We have family in Sderot that barely escaped with their lives. In the aftermath of the carnage, I pointed out to my leftist cousin that virtually all the celebration of terrorism was on the far left because the narrative of oppression fits neatly with antisemitism. She hasn’t responded for a few days now. Hopefully, this is hitting home because, if the left leaning Jews don’t abandon progressive politics now, then the brainwashing is beyond repair.
My chief problem with “intersectionality” is that it aggregates all the multiple identities within an individual as collective victimhood. It’s all the many ways a person is “oppressed.” This fails critically and empirically. There are persons of color who are entrepreneurs, successful, conservative, have a faith perspective etc. The “intersection” is of a demographic category like race, beyond their influence, and psychographic category like self-efficacy and personal ambition, which is not static and driven by values. Many Blacks are not supportive of BLM, many Hispanics reject the term “LatinX.” The left tries to destroy individual identity, as they claim to elevate identity.
A Washington Post posts today a picture of an young Israeli women with the caption "Hadas Kalderin....two of her children have been "detained" by Hamas (my quotes). The far left has officially morphed into Nazis.
The nihilistic, misanthropic hatred of the left is on display for all the world to see. Not sure it will make much difference though. So many people are so invested in this identity that they will jump through any number of hoops to maintain their cognitive dissonance. Ah well, at least the 2A is celebrated and revered in my neck of the woods if things continue to devolve.
It helps identify what BLM is all about. They bragged that were Marxists, but people attracted to them either were sympathetic to black causes, such as fighting ghetto poverty, or bought into the police violence jive. Their decolonization schtik fits with their CRT teachings. It’s a good day for those looking for signs that a roll back of their ideology is possible.
The title 'Ivy League Professor' now holds as much the prestige as 'Celebrity Astrologer' or 'Breast Enlargement Consultant': the epitome of charlatanism.
Just days after a 21st century pogrom against Jewish people, Israelis had to witness virtually the entire Western MSM jumping with alacrity at the chance to spread some patently mendacious and manipulative propaganda about the Gaza hospital tragedy. Hamas has obviously figured out that nothing is too absurd for the Western MSM to fall for just as long as it has a whiff of anti-Western-civilisation about it. The grovelling MSM apologies have of course not been so forthcoming.
Oct 20, 2023·edited Oct 20, 2023Liked by Christopher F. Rufo
For ideologists, the World is merely symbolic - the higher realities are utopic and demonic - they are Manicheans. So, evil "Whiteness" etc. etc. is preventing a "New World." "Israel" and "The Jews" are versions of this - Jew-hating is an old gnostic theme, which has become the ideology of anti-semitism in modernity.
Gnostic hope is false hope - our neighbors are suffering from a religious mass delusion. To be fooled by their moralism is another delusion - there is nothing peaceful or hopeful about ideology (or moralism, for that matter).
I’m as pro-Israel as they come. But I say to the commenters here, how does responding reflexively to any difference of opinion with an accusation of antisemitism differ from the left shouting “racist!”anyone who doesn’t bend the knee to woke nonsense? Such accusatory responses only serve to shut down debate. To be intellectually honest, we must all admit that the Israeli/Palestinian struggle is one of crippling complexity. Discuss accordingly.
Spot-on! But you need to condemn with equal conviction the Leftists who wrap themselves in the Stars and Stripes and claim to be patriotic when in truth they adhere to contemporary Marxist theory that would destroy our Constitution and the natural rights it protects. For example, Bernie Sanders, and ancient Stalinist to whom our feckless POTUS pays court. I pray for the Israeli and Ukranian people, as well as the Palestinians who are oppressed by their own Quislings and the proxies of Iran. It's time to stand and be counted Americans. As Coolidge said, "Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray."
<i>All of the groups have long promoted the violent “decolonization” of not just Israel but also the United States.</i>
Great - but only if the 'decolonization' BEGINS with the ejection of all the colonizing lefties who've seized the majorities and the powers of excluding all but lefties from the professoriate of most Universities in the USA - and all of their heirs, successors and assigns.
I am sorry to hear about your family and the others against whom these atrocities were committed. But I am also sorry to report that my leftist Jewish friends and family are taking the side of Palestine (not Hamas, of course, as they assure me). You cannot take the sympathy for the perceived underdog (the oppressed fighting their oppressors) out of the leftist mind. To the coddled American Jew, Israel is not necessarily worth saving; they do not see a need for a Jewish state as previous generations did. (And even many older American Jews generations removed from Europe are also contra-Israel.) Israel is the oppressor. Full stop. And amazingly, they still insist that MAGA and the "white supremacy culture " is the threat. The arguments on both sides are rather cartoonish but that doesn't stop the arrogance. I hate to come to this conclusion but the anti-Semitism, now in stark relief, will not hit home for a lot of leftist-type Jews. Why? Because they don't feel threatened. Of course many Jews felt equally safe in Germany 100 years ago.
