Here’s an example of the kind of comment I put in the trash. It was from a potential commenter named “Thunderstruck,” responding to another reader’s query about the diversity of the Art Institute of Chicago’s board, administrators, and curators:
In reply to Richard Lemanczykafka.
Diversity and multiculturalism are mostly Jewish-led efforts, I’m afraid.
I recently watched a new documentary about Swedish multiculturalism and many things finally clicked into place: https://odysee.com/@Palaestra:4/Why-is-Sweden-multicultural:7The mainstream media never shows us the ugly side of “diversity” (assuming there’s an upside somewhere that I’m not yet aware of).
Get that: “I’m afraid.” How sad that the Jews are in charge of DEI—even though I know of little evidence that they are. And how ugly this fact is!
If you essay the 104-minute movie (I’ve watched only snippets), you’ll see that the movie is rabidly anti-Semitic, arguing that the incursion of “multiculturalism” in Sweden was a very bad thing, eroding a monolithic society of those with Swedish ancestry.
It then blames the Jews for making Sweden multicultural, ergo creating ethnic conflicts. I was too disgusted to watch enough to learn why the Jews want to make Sweden—and, according to Thunderstruck, everywhere—more diverse, but you can watch for yourself. (I suspect it’ll be a nefarious Jewish plot to get the Jews accepted in Sweden!)
This odious film surely documents some of the increasing anti-Semitism of Europe. And the filmmakers were clever: the movie starts out describing the advent of multiculturalism in Sweden in the Sixties, why it was bad; and the Jews are mentioned first only at 7:12. But then the anti-Semitism comes thick and fast.
To the title (not the substance): that’s a good thing. May they (and all groups) continue to encourage it.
Oy vey.
As a Jew myself, I have heard similar comments made quite frequently. It might surprise you to hear this but I don’t think it’s entirely wrong, although I don’t at all agree with the intent of the statement. I think that Jews are indeed disproportionately represented in social justice activism, so it would make sense that they are also disproportionately involved in DEI (and other “woke”) efforts.
However, the subtext of this statement is that there’s some sort of “Jewish/Zionist agenda” underlying their activism, which I believe is a totally bonkers idea. Sadly, despite their involvement in these movements, Jews are finding themselves on the receiving end of a lot of anti-Semitic prejudice in these circles, and there is even an overt anti-Israel sentiment that pervades these groups.
This reality undercuts the idea that there is some sort of “Jewish agenda” behind wokeness and DEI initiatives.
Are you talking just about the U.S., or the entire world? Also, you may be right that Jews are disproportionately behind civil rights initiatives (as they were in the Sixties), or behind college DEI initiatives (college staff and faculty are disproportionately Jewish), but surely they are not overwhelmingly behind such initiatives, which often stem from people of color of a student body in general. At any rate, you’re correct: this is a conspiracy comment.
I was thinking of the US. I don’t know much about the demographics about this arena in other countries.
Which should go to show, as Mr. Pope pointed out, that a little learning is a dangerous thing.
Plainly, “Thunderstruck” has not drunk deeply from the Pierian spring.
Fortunately or unfortunately enough to make more literate people rediscover the past as quickly as possible before things get out of hand
There is an unwritten agenda and I think it is why Jews bump up against the civilizations they attach but don’t fully assimilate into. I think Douglas Rushkoff says it best but I encourage you to read all of his work. “The thing that makes Judaism dangerous to everybody to every race, to every nation, to every idea; is that we smash things that aren’t true. We don’t believe in the boundaries of nation states, we don’t believe in the idea of these individual gods who protect individual groups of people. These are all artificial constructions and Judaism really teaches us how to see that. In a sense our detractors have us right. We are a corrosive Force. We are breaking down the false gods of all nations and all people because they are not real and that is very upsetting to people.”
Barbara Lerner Spectre Paideia Institute Sweden
“I think there is a resurgence in anti semitism because Europe at this point in time has not yet learned to be multicultural and we are going to be part of the throes of that transformation. Europe is not going to be a part of the monolithic societies they were in the last century. Jews are going to be in the center of that. It’s going to be a huge transformation for Europe to make. They are now going into a multicultural mode and Jews will be resented because of our leading role but without that leading role and without that transformation Europe will not survive.“ Barbara certainly lays out the mission. She and those that think like her believe Europe should change. Apparently they think they know better than the people who have lived there for generations. Any blowback can be directed at her and those that think like her.
Isn’t their a religious command the Jews are supposed to’repair the world’?
“ This odious film surely documents some of the increasing anti-Semitism of Europe.“
Is it increasing? Or is one just hearing more about it, such as via a link to the video from a blog, something that wouldn‘t have happened 20 years ago?
As we have seen recently in other contexts, the internet can make some things seem bigger than they are.
I‘m not defending it, just wondering whether there is any such increase and if so whether this rather obscure video (which, had it not been for the would-be commentator, probably no-one here would have ever heard of) is part of it or even documents it in a non-trivial sense. (Note that saying that the film documents something has two meanings: it describes something and it is an example of something; I‘m not sure which one you meant.)
