Is it just me or is more idiotic anti-Semitism coming out of the woodwork lately? Why is this happening and what can we as progressives do about it?
Last week it was Helen Thomas doubling down on her infamous comments from last year, including denying that there were pogroms following the Holocaust, and yesterday we had 9/11 conspiracist Charlie Sheen's tirade against the Jewish producer of 2 1/2 Men (although I do note the irony of somebody born Carlos Irvin Estevez making fun of someone for changing their name.)
But beyond these high profile celebs, yesterday we saw something much more disturbing in my opinion, a window into the anti-Semitic notions simmering within a segment of non-famous American society. It was in the comments section of the Los Angeles Times online.
The article itself was about some anti-Semitic incidents in Greece surrounding that country's first Holocaust memorial, but the real problem was the readers' comments, which were decidedly in favor of such incidents.
One reason I am so disturbed by these comments is that in order to post there one must be a registered user of the LA Times online site. This isn't some completely anonymous message board, these are people who have registered to read one of the major national papers. Also, the other users can vote 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' on a comment, and you can see how they voted on these - mostly in agreement.
I'll dive right in with this:
resist at 11:35 AM February 21, 2011
Resisting Jewish efforts to dominate your country is not anti-Semitic. Do you think the Jews would allow Arabs or any other Gentiles to control news media companies in Israel? Or allow Gentiles to control the Israeli central bank?
If the Jews think that anti-Semitism is so bad in Europe and America, than leave and go live in Israel. Stop trying to bully us with Holocaust guilt propaganda.
(4 thumbs up, 0 thumbs down)
This one has just about all of the classic, disgustiing anti-Semitic tropes. The Jooz are trying to dominate your country. The Jooz control the media. Jews shouldn't live in America or Europe. We talk to much about the Holocaust.
And that gets 4 upvotes from the other registered users, and zero down votes. Plus at least one enthusiastic follower:
mveeh5150 at 10:48 PM February 21, 2011
Resist, if ever there was a truer statement said in any post, it's yours. Especially the last line.
(1 thumb up, 0 thumbs down)
How about more classic Jooz control the media and the economy anti-Semitism:
Ander35 at 10:13 PM February 20, 2011
Hm, Jews make up about 2% of the population and about 75% of the senior leadership in Hollywood and the banks. It's true. I am not saying anything about, just saying this is a fact.
(4 thumbs up, 1 thumb down)
Next we have someone putting their support for anti-Semitic acts bluntly:
PhillipC at 10:53 AM February 21, 2011
Can anyone tell me how to get on the fast track to Greece citizenship?
(4 thumbs up, 0 thumbs down)
Another gem:
Jenifer Jones at 2:25 AM February 21, 2011
So the jews screw everybody including Greecs... What is new - I do not get it....
(7 thumbs up, 4 thumbs down)
At least a few people gave that one a thumbs down.
Here's another classic, justifying anti-Semitism based on Israel
Orange County Person at 11:10 PM February 20, 2011
Anti-Semitism around the world is on the increase because of bad behavior by Israel in building settlements in the West Bank. Israel needs to grow a pair of balls and tear down all the settlements or they will continue to face worldwide scorn.
(8 thumbs up, 1 thumb down)
I was not aware it was ok to hold members of an ethnic group responsible for what other members of that ethnic group do elsewhere in the world. At least that's what I was told at ANSWER rallies...
In case you thought pure Holocaust revisionism would be missing from these comments:
lanceman at 10:53 PM February 20, 2011
As is usual in wartime, the "attrocities" of the Germans in WW1 were exaggerated (remember the babies tossed from incubators in Kuwait? - also a fabrication
Stalin was about to attack Hitler but (fortunately for us) Hitler beat him to the punch. We should have let them fight each other to the death. Stalin was far more evil than Hitler. The only reason Hitler is villified more than the communists is becaus we overran Germany and got access to their documents. What we know about the Soviets is what they have released.
So should we blame the Russians for Soviet attrocities?
From Holocaust revisionism to blaming Jews for anti-Semitism:
no more illegals at 7:08 PM February 20, 2011
who cares? im guessing the greeks dont like blacks or chinese either but you dont see those groups whining about it.. for a supposed smart people dont the jews realize that the more they blow everything up to be anti-semitism, the more anti-jewish feeling they raise up? get over yourselves jews, believe it or not, the world does not revolve around you
(9 thumbs up (!), 2 thumbs down)
And of course, the tired old 'Jooz secretly control the US government':
lanceman at 10:56 PM February 20, 2011
Obama is a creature of the Pritzker's in Chicago. Obama knows who brought him up and who can take him down. He will be a loyal servant of the zionists.
(2 thumbs up, 2 thumbs down)
And some other beauties, using the same old Jooz control this, conspiracy that, the Holocaust was no big deal, anti-Semitism:
cyberserf at 4:21 PM February 24, 2011
This is a misleading article full of lies and propaganda right out of Mossads and AIPACS Psy-ops manuals! The Greek Radical Left/Autonomia is obviously not anti-semitic, if anything they are anti-zionist/Israeli State/anti-colonialist/anti-capitalist. The Zio-Fascists in Mossad and AIPAC try to portray anyone being anti-zionist as also being anti-semitic and that is a basic psy-op strategy they have perfected.
Phelps at 11:15 AM February 23, 2011
yes indeed that is a splendid idea!..I to am bored with all the holocaust guilt being hurled by Jewish agitators. 50 to 60 million people mostly women, children and old folks lost their lives in WWII..the zionist use the holocaust to cloud their evil deeds..stop pimping the holocaust!
There are more which you can discover for yourself. There are also comments where other people try to respond to these, but these have mostly been voted down.
In the end, I have to say I was actually shocked by the amount of anti-Semitism that was in evidence by the commenters here at this 'mainstream media' sort of website. This wasn't a right wing forum. And the article didn't really have much to do with I/P. This is seemingly homegrown, raw American anti-Semitism plain and simple.
I admit to being scared by this.