It’s astonishing that we see movements like “Queers for Palestine,” a phrase do bizarre that we can classify it with 1984’s “Freedom is slavery”. It seems that ideology causes premature senility, masochism and stupidity as well as antisemitism.
By the way, Palestinian polls show that 95% of Palestinians are anti-gay, but just as significant is that polls in surrounding countries like Lebanon and Jordan show exactly the same numbers.
Spot on. I remember the Women’s March back in 2016 was headed by Jew haters. BLM was anti Semitic yet Jews marched with them and donated. I investigate every author, org, politician, etc before they get my support.
Another great post. Just 1 major objection: There is no Israeli ‘occupation’ and it’s important to not legitimize that oft-repeated slander. Egypt had control of Gaza and Jordan had control of Judaea and Samaria for close to 20 years after attacking Israel and occupying those regions in 1948, until they lost yet another war that they waged against Israel in 1967. Yet ironically, it was Israel, not Egypt, who completely vacated Gaza and handed it over to the Arabs in 2005, complete with flourishing greenhouses, infrastructure and working farms so that they could form a country in exchange for peace(ha). It was also Israel, not Jordan, which agreed on a plan to implement a two-state solution as part of the Oslo Accords, leading to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in Judaea and Samaria(the West Bank).
That's an interesting question about Queers for Palestine or however they are branding themselves of late, actually being gay men, insofar as the loudest, most aggressive "anti-TERFS" flagged by my British friends on social media weren't transgenders themselves. These "pro-trans" demonstrators threatening to punch or rape women seemed to be "cisgendered" white males who hate women who insisted on maintaining single-sex safe spaces that women fought so hard to establish back in the 1980s-90s.
If you're talking specifically about the Queers Against Israeli Apartheid which turned Pride events into battlegrounds until sponsors started to back away, the ringleaders were, to the best of my knowledge, gay men. One was film maker and York U professor John Greyson's life partner. Greyson, some may recall, got himself tossed into an Egyptian jail along with another anti-Israel activist, Dr. Tarek Lubani, at the point in time around when Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign and there was agitation in support of the Muslim Brotherhood takeover. The pair were seeking to enter Gaza via Egypt, and then Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird had to waste whatever influence he had on the Egyptian government to spring them. QAIA dissolved itself, but may have folded into the Canadians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, who are basically a bunch of anti-Israel agitators.
Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!! I'm a progressive, transgender Jew-in-training. I am absolutely dumbfounded and horrified by the trend of people aligning with groups that would just as soon defenestrate them as talk to them.
This post is as good as any to ask you for some deprogramming advice aimed at a friend's daughter. She has just graduated with a master's degree in some "studies" program, and for her graduation, she wore the de rigueur fashion accessory - a terror rag. She is absolutely convinced that Israel is an illegitimate country that is committing genocide against the poor hapless Palestinians. This girl is half Jewish, and is bisexual as well (not pretend queer; she has had girlfriends). She is smart, albeit indoctrinated, and she has an answer for every pro-Israel argument. How do we start to get her to listen? She won't read your posts; she will simply dismiss them.
Thanks AL. I dunno. I guess there are 3 possible routes. The first is to try to make these people listen to reason. If, as you say, that doesn't work because they have shut off their critical thinking, I see two alternatives (which I employ a lot in my writing). Neither of them is particularly good if you want to maintain good relations with the people. The first is to shine a light on the hypocrisy. That's effectively what this post is all about. The other is to simply heap ridicule on them and illuminate how clownish their positions are (which is my other go-to strategy). I guess my larger advice is to ignore people like that, write them off as irredeemable, and focus on empowering people who aren't complete ideological automatons.
If some indoctrinated people are searching for genuine meaning and connection, then some of them will eventually realize that they have been manipulated. But they have to go through their own experience and their own journeys--and some will never wake up.
If you raised her with Jewish cultural identity, I wouldn’t worry too much that she won’t naturally de-radicalize with age.
I was never anti-Israel, but when I came back from college, my mom started calling me “My daughter the Communist”. I mellowed back into a basic liberal Dem. The only wrinkle for you is that if she believes that Israel is a land-stealing oppressor apartheid state, she’s replaced truth & facts with narrative & that will make it much harder.
ha ha "You’re not worth our glitter." that's AB -FAB!!!!
.... but seriously, I'm seein' poor Jerry "Milk & Honey" Herman roll over in his grave... Duz Broadway CARE any more? (methinks not....)
Not sure if such blindness is JUST sadistic (I mean paradin' & cheerin' fer a religion that wants ya dead seems purdy sadistic ta me) 'er that these fools are they so high on whutever drug de-jour they're takin' that they simply dunno the Nazi Funhouse they've bought their tickets to ain't so fun at all....
Plus frankly them "keffiya's" ain't nearly as fun as maribou & tulle.... I don't git it....but I hate ta say it, TRAITORS fer sure...
It’s astonishing that we see movements like “Queers for Palestine,” a phrase do bizarre that we can classify it with 1984’s “Freedom is slavery”. It seems that ideology causes premature senility, masochism and stupidity as well as antisemitism.
