The accusation of anti-Semitism

[ciphergoth]

(This was originally a comment in webcowgirl's journal, but I wanted to share.)

The New York Times recently published a column by one David Brooks in which he alleges that
those who oppose the neoconservative agenda are anti-Semitic. (More coverage: Talking Points, This Modern World)

I look forward to the Times carrying my rebuttal in next week's edition, in which I argue that Brooks only says that because he likes to fuck pigs.

Comments

[ex-pipistre.livejournal.com]

the logic of that is actually quite stunningly bad. i'd never accuse someone who didn't like me of being anti-semitic, even though it's a 'valid' accusation as i am technically Jewish...

[ex-purplekaz150.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm Jewish and I think Mr Bush is a tosser.

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

That makes you "self-hating". Try to keep up here.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Doubly so if you question anything Sharon does.

[ex-purplekaz150.livejournal.com]

And I don't like Mr Sharon either.

[ex-purplekaz150.livejournal.com]

Oi! Please don't insult Jewish people by suggesting that tosser Bush is one of us!

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

I guess American politics can be confusing for you French terrorists. Here is LOGICAL PROOF:

(1) You disagree with the President, so you are a slanderous liberal commie mutant traitor (http://www.anncoulter.com/).

(2) Slanderous liberal commie mutant traitors are anti-semites who use the word "neoconservative" to mean "Jew" (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/06/opinion/06BROO.html).

(3) By (1) and (2), you are an anti-semite (etc.).

(4) Since you're Jewish and an anti-semite (etc.), you are self-hating. (QED)

[ex-purplekaz150.livejournal.com]

Er... yeah. Or something.

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

I win the conversation! A is A!

[ex-purplekaz150.livejournal.com]

Great - I shall inform everyone that I'm a French terrorist :D

[biog.livejournal.com]

I had originally planned to move back to America about two years ago, but I hate the way many americans seemed to be so paranoid now & rather frightened of liberal views, so it's stay in the UK for me.

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

I never get the people who want to leave America because our rulers are crazy murderous bastards. I mean, hello? We have nuclear weapons. There is no escape. Your only defense is to get back here and vote.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

I particularly like the bit about "neo- means Jewish". SINCE WHEN? IN WHAT LANGUAGE? Neo- means NEW, you fucktard! "Jewish Conservative" would be "judeo-conservative".

By the same argument, what does he think "neo-Nazi" means?

[djm4]

Hmmm. On the episode of The West Wing that I saw last night, it seemed to be accepted that 'New York' was being used by one of the Christians as a synonym for 'Jewish' - it wouldn't surprise me to learn that there are many phrases in the US which are generally accepted to mean 'Jew' in certain contexts. It's news to me that 'neo' is one, but I'd need to know a lot more about US culture and language use than I do to be sure.

Kinda like all the phrases that English people can use when they want to be derogatory about homosexuals, or French people, or the disabled, which don't actually mean anything of the sort and would puzzle the hell out of anyone not steeped in our culture.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I'm sure it is contextual, and American 'broadsheet' print journalism is notoriously smugly self-referential.

[narnee.livejournal.com]

As an (expat) American of Jewish ethnicity with a keen interest in linguistics, I can conclusively say that 'neo' is not a synonym for Jewish anywhere in the US. Even Americans know that 'neo' means 'new.' I haven't ever heard 'New York' used in that context either although it makes somewhat more sense given the history of Jews in New York; it's entirely possible that The West Wing writers made it up.

I wonder if anyone bothered to tell Brooks that most American Jews actually vote Democrat and have done for as long as anyone can remember.

[djm4]

Thanks!

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

(1) The neoconservatives call themselves that, goddamn it.

(2) The only ones whose religion I'm aware of are fundamentalist Christians. From Texas. Several of them have gotten in the news for being prominent in their pro-Christian religious bigotry.

(3) These are the same people (like, the same actual physical human beings) who would, thirty years ago, talk about how those evil "New York" liberals are scheming to take away all your money, drink the blood of your babies, and kill Jesus. They worked for Nixon, for God's sake.

Neocon is not code for Jewish, 'K?

Ooh further proof

[webcowgirl.livejournal.com]

You've opened up my mind! It's OBVIOUS that "Neo" means "Jewish" because in the movie The Matrix, the Christ figure was named "Neo" - and of course we all know Christ was just a Jewish carpenter ... computer programmer being a good enough parallel these days.

[ishkhara.livejournal.com]

I don't hate Bush because I'm anti-semitic. I hate him because he's a complete f**kwit. Go on - eat another pretzel, bozo! ;)

I'm not sure about the pig-fucking business. I doubt he could manage to satisy one.

[ex-purplekaz150.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about the pig-fucking business. I doubt he could manage to satisy one.

Possibly, although it would be amusing to watch him try...

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Probably not for the pig.

[ex-purplekaz150.livejournal.com]

Fair enough.

[xquiq.livejournal.com]

*mind boggles*

That makes spectacularly little sense. Surely he must have realised that his logical inference just well, wasn't? When I started reading I thought it was a piss-take due to the almost complete absence of valid logic.

[thekumquat.livejournal.com]

It's obvious, innit?

Neoconservatives = Christian Right = Mr Bush and bunch of other loonies = people who know all Muslims are terrorists out to destroy The World as We Know It (tm) = people who treat Muslims such as Palestinians as sub-human = Israeli government = Israel's right to exist = all Jews

Therefore anti neo-cons = anti Jews
QED!

Do try to keep up.

And don't forget: these are the End Times, so we have to have war across the world starting in the Middle East, so that the aforementioned Christians can be Raptured and go to heaven, and therefore Israel has to piss off its neighbours enough to cause World War III, so thus Shrub has to prod that into happening so he can be saved. Ergo neocons and Jews have the same interests and are obviously the same thing.

I knew there was a reason I gave up reading US papers.

Do you think I could get every American on LJ to vote for me as President in 6 years time? They and I would all be old enough by then and there'll probably be enough of them for me to win...

Thre's a little too much thinking ahead of the game here.

[sibelian.livejournal.com]

On both sides.

People should be judged on what they do, not what they are.

This means that judging all Jews as the same because the are Jewish is bad. That is anti-semitism.

Judging one Jew as bad because he has done something bad is not anti-semitic because is not a judgement of ALL Jews.

This is the level we must talk on if we are to adequately communicate with these morons, assuming that they are amenable to communication in any way.

I am gradually becoming more and more convinced that locking step with them in any kind of debate is a waste of time.