Once Churchill as a warmonger instead of a savior of Western civilization becomes a plausible interpretation of history, then any version of alternate history becomes acceptable for public discussion.
We long for the gate-keepers: the editors, fact checkers, peer review committees, Party elders, bishops, the imprimatur of certain publishing houses.... But when does that paraphernalia coalesce into mass conformity? The see-sawing can be disconcerting over time: in the 50s we were smothered by "all the houses made of ticky tacky" only to give way to the 60s of dizzying numbers of 'Parties' and then the collapse into the 70s and then along came Reagan and Gingrich, etc. Clawing our way back to a balance between gate-keepers and gate-crashers will be our task if ever we are allowed to commence it. Good luck, all you youngsters.
Fuentes is repulsive, but can we also point out that Israel and its supporters do behave as a cabal and that their influence on the USA has been big enough to enable them to commit a genocide and ethnic cleansing with the active support of Uncle Sam? Part of the reason the accusation of antisemitism has lost all power is that Israel and its supporters have used it massively against people who object to its racist and genocidal policies. Particularly visible from Europe is also that Israel embraces the political descendants of the actual European antisemites of the first half or the 20th century who also happen to be rabidly anti-Muslim , anti-liberal and anti-EU. This is one of the many ways in which Israel makes life more dangerous for Jews who do not wish to do aliyah, and it should not be ignored.
Exactly. My Dad was a Jew and he detested Israeli expansionism as destructive of the humanism that has always been so prevalent in the more enlightened strains of Judaism. If he was here today he'd say that the demi-genocide in Gaza and the WB is not only murdering and brutalizing Palestinians, it is destroying Israel from within. The Zionists enjoy feeling sorry for themselves and whinning about antisemitism but the charge, as you say, is now bankrupt because it is very clear that most of the 'antisemites' are simply opposed to Bibi's crimes. Worse, the legitimacy of the charges against him provide ammunition for genuine Jew haters who's motives are false, but who will accept the ammunition anyway.
The Zionists have always been super-brutal with non-Zionist Jews. There is quite a forgotten history of political murder of Jewish opponents and mistreatment of Jews who came to Palestine during the war and wanted to go back home after it finished. One of the big questions is what this will mean for Judaism. It’s become impossible to ignore the religious Zionists who have created a Jewish Jihadi ideology.
I understand that in the 30s and 40s the Zionist terrorist groups were more interested in murdering moderate Jews than even the British. There is an irony in the fact that the secular liberal Israel that BenGurion and the others envisaged is now slowly but surely being swamped by the ultras who of course are, as you say, Jewish jihadis and have a mindset essentially indistinguishable from Muslim jihadis. Demographics would seem to make the triumph of the ultras inevitable, and then we'll see Jewish women in burkas without any Muslims needing to get involved.
Have you heard of a site called Persuasion? I'd recommend it. One of the reasons it was founded was to push back against the ugly side of left-wing politics that was behaving just like the ugly side of right wing politics, and they have frequent articles (and indeed a whole book by one of the founders) on the dangers of identity politics. I'm sure you'd enjoy reading it.
Totally agree that Fuentes is an idiot and someone who like to provoke reactions, for his own profit. I had no idea who he was until I heard him on Tucker Carlson. In that interview it was clear that Fuentes was not much of an intellectual or deep thinker. Basically a doofus. Even some of the legitimate points he had, were poorly argued and often sabotaged by his tendency to be extreme. His ideas are just plain dumb, poorly thought out and don't make sense.
That said, part of his appeal is that he dares to criticize Israel's policies. And furthermore, the hysteria about the Tucker Carlson interview, the fact that Biden had him on a no-fly list, etc is also self sabotaging - by his opponents. The people who freaked out that Tucker interviewed him, ended up, as usual, covering Fuentes in the glory of being a free speech martyr.
Like Trump, he's very very right about a very few things, but the points he can score are sufficient to gain a following even if most of what he says is garbage. Hitler was the same. He didn't attract millions of voters by spouting complete nonsense, he had to dangle a few carrots of truth as well. For example, the Treaty of Versailles *was* grossly unfair the Germany -- it's enough to get people to jump on the bandwagon and once on it, you blind yourself to the crap because you become partisan.
A very fine essay by Sam. It makes me sad that he needs to be so well-schooled in this vile history. I did not believe that antisemitism would ever become commonplace in the United States that I grew up in. It sickens me. Worse, it is being used as a left versus right political tool, not to fight evil, but because it is useful.
Interesting article, but I was puzzled that Sam says that Carlson holds moral responsibility to be individual rather than collective. If that is the case, then why is he so friendly toward Putin, who is a virulent Russian ethno-nationalist?
Once Churchill as a warmonger instead of a savior of Western civilization becomes a plausible interpretation of history, then any version of alternate history becomes acceptable for public discussion.
