Ive said this before and Ill say it again. The "global left" hates Western Civilization. Wants it destroyed. Replaced with literally anything else. Traditionally that's some form of Communism. But the new ally is Islamism. This is why the "global left" allies with Iran and the Palestinian Death Cult. Because at heart it is the strongest and to date most successful opposition to Western Civilization. Israel represents the West extraordinaire. It's success as a liberal Western multi cultural society that just happens to be the only state of the Jewish people is absolutely intolerable to the "global left."
Most people, even "progressives" are not really part of the "global left". But many are the very definition of "useful idiot."
The nonsensical upside down nature of lefty support for Hamas speaks volumes about decades of Russian infiltration of peace movements. It doesn’t say much else.
The question is why? I’m afraid that, to some degree, it is hatred for the sake of hatred. It is claiming victimhood just for the sake of claimingvictimhood. It is an immature lashing out in reaction to whatever frustration one may have. The irony of it is it involves anger to a group which has contributed to the world in general and western civilization in general. I can come up with a mystical or metaphysical reason behind it, but that would not help solve the problem.
I believe also that people have been trained to hate Jews and Israel through coordinated and purposeful misinformation attempts going back 40 years via academia, traditional news, and more recently social media.
I also believe this ultimately only harms Palestinians, erodes liberal democracies, demonizes Jews, and creates only more conflict in the M.E. because it is only one-sided biased disinformation.
I did a very deep dive into this and I invite you and others to read and share widely because people have no idea what is going on behind the scenes and how it is affecting all of us.
Thank you for this thoughtful essay. May I add one more element? The other issue with progressive thought is it’s adherence to the idea of unconditional self-determination except when it comes to the West and specifically Israel. Progressives don’t support a two state solution or a commitment that a Palestinian state must embrace Western values. Rather, they claim it is up to the Palestinian People themselves to determine the kind of state that they want, including one that is anti-democratic, misogynist, homophobic, xenophobic, and antisemitic. They give Arabs carte blanch in determining what kind of society they want to create for themselves. That is why they can excuse Arabs for doing anything possible from prohibiting Jewish refugees fleeing from Nazi persecution to enter Palestine but accuse Western countries who seek to limit refugees from Arab and Muslim countries as xenophobic and racists. Progressives support for the right of self-determination should be accompanied with the embrace of general Western values. Otherwise, one could argue that the Germans were simply practicing “self-determination” when they implemented the Holocaust, or in the case of Hamas, massacring Jews on October 7th.
Pat, this is the first piece of yours I read and I very much appreciate it. I have an honest question. When you say that you are 'on the left' what do you mean by that? How do you define the left?
Its just anti-semitism and the fact that Jews (and Israel even more so) break the DEI narrative - they are oppressed and succeed in spite of it, while almost every other group uses it as their crutch and complains endlessly about how their plight is so unfair. Playing the victim never wins.
Ive said this before and Ill say it again. The "global left" hates Western Civilization. Wants it destroyed. Replaced with literally anything else. Traditionally that's some form of Communism. But the new ally is Islamism. This is why the "global left" allies with Iran and the Palestinian Death Cult. Because at heart it is the strongest and to date most successful opposition to Western Civilization. Israel represents the West extraordinaire. It's success as a liberal Western multi cultural society that just happens to be the only state of the Jewish people is absolutely intolerable to the "global left."
Most people, even "progressives" are not really part of the "global left". But many are the very definition of "useful idiot."
Ive said this before and Ill say it again. The "global left" hates Western Civilization. Wants it destroyed. Replaced with literally anything else. Traditionally that's some form of Communism. But the new ally is Islamism. This is why the "global left" allies with Iran and the Palestinian Death Cult. Because at heart it is the strongest and to date most successful opposition to Western Civilization. Israel represents the West extraordinaire. It's success as a liberal Western multi cultural society that just happens to be the only state of the Jewish people is absolutely intolerable to the "global left."
Most people, even "progressives" are not really part of the "global left". But many are the very definition of "useful idiot."
Pat, this is an awesome post. I want to point you toward another aspect of this. In addition to the habitual anti-Jewish thinking that is in the DNA of so many Westerners of European descent, there is the complication of habitual anti-Jewish poison influencing black radicals of the 1960s to embrace the Palestinian cause. Before that, there was no significant anti-Israel agitation in the US. Bear with me as I explain why this is important.
