This thread was somewhat hijacked, so, to get it back on topic, perhaps I should say more. Hanna Arendt said it best when speaking of 19th century antisemitic parties on the left: "They introduced the distinction between individual jews, 'our brethen', and jewry as a group, a distinction that from then on was to become the trademark of leftist antisemitism (my emphasis).
Arendt is right. This is still the case with the European left (and many of the "socialists" posting on this forum, as well). They believe that since they feel no personal hatered towards jews they know, they are not antisemitic. Nonsense, said Arendt. They are antisemitic since they deny to the jews what they deny to nobody else: any and every sort of national identity. Let's just compare what the "enlightened European left" says about the jews as opposed to other nations, shall we?
On the one hand, jews, alone of all nations, are not only practically unwise, but morally wrong for seeking a homeland. jews, alone of all nation, must understand that the "real reason" for attacks on them is this evil desire for a homeland, and that if only they gave that up everything would be OK. jews alone, of all people, may not under any circumstances try to change the situation in their benefit; they must totally accomodate their enemies and hope for the best. jews alone, of all people, must instantly be 100% in compliance of whatever the newest fashionable ethical and/or political philosophy is, or else be labeled the "enemies of progress". jews alone, of all people, must simply not live anywhere their enemies don't want them to. And so on and so forth.
On the other hand, how different is this from the way these wonderful, progressive socialists treat any other nation! These very same people, when dealing with any other nation, consider a desire for a homeland, if perhaps practically unwise, at least a natural, and even praiseworthy, thing. When dealing with any other nation, the fact that that nation is subject to murderous attacks is no evidence that their nationalism is wrong, but merely that others are agressive towards them and if anything another reason to support them. When dealing with any other nation, their culture, religion, and practices--no matter how different from the western ideal--deserve, if not acceptance, than at least respect.
Simply put, the jewish nation is the only nation that has no rights at all and must, at the drop of a hat, obey completely the dicta of these "socialists" about what exactly is morally acceptable and what isn't at the moment, or else be hated and declared to be on the "wrong" side. That the socialist's ideal du jour would--if followed--lead to disasterous consequences, well, that's just those jews making excuses again to hide their moral perfidity, and in any cases they should have thought of that before they had this silly idea that they're a nation. There isn't an ounce of understanding, consideration, or respect for the jewish people in the lot of them put together--all we hear are complaints and whines that those jews are being racist or colonialist or violent or deniers of civil rights (or whatever is the evil du jour is), and that, by golly, they're not going to get any sympathy from me until they do as I say regardless of consequences, goddammit!
Does the fact that people like that claim not to hate jews personally--perhaps honestly--mean a damn thing about them not being antisemitic? Of course not. To compare, say that somoene claims not to be a racist because he doesn't feel any particular disgust or hatered towards black people. It's only those bad negroes, the ones who claim to have some sort of right as a group, that are stirring up trouble, and are the "root cause" of all those lynching and cross-burning violence (which is directed against them by others, but that doesn't mean they're not it's "root cause".) Surely, they should forget all about these "civil rights" or "black vote" thingies, or at the very least stop looking at white women wrong and stop riding at the front of the bus, two things white people made quite clear they don't want them to do--if they keep insisting they have the right to live where they want, not just where their enemies allow them, well, they can just expected to "cause more violence" and it's all going to be their fault.
In the same way someone like that is obviously a rabid racist, someone like AUP--who claims not to hate jews, but clearly considers the existence of a jewish national identity a huge inconvenience that is the "root cause" of all and every trouble in the middle east (if not the world), and that therefore the jews who keep insisiting they're part of a nation with rights deserve everything they get from their enemies--is obviously a rabid antisemite.
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