Comments on: On anniversary of Kristallnacht, this is how some Americans feel about Jews

By: Joel Brigham

Joel Brigham — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:40:27 +0000

I participated in Cincinnati’s 15 April Tea Party, and those anti-semitic comments IN NO WAY reflect my sentiments – nor those of practically everyone else in attendance

Jew-bashing has been gaining acceptance on the LEFT end of the political spectrum for a few decades now, and I don’t trust anyone who’s been turning a blind eye to that fact *COUGH*newt gingrich*COUGH*

By: Jill Zimon

Jill Zimon — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:18:00 +0000

Hi Jeff – I wish I could find an answer to that pop up too – as I mentioned, I apparently have a less virulent version than what some people are experiencing. I’ll continue to see how to get rid of it. I could just scrub this blog, of course.

As for the closing of the mental institutions, don’t get me started.

By: Jeff Hess

Jeff Hess — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:59:43 +0000

Shalom Jill,

I’m beginning to think that this was the real reason for why President Ronald Reagan worked so hard to close all of our nation’s mental institutions, so that the former inmates could bolster the ranks of the Republican Party.

I don’t think he realized how much damage this tiny minority could cause and how impossible it would become to control them.

B’shalom,

Jeff

p.s. i cast my vote for the nuclear option on the far-more-than-annoying twitter pop-up.

By: Jill Miller Zimon

Jill Miller Zimon — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:50:59 +0000

Lara – thanks for leaving the comment and it reminds me of a third takeaway: not only do we fight such speech with more speech, as practicable, but we have got to work to ensure that we work to diminish the number of people who find this kind of speech acceptable. How? By holding up mirrors, by modeling the way we should be addressing what we dislike. By not feeding the attention hunger as best we can. I saw a tweet by David Shuster saying that was his exact dilemma re: Westboro Baptist’s protest at Sidwell Friends yesterday.

We CAN make better choices – and work to show others that those better choices exist. Unfortunately it is just absolutely exhausting.

By: Jill Miller Zimon

Jill Miller Zimon — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:47:38 +0000

Chuck – I think the comments demonstrate that such stuff comes from all sides. And when we look at intolerance for Israel and Jews from the far left, it’s pretty nasty too.

For me, the take-away is 1) people embrace dislike and hate – that really disturbs me; it’s so negative. And 2) if you’re the kind of person who is ok with talking in terms of hate for another person, your political ideology really doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with it – you’re just going to direct it at a different subject.

Anyway – that’s how I see it. I don’t think there’s a hierarchy of who is less virulent etc. At least not right now.

By: Jill Miller Zimon

Jill Miller Zimon — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:03 +0000

BMD – not incoherent at all. I would not view the anti-Semitism in Europe v. here the same way as you do though. I think that while I know denial is a river in Egypt, many Americans – all along the political ideological spectrum, allow themselves to dwell and drown in that river. That’s at least part of why it may appear as though it’s not as virulent here.

Let me assure you, based on my campaigning in my own town, it’s plenty alive, unfortunately.

By: Boring Made Dull

Boring Made Dull — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:29:03 +0000

Jill,

Thanks for posting this. One suspects that Mr. Weisel’s inbox catches this kind of stuff every day, in copious quantities. I can’t imagine dealing with this kind of horse by products after all of the horrors he’s seen.

He’s certainly right to complain about a comparison of Obamacare to the deathcamps. Just because Obamacare is likely to greatly reduce the quality of life for all doesn’t mean it’s on the slope to Dachau.

Out of the 11 responses (assuming that the paragraph breaks separate comments), the next to last is most interesting. If that’s one of the most virulent posts chosen to show what backward anti-semitic nincompoops the tea partiers are, we’re a long way from the pogrom. People who are praying for you and recognizing their own sinfulness seem unlikely organizers of repression. It’s the ones who don’t acknowledge their sinfulness that you have to watch out for.

Interestingly enough, anti-semitism seems far more virulent in progressive Europe and in the far left than in American conservatism. It seems like only yesterday that protesters were marching about going to war to make sure that the international bankers got their blood money for oil.

Sorry for the long and incoherent response.

By: Lara

Lara — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:36:50 +0000

I somehow don’t even think about politics when I read remarks like this. I think about what insanely sad statements they are about our collective humanity. Kudos to posting this, Jill. It’s hard to read, but necessary. I’m not sure whether to get angry and start throwing things, to sigh and walk away, or to counter the ignorance with a posting of my own…maybe all three in the course of the day.

By: Chuck Butcher

Chuck Butcher — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:39:29 +0000

There is something deeply wrong with a national political party that doesn’t react negatively to this type of thing. If the Republican legislators pointed at these signs and this rhetoric and laughed or scoffed it would be reduced. It doesn’t serve their ends to do so and that should tell you something.

I’m not saying anything to the responsible Republicans that post here, but their elected officials are another thing. I do have an opinion about their sticking with such people, but…

A silly play on a General’s name provoked huge outrage and… I’m sorry for you people.