We have family in Sderot that barely escaped with their lives. In the aftermath of the carnage, I pointed out to my leftist cousin that virtually all the celebration of terrorism was on the far left because the narrative of oppression fits neatly with antisemitism. She hasn’t responded for a few days now. Hopefully, this is hitting home because, if the left leaning Jews don’t abandon progressive politics now, then the brainwashing is beyond repair.
My chief problem with “intersectionality” is that it aggregates all the multiple identities within an individual as collective victimhood. It’s all the many ways a person is “oppressed.” This fails critically and empirically. There are persons of color who are entrepreneurs, successful, conservative, have a faith perspective etc. The “intersection” is of a demographic category like race, beyond their influence, and psychographic category like self-efficacy and personal ambition, which is not static and driven by values. Many Blacks are not supportive of BLM, many Hispanics reject the term “LatinX.” The left tries to destroy individual identity, as they claim to elevate identity.
A Washington Post posts today a picture of an young Israeli women with the caption "Hadas Kalderin....two of her children have been "detained" by Hamas (my quotes). The far left has officially morphed into Nazis.
Intelligence in reporting as always Mr. Rufo. Thank You.
The nihilistic, misanthropic hatred of the left is on display for all the world to see. Not sure it will make much difference though. So many people are so invested in this identity that they will jump through any number of hoops to maintain their cognitive dissonance. Ah well, at least the 2A is celebrated and revered in my neck of the woods if things continue to devolve.
May the ‘left’ bite and devour one another. They have held their sway over the public far too long.
It helps identify what BLM is all about. They bragged that were Marxists, but people attracted to them either were sympathetic to black causes, such as fighting ghetto poverty, or bought into the police violence jive. Their decolonization schtik fits with their CRT teachings. It’s a good day for those looking for signs that a roll back of their ideology is possible.
The title 'Ivy League Professor' now holds as much the prestige as 'Celebrity Astrologer' or 'Breast Enlargement Consultant': the epitome of charlatanism.
I’m always happy to repost your writing. I hope more people will become aware. But I’m frightened by what i see and read.
Just days after a 21st century pogrom against Jewish people, Israelis had to witness virtually the entire Western MSM jumping with alacrity at the chance to spread some patently mendacious and manipulative propaganda about the Gaza hospital tragedy. Hamas has obviously figured out that nothing is too absurd for the Western MSM to fall for just as long as it has a whiff of anti-Western-civilisation about it. The grovelling MSM apologies have of course not been so forthcoming.
For ideologists, the World is merely symbolic - the higher realities are utopic and demonic - they are Manicheans. So, evil "Whiteness" etc. etc. is preventing a "New World." "Israel" and "The Jews" are versions of this - Jew-hating is an old gnostic theme, which has become the ideology of anti-semitism in modernity.
Gnostic hope is false hope - our neighbors are suffering from a religious mass delusion. To be fooled by their moralism is another delusion - there is nothing peaceful or hopeful about ideology (or moralism, for that matter).
“Decolonization” is just Slave Morality. Revenge of the nerds, a violent uprising of the social failures. Communism in its purest form.
I’m as pro-Israel as they come. But I say to the commenters here, how does responding reflexively to any difference of opinion with an accusation of antisemitism differ from the left shouting “racist!”anyone who doesn’t bend the knee to woke nonsense? Such accusatory responses only serve to shut down debate. To be intellectually honest, we must all admit that the Israeli/Palestinian struggle is one of crippling complexity. Discuss accordingly.
Spot-on! But you need to condemn with equal conviction the Leftists who wrap themselves in the Stars and Stripes and claim to be patriotic when in truth they adhere to contemporary Marxist theory that would destroy our Constitution and the natural rights it protects. For example, Bernie Sanders, and ancient Stalinist to whom our feckless POTUS pays court. I pray for the Israeli and Ukranian people, as well as the Palestinians who are oppressed by their own Quislings and the proxies of Iran. It's time to stand and be counted Americans. As Coolidge said, "Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray."
<i>All of the groups have long promoted the violent “decolonization” of not just Israel but also the United States.</i>
Great - but only if the 'decolonization' BEGINS with the ejection of all the colonizing lefties who've seized the majorities and the powers of excluding all but lefties from the professoriate of most Universities in the USA - and all of their heirs, successors and assigns.
I am sorry to hear about your family and the others against whom these atrocities were committed. But I am also sorry to report that my leftist Jewish friends and family are taking the side of Palestine (not Hamas, of course, as they assure me). You cannot take the sympathy for the perceived underdog (the oppressed fighting their oppressors) out of the leftist mind. To the coddled American Jew, Israel is not necessarily worth saving; they do not see a need for a Jewish state as previous generations did. (And even many older American Jews generations removed from Europe are also contra-Israel.) Israel is the oppressor. Full stop. And amazingly, they still insist that MAGA and the "white supremacy culture " is the threat. The arguments on both sides are rather cartoonish but that doesn't stop the arrogance. I hate to come to this conclusion but the anti-Semitism, now in stark relief, will not hit home for a lot of leftist-type Jews. Why? Because they don't feel threatened. Of course many Jews felt equally safe in Germany 100 years ago.