There’s definitely an increase in anti-Israel sentiment thanks to the Palestinian situation. For example, I don’t think this would have happened 20 years ago. However, I wouldn’t accuse Sally Rooney of anti-semitism. She doesn’t like what Israel is doing with respect to Palestine and I think her view is naive, but her ire is directed at the nation state of Israel, not Jews.
Anti-Israel is not necessarily anti-Semitism. (Of course, even if it is not, that doesn‘t mean that it is necessarily correct.)
I don’t have data, but I hear that a lot of Jews in Europe won’t go out wearing a Star of David around their necks, and that there are more incidents of visible Jews being beat up. This is just an impression.
I have a question relating to this subject, specifically, what is Anti-Semitism and what is not Anti-Semitism, which consists of several dimensions:
1.) Jews exist, Jews can exert political influence, and large blocks of Jews can exert political influence as a block. [This statement just seems so axiomatic that I can’t believe it is Anti-Semitism, but may be it is in itself.] To what extent is it Anti-Semitic to examine political influence (and attempts to influence politics) by Jews?
2.) Is it Anti-Semitic to critically or negatively examine political influence by Jews or heavily-Jewish blocks of individuals?
3.) Is stuff like criticizing the Israel lobby (which includes many non-Jews) or actions on the part of Israel (which includes Arabs as citizens and which does not speak for all Jews) Anti-Semitic?
4.) I have seen stuff like mentioning George Soros is “Anti-Semitism” even though the guy has a bunch of money that he uses to fund a lot of politically controversial causes. How is this Anti-Semitic?
5.) I have even read that talking about “globalists” is Anti-Semitism, even though “globalists” have been around since at least the 1990’s, and lots of high non-Jewish GOP pols were happy to be “globalists” until it feel out of fashion. Since when is economic critique “Anti-Semitism”?
My concern is not the over-the-top or grotesque obvious Anti-Semitism, but something like Solzhenitsyn’s work on the history of the Jews in Russia which many people have labelled Anti-Semitic and some have questioned the accuracy, and cannot seem to find a respectable publishing house in English. I also think of Meirsheimer and Walt’s book on the Israel Lobby, which is supposedly Anti-Semitic. [I have read neither of the above two works.] At what point does a critique cross the line? Is there also not a danger that bad behavior by say a State like Israel may be given a pass based on taboos surrounding Anti-Semitism (and you see the same with accusations of Islamophobia I would note)?
This goes back to the “political correctness” is about “politeness”, it seems like all this stuff comes out as a way to avoid addressing hard headed criticism, arguments, and facts of someone’s politics, never to actually shut down the gross stuff which is seriously impolite. It would be false to say there was nothing like racism, sexism, misogyny, Anti-Semitism, etc., but these accusations only seem to be used in bad faith to avoid addressing fair and sound criticism.
It’s very difficult to give definition of antisemitism because it’s such an old hatred, it changed like chameleon depending on the historical circumstances, and it constantly mutates. The best one I’ve seen is by an American blogger, Elder of Ziyon:
Antisemitism is
hostility toward,
denigration of or
discrimination against
Jews
as individual Jews,
as a people,
as a religion,
as an ethnic group or
as a nation (i.e., Israel.)
There is also IHRA definition which gives many examples: https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definitions-charters/working-definition-antisemitism
Yes, but this is pretty broad. For example, is hostility toward Jeffrey Epstein “Anti-Semitism”? Is hostility or denigration toward a group like the Jewish Defense League “Anti-Semitism”?
If you qualify it as “unjustified” hostility or denigration, then that opens up the question of who decides. It seems to me logically imperative that something like that exists implicitly if not explicitly, but that ultimately makes it something of a judgment call.
I have also seen these discussion of do Jews have high IQ or other discussions, some people see that as Anti-Semitism, and some Jews are like damn right we do, etc.
My unfortunate conclusion is that there is a spectrum of criticism, some clearly Anti-Semitic, some not, and some borderline, and accusations of Anti-Semitism can have a chilling effect on speech.
This article addresses some of the questions you raise:
https://medium.com/arc-digital/anti-semitism-and-critiques-of-israel-political-correctness-and-double-standards-732bc643af38
Why is this anonymous video project labeled “a documentary”?
I shut it down after 10 s since the early clip I watched launched into a conspiracy theory behind multiculturalism, which was unreflectively – and un-documentary – taken as bad. Which launch, I might add, was the expected outcome.
The private person behind that mislabeled video from a fake media company is not speaking for Sweden:
[ https://expo.se/2020/10/h%C3%B6gerextremister-tr%C3%A4nar-f%C3%B6r-den-fysiska-kampen-i-kommunens-lokaler ]
[ https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A5ngkultur ]
The person that posted that crap is unfortunately in the risk zone of radicalization.
I forgot this site flows together blockquotes. There are two of them from Wikipedia, the cut goes here:
on Friday 13 August 1965. [4]
…
Sweden has had
Unfortunately, I suspect Jews will be blamed by Anti-Semites for Wokeism, and then ultimately defenestrated by the Woke Mobs for being privileged, supporting Israel and not being diverse enough.
