked to “forget the Jewish thing,” but he continued to insist there was a conspiracy against WikiLeaks based on the friendship among Mr. Rusbridger, Mr. Leigh and Mr. Kampfner.

(From MSNBC)

It should be noted that there is exactly one source for these allegations -- the phone call was between Assange and Ian Hislop and Hislop is the the source of the allegations. Assange vehemently denies saying anything of the sort. I have no opinion on whether Assange made the reported remarks, but it is definitely unfair for the media -- or you -- to report as fact something that is, at best, a disputed allegation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm Jewish and I never heard anyone say anythng anti-semitic until I was well into adulthood. I was quite shocked, having really felt during my childhood that such views were from a bygone era. I remember arguing this point with my grandfather, whose family fled Polish pogroms in 1909. Sadly, I have now heard of innumerable instances of anti-semitic remarks and even violence, not to mention the Holocaust denials and threats against Israel. I remember taking a train through Germany at age 20 and seeing swastsika graffiti on the train. It was eye-opening.

Can you define "threats against Israel"?

I'm concered that saying things against Israel's political policies is frequently called anti-Semitism. You can dislike a country's politics without being a racist.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those interested in details of Assange's conspiracy theory:

Mr. Assange was quoted as saying the Jewish conspiracy was led by The Guardian and included the newspaper’s editor, Alan Rusbridger, and investigations editor, David Leigh, as well as John Kampfner, a prominent London journalist who recently reviewed two books about WikiLeaks for The Sunday Times of London.

When it was pointed out that Mr. Rusbridger was not Jewish, Mr. Assange countered that The Guardian’s editor was “sort of Jewish” because he and Mr. Leigh, who is Jewish, were brothers-in-law. Later, the article recounted, Mr. Assange asked to “forget the Jewish thing,” but he continued to insist there was a conspiracy against WikiLeaks based on the friendship among Mr. Rusbridger, Mr. Leigh and Mr. Kampfner.

(From MSNBC)

It should be noted that there is exactly one source for these allegations -- the phone call was between Assange and Ian Hislop and Hislop is the the source of the allegations. Assange vehemently denies saying anything of the sort. I have no opinion on whether Assange made the reported remarks, but it is definitely unfair for the media -- or you -- to report as fact something that is, at best, a disputed allegation.

Then feel free to delete my second post (Details of the "Assange Conspiracy"). The point is not whether to get to the truth of whether Assange said this or not -- that is the subject of a different thread. The point is that OP can hardly have lived an adult life without being exposed to such stories -- true or not.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Then feel free to delete my second post (Details of the "Assange Conspiracy"). The point is not whether to get to the truth of whether Assange said this or not -- that is the subject of a different thread. The point is that OP can hardly have lived an adult life without being exposed to such stories -- true or not.

No, this is a fair point. As long as readers understand that the allegations are disputed and that there is basically no way to prove whether they are true or not. To your larger point, if MSNBC is concerned about anti-Semitism, the network might want to look to its own green room where it will find Pat Buchanan.

[Anonymous]

Ordinary Jews are OK, but it's the Jewish Freemasons that you gotta watch out for.

[Anonymous]

To the poster who asked, Isn't it a good thing never to have heard anti-semitic remarks?

There's nothing nourishing about hearing such remarks. But it is better to be aware of, and realistic about, the world we live in. Anti-semitic remarks, while hardly the only form of bias still around, is still very much a part of that world.

In a sense, to say you've never heard such remarks is less a message that they no longer exist than that the speaker is living in a bubble. By acknowledging that anti-semitic remarks exist, we are acknowledging that we all have work to do to get to the point where they do not exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:C'mon OP. You never heard anyone say that someone negotiating aggressively was trying to "Jew me down" on the price? Never heard anyone talk about how the banks, the media and Hollywood are "controlled" by the Jews? Never heard someone deny or downplay the Holocaust? The list goes on.