Many black radicals embraced the PLO lies that 1) Jews are just a bunch of white people from Europe who “colonized” Arabs in Mandatory Palestine and 2) Israel was responsible for Arab suffering and loss. They blamed Israel, rather than the Arabs, themselves, who chose to go to war with the Jews, and refuse(d) to accept they lost. Now, black Americans fought an authentic battle against white supremacy in the US. Most Arabs, on the other hand, were, and still are, raised with shocking amounts of Jew-hatred and Arab and Muslim supremacist values and beliefs. They were not fighting because Jews were oppressing them. They just rejected the notion of anyone but Arabs or Muslims having a state in the Middle East. HOWEVER, when black radicals endorsed the Palestinian cause, many thought: “Oh, African Americans support this? It MUST be a legitimate cause!” But it wasn’t and isn’t. BTW, this helps explain why DEI is so antagonistic to Jews, today. All of this has influenced Progressive politics and positions. But, if Progressives are to pull back from this, it’s going to mean recognizing that the fight against racism must not be used to justify or defend anti-Jewish bigotry, here or in the Middle East. Peace in the Middle East depends on the world demanding that Jew-hatred and Arab and Muslim supremacy be confronted, just as racism and white supremacy has been confronted in the US and elsewhere.
Progressives wish to destroy western Christianity’s hegemony. Since Israel is like a tiny western nation, encouraging Islamic warlords to destroy it is a sort of prototyping of the tools to destroy all of western Christendom. If they succeed in destroying Israel, they’ll think, “oh goody, now let’s get all those white supremacists who refuse to bow to my pronouns.”
This is an incredible piece. I hope it reaches the right ears.
The woke left supports the latest thing with no idea what it's realy about.
I don’t know what to make of Christians who misspell the word. I do know what to do with people who think “woke” is a bad thing.
Thank you for pointing that out. Never noticed it in that spot before. Are we good now lol.
Let’s do more than hope, Ruth. Let’s do our part to make it happen.
Ive said this before and Ill say it again. The "global left" hates Western Civilization. Wants it destroyed. Replaced with literally anything else. Traditionally that's some form of Communism. But the new ally is Islamism. This is why the "global left" allies with Iran and the Palestinian Death Cult. Because at heart it is the strongest and to date most successful opposition to Western Civilization. Israel represents the West extraordinaire. It's success as a liberal Western multi cultural society that just happens to be the only state of the Jewish people is absolutely intolerable to the "global left."
Most people, even "progressives" are not really part of the "global left". But many are the very definition of "useful idiot."
The nonsensical upside down nature of lefty support for Hamas speaks volumes about decades of Russian infiltration of peace movements. It doesn’t say much else.
Oh yeah, and anti-semitism. I should have included that, but it’s a given.
(And again)
The question is why? I’m afraid that, to some degree, it is hatred for the sake of hatred. It is claiming victimhood just for the sake of claimingvictimhood. It is an immature lashing out in reaction to whatever frustration one may have. The irony of it is it involves anger to a group which has contributed to the world in general and western civilization in general. I can come up with a mystical or metaphysical reason behind it, but that would not help solve the problem.
Exactly. Reason won't get us out of a problem reason didn't get us into.
Great piece. Thank you.
Pat - this is a great post.
I believe also that people have been trained to hate Jews and Israel through coordinated and purposeful misinformation attempts going back 40 years via academia, traditional news, and more recently social media.
I also believe this ultimately only harms Palestinians, erodes liberal democracies, demonizes Jews, and creates only more conflict in the M.E. because it is only one-sided biased disinformation.
I did a very deep dive into this and I invite you and others to read and share widely because people have no idea what is going on behind the scenes and how it is affecting all of us.
https://medium.com/@yoavfisher/why-jews-and-israel-are-evil-part-1-3652cb8ed996
Keep up the writing!
Thanks Yoav. Great work. Intensively reseearched!
Check out the other parts :). Share widely!
People have no idea what is going on just below the surface. When I show the Microsoft report that I cite to people they are shocked...
Thank you for this thoughtful essay. May I add one more element? The other issue with progressive thought is it’s adherence to the idea of unconditional self-determination except when it comes to the West and specifically Israel. Progressives don’t support a two state solution or a commitment that a Palestinian state must embrace Western values. Rather, they claim it is up to the Palestinian People themselves to determine the kind of state that they want, including one that is anti-democratic, misogynist, homophobic, xenophobic, and antisemitic. They give Arabs carte blanch in determining what kind of society they want to create for themselves. That is why they can excuse Arabs for doing anything possible from prohibiting Jewish refugees fleeing from Nazi persecution to enter Palestine but accuse Western countries who seek to limit refugees from Arab and Muslim countries as xenophobic and racists. Progressives support for the right of self-determination should be accompanied with the embrace of general Western values. Otherwise, one could argue that the Germans were simply practicing “self-determination” when they implemented the Holocaust, or in the case of Hamas, massacring Jews on October 7th.