By the way, Palestinian polls show that 95% of Palestinians are anti-gay, but just as significant is that polls in surrounding countries like Lebanon and Jordan show exactly the same numbers.
“You’re not worth my glitter” is my new favorite insult. It matches my favorite dish towel which says, “Dog hair is my glitter”.
Spot on. I remember the Women’s March back in 2016 was headed by Jew haters. BLM was anti Semitic yet Jews marched with them and donated. I investigate every author, org, politician, etc before they get my support.
Another great post. Just 1 major objection: There is no Israeli ‘occupation’ and it’s important to not legitimize that oft-repeated slander. Egypt had control of Gaza and Jordan had control of Judaea and Samaria for close to 20 years after attacking Israel and occupying those regions in 1948, until they lost yet another war that they waged against Israel in 1967. Yet ironically, it was Israel, not Egypt, who completely vacated Gaza and handed it over to the Arabs in 2005, complete with flourishing greenhouses, infrastructure and working farms so that they could form a country in exchange for peace(ha). It was also Israel, not Jordan, which agreed on a plan to implement a two-state solution as part of the Oslo Accords, leading to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in Judaea and Samaria(the West Bank).
Fair. I was going to pout that in quotes.
That's an interesting question about Queers for Palestine or however they are branding themselves of late, actually being gay men, insofar as the loudest, most aggressive "anti-TERFS" flagged by my British friends on social media weren't transgenders themselves. These "pro-trans" demonstrators threatening to punch or rape women seemed to be "cisgendered" white males who hate women who insisted on maintaining single-sex safe spaces that women fought so hard to establish back in the 1980s-90s.
If you're talking specifically about the Queers Against Israeli Apartheid which turned Pride events into battlegrounds until sponsors started to back away, the ringleaders were, to the best of my knowledge, gay men. One was film maker and York U professor John Greyson's life partner. Greyson, some may recall, got himself tossed into an Egyptian jail along with another anti-Israel activist, Dr. Tarek Lubani, at the point in time around when Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign and there was agitation in support of the Muslim Brotherhood takeover. The pair were seeking to enter Gaza via Egypt, and then Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird had to waste whatever influence he had on the Egyptian government to spring them. QAIA dissolved itself, but may have folded into the Canadians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, who are basically a bunch of anti-Israel agitators.
Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!! I'm a progressive, transgender Jew-in-training. I am absolutely dumbfounded and horrified by the trend of people aligning with groups that would just as soon defenestrate them as talk to them.
This! 1,000 times this!!!!
Hi Pat,
This post is as good as any to ask you for some deprogramming advice aimed at a friend's daughter. She has just graduated with a master's degree in some "studies" program, and for her graduation, she wore the de rigueur fashion accessory - a terror rag. She is absolutely convinced that Israel is an illegitimate country that is committing genocide against the poor hapless Palestinians. This girl is half Jewish, and is bisexual as well (not pretend queer; she has had girlfriends). She is smart, albeit indoctrinated, and she has an answer for every pro-Israel argument. How do we start to get her to listen? She won't read your posts; she will simply dismiss them.
Thanks AL. I dunno. I guess there are 3 possible routes. The first is to try to make these people listen to reason. If, as you say, that doesn't work because they have shut off their critical thinking, I see two alternatives (which I employ a lot in my writing). Neither of them is particularly good if you want to maintain good relations with the people. The first is to shine a light on the hypocrisy. That's effectively what this post is all about. The other is to simply heap ridicule on them and illuminate how clownish their positions are (which is my other go-to strategy). I guess my larger advice is to ignore people like that, write them off as irredeemable, and focus on empowering people who aren't complete ideological automatons.
If some indoctrinated people are searching for genuine meaning and connection, then some of them will eventually realize that they have been manipulated. But they have to go through their own experience and their own journeys--and some will never wake up.
It’s not about convincing - Free Palestine is a cult, and the way to handle such people is the same as a religious cult. It’s a long road.
If you raised her with Jewish cultural identity, I wouldn’t worry too much that she won’t naturally de-radicalize with age.
I was never anti-Israel, but when I came back from college, my mom started calling me “My daughter the Communist”. I mellowed back into a basic liberal Dem. The only wrinkle for you is that if she believes that Israel is a land-stealing oppressor apartheid state, she’s replaced truth & facts with narrative & that will make it much harder.
Bonne chance & sorry about the American king. 🇨🇦
Perfect!
ha ha "You’re not worth our glitter." that's AB -FAB!!!!
.... but seriously, I'm seein' poor Jerry "Milk & Honey" Herman roll over in his grave... Duz Broadway CARE any more? (methinks not....)
Not sure if such blindness is JUST sadistic (I mean paradin' & cheerin' fer a religion that wants ya dead seems purdy sadistic ta me) 'er that these fools are they so high on whutever drug de-jour they're takin' that they simply dunno the Nazi Funhouse they've bought their tickets to ain't so fun at all....
Plus frankly them "keffiya's" ain't nearly as fun as maribou & tulle.... I don't git it....but I hate ta say it, TRAITORS fer sure...
Not all feminists.