I am Jewish and I have never heard anyone actually say anything of these things in my presence. I've only heard them said in the media.

[Anonymous]

NP and I'm Jewish and also grew up in MoCo. I never heard anything anti-semetic until well into adulthood either. My parents would discuss anti-semitism on a larger more general scale but I never heard anything firsthand.

I went to school in the South and didn't find much anti-semitism there, but I was shocked at the lack of exposure to Jews there. For a shocking many of people I knew at school, I was the first Jew they met. I never felt any anti-semitism at all there, just some innocent ignorance.

I did become much more aware of anti-semitism once I came back to the DC area as an adult.

My husband, however, came from a very affluent suburb in New Jersey and it was not very Jewish at all. He encountered LOTS of anti-semitism in high school. He's very defensive about our religion and I think it stems from this.

[Anonymous]

8:13 here again. The first time I heard "Jew me down" was when I was back in DC for the summer during college. It was from a girl I was working with and she wasn't originally from the area.

[Anonymous]

I am a non practicing Jew. I actually had someone say to me, "Since we are going in and taking over Iraq, we might as well blow up Israel...b/c really, who needs the Jews anyway?". I must have looked shocked, b/c he said "oh, are you Jewish? If you are, then you just wouldn't understand!".
My friend then kicked him out of his house.

I personally don't get it either. I just try to keep in mind how ignorant they are and that they don't know any better. Hopefully something in their life will give them a wake up call and make them change their views...but many humans are very resistant to change. I mean, I could have talked to him until I was blue in the face and it would not have made any difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm Jewish and I never heard anyone say anythng anti-semitic until I was well into adulthood. I was quite shocked, having really felt during my childhood that such views were from a bygone era. I remember arguing this point with my grandfather, whose family fled Polish pogroms in 1909. Sadly, I have now heard of innumerable instances of anti-semitic remarks and even violence, not to mention the Holocaust denials and threats against Israel. I remember taking a train through Germany at age 20 and seeing swastsika graffiti on the train. It was eye-opening.

Can you define "threats against Israel"?

I'm concered that saying things against Israel's political policies is frequently called anti-Semitism. You can dislike a country's politics without being a racist.

I've never heard the K word. It sounds so 50s.

I agree with PP on the topic that anybody disagreeing with Israeli government policies is accused of being an anti-semite. It's like crying wolf, so that when there really is an anti-semitical instance, it lessens the gravity of it.

[Anonymous]

it is amazing for such a relatively small minority group, how many people in banking and entertainment are jewish. there are lots of historical and cultural reasons for this -but it is what fuels the stereotypes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:C'mon OP. You never heard anyone say that someone negotiating aggressively was trying to "Jew me down" on the price? Never heard anyone talk about how the banks, the media and Hollywood are "controlled" by the Jews? Never heard someone deny or downplay the Holocaust? The list goes on.

NP here, and while I certainly had heard plenty of anti-semitic things growing up, I never heard the phrase "Jew me down" until I was well into adulthood.

I don't understand why people are attacking the OP over this - isn't it a good thing to have never heard anyone make anti-semitic remarks?

I am Jewish and I never heard that phrase until adulthood either. This may be another stereotype, but in my experience, the 2 anti-semitic remarks I've ever heard were from very uneducated people (just a fact) who grew up and lived in fairly rural areas.

[Anonymous]

OP, Have you never heard the phrase, Jewish American Princess? JAP for short. Construed by many to be anti-semitic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it's my demographic (30, white, non-practicing Catholic from MoCo) but I have NEVER heard anyone say anything negative about Jews. Who even thinks about this stuff?

OP, open up MSNBC, CNN, or any other major news site this morning and you will see that Julian Assange has decided that his troubles are the result of a "Jewish smear campaign." If you have NEVER (all caps yours) heard anyone say anything negative about Jews, you need to kindly get your head out of your ass. I mean really.

Agree. Really.