We long for the gate-keepers: the editors, fact checkers, peer review committees, Party elders, bishops, the imprimatur of certain publishing houses.... But when does that paraphernalia coalesce into mass conformity? The see-sawing can be disconcerting over time: in the 50s we were smothered by "all the houses made of ticky tacky" only to give way to the 60s of dizzying numbers of 'Parties' and then the collapse into the 70s and then along came Reagan and Gingrich, etc. Clawing our way back to a balance between gate-keepers and gate-crashers will be our task if ever we are allowed to commence it. Good luck, all you youngsters.
Fuentes is repulsive, but can we also point out that Israel and its supporters do behave as a cabal and that their influence on the USA has been big enough to enable them to commit a genocide and ethnic cleansing with the active support of Uncle Sam? Part of the reason the accusation of antisemitism has lost all power is that Israel and its supporters have used it massively against people who object to its racist and genocidal policies. Particularly visible from Europe is also that Israel embraces the political descendants of the actual European antisemites of the first half or the 20th century who also happen to be rabidly anti-Muslim , anti-liberal and anti-EU. This is one of the many ways in which Israel makes life more dangerous for Jews who do not wish to do aliyah, and it should not be ignored.
Exactly. My Dad was a Jew and he detested Israeli expansionism as destructive of the humanism that has always been so prevalent in the more enlightened strains of Judaism. If he was here today he'd say that the demi-genocide in Gaza and the WB is not only murdering and brutalizing Palestinians, it is destroying Israel from within. The Zionists enjoy feeling sorry for themselves and whinning about antisemitism but the charge, as you say, is now bankrupt because it is very clear that most of the 'antisemites' are simply opposed to Bibi's crimes. Worse, the legitimacy of the charges against him provide ammunition for genuine Jew haters who's motives are false, but who will accept the ammunition anyway.
The Zionists have always been super-brutal with non-Zionist Jews. There is quite a forgotten history of political murder of Jewish opponents and mistreatment of Jews who came to Palestine during the war and wanted to go back home after it finished. One of the big questions is what this will mean for Judaism. It’s become impossible to ignore the religious Zionists who have created a Jewish Jihadi ideology.
I understand that in the 30s and 40s the Zionist terrorist groups were more interested in murdering moderate Jews than even the British. There is an irony in the fact that the secular liberal Israel that BenGurion and the others envisaged is now slowly but surely being swamped by the ultras who of course are, as you say, Jewish jihadis and have a mindset essentially indistinguishable from Muslim jihadis. Demographics would seem to make the triumph of the ultras inevitable, and then we'll see Jewish women in burkas without any Muslims needing to get involved.
"The left takes the lion’s share of the blame for bringing identity into the forefront of political discourse"
Indeed.
That's quite an admission. Kudos, even though said in passing. Too bad no one else seems to notice the 800-pound gorilla in the room.
Have you heard of a site called Persuasion? I'd recommend it. One of the reasons it was founded was to push back against the ugly side of left-wing politics that was behaving just like the ugly side of right wing politics, and they have frequent articles (and indeed a whole book by one of the founders) on the dangers of identity politics. I'm sure you'd enjoy reading it.
Totally agree that Fuentes is an idiot and someone who like to provoke reactions, for his own profit. I had no idea who he was until I heard him on Tucker Carlson. In that interview it was clear that Fuentes was not much of an intellectual or deep thinker. Basically a doofus. Even some of the legitimate points he had, were poorly argued and often sabotaged by his tendency to be extreme. His ideas are just plain dumb, poorly thought out and don't make sense.
That said, part of his appeal is that he dares to criticize Israel's policies. And furthermore, the hysteria about the Tucker Carlson interview, the fact that Biden had him on a no-fly list, etc is also self sabotaging - by his opponents. The people who freaked out that Tucker interviewed him, ended up, as usual, covering Fuentes in the glory of being a free speech martyr.
Like Trump, he's very very right about a very few things, but the points he can score are sufficient to gain a following even if most of what he says is garbage. Hitler was the same. He didn't attract millions of voters by spouting complete nonsense, he had to dangle a few carrots of truth as well. For example, the Treaty of Versailles *was* grossly unfair the Germany -- it's enough to get people to jump on the bandwagon and once on it, you blind yourself to the crap because you become partisan.
A very fine essay by Sam. It makes me sad that he needs to be so well-schooled in this vile history. I did not believe that antisemitism would ever become commonplace in the United States that I grew up in. It sickens me. Worse, it is being used as a left versus right political tool, not to fight evil, but because it is useful.
Interesting article, but I was puzzled that Sam says that Carlson holds moral responsibility to be individual rather than collective. If that is the case, then why is he so friendly toward Putin, who is a virulent Russian ethno-nationalist?