The problem of racism as it presents itself in antisemitism, versus the Nation of Israel which claims to represent all Jews. Judith Butler discusses the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and makes interesting observations why the far right is supporting the anti-BDS movement.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.@cava After reading Judith Butler's bio, it's clear she is both a naive leftist and a self-hating Jew. Her works indicate that she has severe problems in many categories. It's difficult to read about someone that disturbed. Given her family history, it's clear where it came from. She even denies being a self-hating Jew, but it's obvious. One of the traumas of self-awareness is not liking what one was born as. No good answers for that one, just therapy and drugs.
Of course political correctness says one shouldn't blame the victim, but some victims do bring tragedy on themselves, and bear some responsibility, or more. Gazans elected Hamas so they chose to become martyrs. They had their chance at self-determination and they screwed up all by themselves. Suffering the consequences doesn't absolve them from the responsibility of embracing terrorism.
In the recent conflict, the Israelis should be lauded for winging the combatants, rather than just shooting to kill, as every other military would. Humane to maim, but not very nice to deprive them of their 70 virgins.
racocn8
Level 9
Nov 20, 2018
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cava:
Sorry our definitions of 'naive' must be different...here in brief:
"Judith Butler is Maxine Elliot Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Program of Critical Theory at the University of California, Berkeley. She received her Ph.D. in Philosophy from Yale University in 1984. She is the author of several books: Subjects of Desire: Hegelian Reflections in Twentieth-Century France (1987), Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990), Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of “Sex” (1993), The Psychic Life of Power: Theories of Subjection (1997), Excitable Speech (1997), Antigone’s Claim: Kinship Between Life and Death (2000), Precarious Life: Powers of Violence and Mourning (2004); Undoing Gender (2004), Who Sings the Nation-State?: Language, Politics, Belonging (with Gayatri Spivak in 2008), Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? (2009), and Is Critique Secular? (co-written with Talal Asad, Wendy Brown, and Saba Mahmood, 2009) and Sois Mon Corps (2011), co-authored with Catherine Malabou. Her most recent books include: Parting Ways: Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism (2012), Dispossession: The Performative in the Political (co-authored with Athena Athanasiou 2013), Senses of the Subject and Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly (2015). And in 2016, she published a co-edited volume, Vulnerability in Resistance, with Duke University Press. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages."
Your description of the Israelis military's meriting praise is odious. Since the protests began on March 30, 2018 Israeli forces have killed at least 210 Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave and wounded more than 18,000 people, according to health officials in Gaza. Those killed include children and medics...to say this is laudable behavior demonstrates an incredible lack of sensibility.
Advocating BDS may skirt the concept of hate speech only when it is undertaken by naive leftists, but the use of the term Apartheid is intentionally inflammatory and readily identifies the true nature of the user.
Strictly speaking, I was not conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism; only pointing out that, except for Arabic support for antisemitism and anti-Zionism, the BDS campaign would not exist (It would lose funding and promotion). Those who support antisemitism and those who support anti-Zionism are mostly overlapping sets. The exceptions are readily categorized as noted in my first post.
Singling out Israel over most of the other countries in the world necessarily poisons any validity BDS might have. Singling out Palestinians as pathetic is more than suspicious given that the Palestinians have MOST of the responsibility for their own long term degradation, brought about by supporting Hamas's Islamic extremism and the terrorist targeting of civilians.
BDS advocates reek of bias, overt or otherwise. Unless a BDS advocate can advance an excuse for focusing on Israel, they may reasonably be seen as either antisemitic or naively abetting it.
If someone can't find a worthier cause, they should expect to be identified as a bigot. The shoe fits.
racocn8
Level 9
Nov 19, 2018
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cava:
I don't think Professor Butler is a naive leftist. Unfortunately the truth is inflammatory. The BDS campaign is an effort to effect the direction of Israel, it is a form of protest, which is a basic right, and there is no way around that right, at least in the US,
People are dying an yet you talk of blame, which is a shame.
The problem with BDS is that it singles out Israel. Even with Israel's bad behavior, Israel still stands out as being far more humane (even in addressing the intransigent terrorism of non-Jordanian Palestinians) in regards to the human rights of all of its citizens. Israel is far more humane than the majority of nation-states currently existing. Thus, the singling out of Israel is correctly identified as either directly anti-Semitic, or as bias at the behest of Arab states that actively promote anti-Semitic bigotry via BDS. BDS advocates may well imagine they are supporting the Palestinians, but BDS does nothing for the Palestinians. BDS is mainly promoted by the Arabs, naive leftists and self-hating Jews, with a few Nazis adding to the noise.
When the BDS supporters add the multitude of other nations that do far worse than Israel, then and only then will BDS be recognized as supporting all human rights and not just the agenda of the anti-Semites.
BDS advocates either are themselves anti-Semitic, or are useful idiots on behalf of the anti-Semites.
racocn8
Level 9
Nov 19, 2018
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cava:
I don't find Israel's behavior on the Gaza strip humane. It has and still is killing and maiming people indiscriminately. The idea of a protest, a boycott and sanctions are basic rights of free speech, which is why anti-BDS laws have fallen (ACLO in Kansas) and will continue to fall. You are conflating Zionism with antisemitism which I think is an serious error. Israel does not represent all Jews, and protesting the actions of a inhumane apartheid government ought to be lauded and not prohibited.
since when does israel claim to represent all jews? antisemites use israel as an excuse to hate all jews; to them it represents all jews. israel has not made such a claim.
g
genessa
Level 8
Nov 19, 2018
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cava:
Did you watch the video?
cava:
@genessa Professor Butler indicated that the Nation of Israel claims to represent all Jews.
"Netanyahu Speaks for All Jews Whether They Like It or Not" Headline from Haaretz
Butler also claims the far right are antisemitic but not anti-Zionists, rather they are allied on the right having similar political goals, and apparently groups in Israel are willing to accept this arrangement. The far right would be happy if all Jews went back to Israel.
Butler is excellent, well worth the time when you're able.
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