Comments | whowouldknow: the limits of my understanding

whowouldknow

the limits of my understanding

Jun 23, 2004 03:50

Various political and personal events over the past five years have made me feel that it is necessary for me to write this post, at least for myself even if no one else gets anything out of it. This is a post I've been meaning to write for a long time, although some of it is stuff I've mentioned before. If the topic seems somewhat random, deal ( Read more... )

Comments 9

benjasattva June 23 2004, 08:20:52 UTC

http://www.livejournal.com/users/benjasattva/76397.html

Nice post whowouldknow June 23 2004, 10:47:54 UTC

I suppose I have a bigger problem being friends with those who are friends with anti-Semites. If it's my friend who has issues with Jews, then I can tell myself that I might be helping them expand their horizons. And with someone who lived in an area without many Jews, I might be more understanding of their position since they've never had the opportunity to test their opinion of Jews by meeting any of us. But if one of my non-Jewish friends has anti-Semetic friends then I feel like by continuing my friendship I'm condoning that, which bothers me.

eliane June 23 2004, 09:23:46 UTC

did you see Charlie Rose last night? I caught the very end and was wondering if that discussion had sparked this somewhat (not the ideas in your post, just the timing).

Elie Wiesel was incredibly eloquent, talking about how he feels near despair at this time. He's such a marvelous speaker.

whowouldknow June 23 2004, 10:39:06 UTC

I actually hadn't seen Charlie Rose, nor did I know about the seminar at the UN yesterday. As I said in the post, I'd been meaning to write about anti-Semitism for a while. Last night was just the first time I felt I had the time and energy to work on it.

The Charlie Rose episode is on again right now. I'm leaving for a bit, but I'm recording it and will check it out when I get home. Thanks for letting me know about it.

epenthesis June 23 2004, 09:37:58 UTC

Sexism is very different than any other kind of prejudice -- it doesn't generally come with revulsion or hatred, just...bad ideas. Sexists grow up among women, love them, and are attracted to them. It's amazing that they can sometimes be so blind to women's actual qualities and so quick to make false generalizations, but that's something that you can get around with someone who's at least willing to talk to you.

Homophobia, too, is still so grounded in cultural acceptability (and, for that matter, rooted in such different feelings) that we have to give people a little bit of a pass for archaic attitudes. You're not naive to think you can change them, either -- the two people who made explicitly homophobic comments in my presence in high school were both hanging out with now openly gay people at reunion, so the tide most likely turned for them at some point.

People know better by now than to be unashamed of racist and anti-Semitic views. And I think the ones who are are probably too far gone to be changed just by knowing more people.

whowouldknow June 23 2004, 10:44:20 UTC

People know better by now than to be unashamed of racist and anti-Semitic views.

Usually, at least in New York. One of the incidents that prompted this post involved someone who lives near New York, which surprised me. But you're right, they're past the point where having Jewish friends is even an option let alone something that would help them expand their view of things.

In high school I was criticised because of one of my homophobic friends. But people will remain prejudiced if they're never given a reason to feel otherwise, which is why we deal with the issue less in a diverse city like New York than we would somewhere else.

daskreestof June 25 2004, 04:15:56 UTC

First: I completely do not understand Anti-Semetism. It's just stupid. As are all forms of discrimination, but this one is extra stupid and I don't get it at all ( ... )

whowouldknow June 29 2004, 11:09:06 UTC

First: I completely do not understand Anti-Semetism. It's just stupid. As are all forms of discrimination, but this one is extra stupid and I don't get it at all.
I think it grows from xenophobia and the need to scapegoat others to avoid responsibility for ones actions. Maybe it's just religious bigotry.

It can't just be religious bigotry because I'm fairly certain anti-Semites also feel the way they do about non-religious Jews like myself.

I mean, yeah, I am slightly bigotted against Christians. But I recognize it, and I know too many Christians to have stereotypes about them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but your issue with Christians has more to do with the social and political beliefs that some of them have. Which isn't the same thing as being bigoted against all Christians, or even most of them. And you don't use the term "Christian" as a slur.

Do you think anti-Semitism is increasing in NYC? Maybe I just haven't had to deal with it much, but I see about as much now as I did a dozen years ago.

I've written about this intolerance ( ... )

(The comment has been removed)

Re: everyone's a little bit racist sometimes... whowouldknow June 29 2004, 10:32:44 UTC

I am jewish as well, full blooded (is there such a thing? can religion be genetic?)No, but it's also a culture. If it were only a religion it wouldn't make sense for me to refer to myself as a half-jew. But if you needed a bone marrow transplant, it'd have to be from another Ashkenazi Jew because you are a full blooded Ashkenazi Jew ( ... )