Pat, this is the first piece of yours I read and I very much appreciate it. I have an honest question. When you say that you are 'on the left' what do you mean by that? How do you define the left?
Thanks Susan. This expalins it: https://pat604johnson.substack.com/p/why-i-wont-leave-the-left
Thank you for the gift of this essay.
Unfortunately, I believe that accusing Israel of genocide serves to legitimize the aim of Israel's enemies in carrying out genocide against it.
That is exactly right. It's a projection. It's also a strategy: "We need to do it to them before they do it to others."
Its just anti-semitism and the fact that Jews (and Israel even more so) break the DEI narrative - they are oppressed and succeed in spite of it, while almost every other group uses it as their crutch and complains endlessly about how their plight is so unfair. Playing the victim never wins.
There is no error in taking left-wing ideology to the only logical conclusion it has ever had.
When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging…
Ive said this before and Ill say it again. The "global left" hates Western Civilization. Wants it destroyed. Replaced with literally anything else. Traditionally that's some form of Communism. But the new ally is Islamism. This is why the "global left" allies with Iran and the Palestinian Death Cult. Because at heart it is the strongest and to date most successful opposition to Western Civilization. Israel represents the West extraordinaire. It's success as a liberal Western multi cultural society that just happens to be the only state of the Jewish people is absolutely intolerable to the "global left."
Most people, even "progressives" are not really part of the "global left". But many are the very definition of "useful idiot."
(Wow, you did say it again.)
Ive said this before and Ill say it again. The "global left" hates Western Civilization. Wants it destroyed. Replaced with literally anything else. Traditionally that's some form of Communism. But the new ally is Islamism. This is why the "global left" allies with Iran and the Palestinian Death Cult. Because at heart it is the strongest and to date most successful opposition to Western Civilization. Israel represents the West extraordinaire. It's success as a liberal Western multi cultural society that just happens to be the only state of the Jewish people is absolutely intolerable to the "global left."
Most people, even "progressives" are not really part of the "global left". But many are the very definition of "useful idiot."
Pat, this is an awesome post. I want to point you toward another aspect of this. In addition to the habitual anti-Jewish thinking that is in the DNA of so many Westerners of European descent, there is the complication of habitual anti-Jewish poison influencing black radicals of the 1960s to embrace the Palestinian cause. Before that, there was no significant anti-Israel agitation in the US. Bear with me as I explain why this is important.
Many black radicals embraced the PLO lies that 1) Jews are just a bunch of white people from Europe who “colonized” Arabs in Mandatory Palestine and 2) Israel was responsible for Arab suffering and loss. They blamed Israel, rather than the Arabs, themselves, who chose to go to war with the Jews, and refuse(d) to accept they lost. Now, black Americans fought an authentic battle against white supremacy in the US. Most Arabs, on the other hand, were, and still are, raised with shocking amounts of Jew-hatred and Arab and Muslim supremacist values and beliefs. They were not fighting because Jews were oppressing them. They just rejected the notion of anyone but Arabs or Muslims having a state in the Middle East. HOWEVER, when black radicals endorsed the Palestinian cause, many thought: “Oh, African Americans support this? It MUST be a legitimate cause!” But it wasn’t and isn’t. BTW, this helps explain why DEI is so antagonistic to Jews, today. All of this has influenced Progressive politics and positions. But, if Progressives are to pull back from this, it’s going to mean recognizing that the fight against racism must not be used to justify or defend anti-Jewish bigotry, here or in the Middle East. Peace in the Middle East depends on the world demanding that Jew-hatred and Arab and Muslim supremacy be confronted, just as racism and white supremacy has been confronted in the US and elsewhere.
Progressives wish to destroy western Christianity’s hegemony. Since Israel is like a tiny western nation, encouraging Islamic warlords to destroy it is a sort of prototyping of the tools to destroy all of western Christendom. If they succeed in destroying Israel, they’ll think, “oh goody, now let’s get all those white supremacists who refuse to bow to my pronouns.”