Just as Hitler blamed the Holcaust on the jews because they started WWII.
I thought it was America’s entry into the war on behalf of England, contrary to his “omniscient” geopolitical prediction that America had to back Germany (??), ergo, it must have been the machinations of the Jews, hence the commencement of the Holocaust in 1941. Although they had already begun the Einsatzgruppen mass shootings in Eastern Europe by the time America entered the war. On the other hand, the official plan for Russia was to take all the grain and oil, and let the Slavs in the Northern cities starve to death (20-30 million deaths) so as to make way for the German farmers, so its not really clear that the Nazi’s really needed a “rationale” for the basest forms of barbarism.
Yeah, not such a great idea for a last comment, as you missed the point of the post. It is possible, as I said in a comment, that Jews are overrepresented in DEI initiatives. The objections to my comment are these:
1. The claimed said that these initiatives are part of a Jewish “conspiracy”. It was not about overrepresentation.
2. The conspiracy is supposed to be “harmful” and “ugly”
3. Overrepresentation means more than 2% Jews (the proportion in the U.S). That’s not what he’s saying nor what that hateful film shows.
4. It’s curious that you fault me for an “argumentum ad passiones” (fancy language, pal) when you don’t mention that Thunderstruck gives no evidence for his far more extreme assertions.
And I don’t appreciate “I understand this is a very sensitive subject for you”. Why, because I’m Jewish? What a fricking patronizing thing to say! This is an insult in the guise of sympathy, and if you can’t see that you are clueless.
“And I don’t appreciate “I understand this is a very sensitive subject for you”. Why, because I’m Jewish? What a fricking patronizing thing to say! This is an insult in the guise of sympathy, and if you can’t see that you are clueless.”
I think you just both admonished him for what he said and proved him right all in one fell swoop.
Jesus Christ, he published that @$$hole’s comment and linked to the stupid video and is allowing respectful commentary on it all, “sensitive subject or not,” I don’t know what the point of it all is. Frankly, you find plenty of Jews in about any political movement, right or left, in Western Countries unless they are outright Anti-Semitic. In the original Italian Fascist movement, it was like 10% Jewish surnames, back when El Duce had his Sephardic mistress, so if you want you can make up the Fascism is a Jewish conspiracy and look at Eric Zemmour in France and Stephen Miller in America. “Oh my gosh, the Jews are behind the Far Right, its all a front for Israel!” “No, they are behind DEI and multiculturalism, its all a front for Israel.” No, just like everyone else, Jews manifest a diverse set of opinions and viewpoints. You can find what you go looking for.
I understand this is a very sensitive subject for you….
I would say I am relatively based moderate. I think charges of Anti-Semitism are sometime used politically to discredit reasonable criticism of Israel and/or Jewish groups, and I think there are plenty of Anti-Semites, who are not only wrong but psychologically disordered running around obsessing about Jews. You see these Black writers who get obsessed negatively with whites, and it basically cripples them, recurrent racial OCD, and the same thing happens to the Goyim who spend all day obsessing about Jews. You want to say even if this stuff was true, and its not, its not good for you. That is not to say you can’t find plenty of instances of really shitty behavior by people of all races if you go looking for it.
I’m in Melbourne Australia. We have been overtly multi-cultural for decades and we do pretty well. Jews are part of that multi-culture not the instigator which was bipartisan and broadly accepted and of great benifit to us.
Yes! Multiculturalism is fundamentally a good thing. Recognising and accommodating our differences potentially creates a more vibrant and creative society. Unfortunately, in many countries not all ethnicities get an equally fair crack of the whip (the same also applies to other categorisations based on religion, sexuality, etc) and addressing these inequalities is important both in terms of fundamental fairness but also in the interests of maintaining social cohesion and civic order. Attempts to do so have sometimes been ham-fisted, clumsy and counter-productive but that’s a reason to try and do things better not to simply ignore the problem. Thunderstruck’s comment that diversity has no upside that he/she is aware of is very dispiriting.
Moss’s 32nd Law: When something suddenly clicks into place, be aware you may need to see a psychiatrist rather than to convince the rest of the world of your new-found truth.
Pennies dropping, light dawning, or light bulbs coming on and other signs of revelation are more to do with the vagaries of our neurophysiology than actual objective understanding. Do not trust them.
Well, I don’t believe there’s any conspiracy by Jews to push DEI, open borders, and multiculturalism, but they do seem to be disproportionately involved in such campaigns. And people like Barbara Lerner Spectre can certainly make it sound like there’s a conspiracy, although in her case I don’t think it extends beyond the organization she runs.
The complication is that Jews are both a religion and an ethnicity, unlike other groups. For example, no one says that the Mafia is Catholic, or that the reason for such a disproportionate amount of black-on-black criminal violence is because they are primarily Protestant.
The irony is that the more religiously Jewish a Jew is, the more conservative/anti-woke/etc. he is.