I read everything you write and publish on Substack and I think this time it’s absolutely perfect. The phrase “ I just don’t know enough “ is so ignorant and hurtful and harmful, it puts me in blind rage. Thank you again for doing what you do!
Have only discovered your Substack recently Pat but all I can say is: What. A. Mensch
As for ideas for how to spread your work, I’d love to see your writings in a book. Or better yet, in the mainstream centre-left, liberal press (NYT, Guardian etc). Also, have you ever thought about debating? You are the exact antidote to leftist/wokist deplorables like Owen Jones etc. I’d happily pay to see you demolish their insidious Jew hate dressed up as “progressive” or “humanitarian” activism. You’d completely own.
Sure, (NYT, Guardian ). The two above are rabidly antisemitic publications. They would rather run themselves out of business (which I hope is happening) than publish anything rational about Israel. Please add WaPo to the list.
Good one, Pat. The couple of virtue signaling morons in the accompanying photo are doubtless more in the “know nothing” camp, than the “don’t know enough” camp.
Pat, educating people about Israel and its neighborhood is great, but it will not change the minds of dipsh*ts who just want to belong to the progressive community. Hating Israel and Jews is the baseline for these people.
I spent about 20 minutes this morning engaging with three pro Palestinian young people wrapped in kefiyas, who had set up a desk at the entrance to a lovely downtown park in Toronto. The banner said Spadina/ Harbourfront against GENOCIDE. They absolutely insisted on spouting lies and believed that I was misinformed. They would not credit that the Amnesty International report accusing Israel of genocide, had to change the definition in order to make the accusation fit.
When I asked why Israel was so incompetent at genocide, that they managed to kill only the hundred thousand that this group insisted upon, in 15 months despite being the most powerful army in the Middle East, they said I was fantasizing about murdering Arabs and was despicable. I did point out that the Hutus killed almost a million Tutsis in 100 days in Rwanda with machetes alone but that just confirmed to them that I was truly evil. They accused me of dehumanizing Palestinians and being racist. When I stated that Jews are most closely related genetically to Palestinians, with the exception of Israeli Druze, who really are our brothers, they turned away from me.
I asked if they had ever been to Israel or Palestine and they insisted they would never set foot in such a hateful country as Israel. I said “go to Palestine then.” to which they replied, “it’s a war. you can’t go” while rolling their eyes at me. I said that I had been in the Palestinian territories last April when I toured through East Jerusalem. Then they started yelling and I left. There is no fact or logic that will convince them. I wish I had been a bit more patient and asked them more questions to let them demonstrate the inconsistencies in their thinking on their own, but I did my best.
As an American Jew of conservative beliefs, I am very saddened by the current state of events. I am wondering how much of the current anti-Semitism is due to some of the anti-American higher ups in the Biden regime?
The key point for me in this essay is the one on education. It all starts there, or in our case, ends. Education has become activism, which apriori denies the notion of enquiry and critical thinking. We can blame Iranian or Qatari money for subverting our curricula, but who do we blame for our lost ability to think critically? Sadly, I think this one is on us.
It used to be that pogroms were a safety valve to let out social pains and unrest - much better do it against the Jews than thenruling regime (whatever it is). It was the way for peiple to vent their life's hardships. Sadly these days in the West, the useful idiots that don keffeyehs and chant things theynhave no clue about have it too good. Their lives are uber privileged and they have not experienced hardship in life to spare a thought for what is worth standing up for. Those ivy league campuses say it all!
2. I've written about this linguistic issue before, and I will again. Each of these formulations has its place.
3. When you write ~150,000 words on this subject in a year, as I have done in 2024, simple stylistic need and avoiding repetition demands shifting up the terms.
4. Thanks for reading and writing and please stay tuned! More on this very subject soon!
ha ha, yup, "ffs" they need ta read their his'try AND take a GOOD LOOK at the Quoran which is quite eye-openin'...
Karen Hunt Mezek (who writes great Stacks on all sorts of stuff but lately lots on Islam) had been hard at work, like yerself, in defendin' Israel an' speakin' out against Islam(ism) but she also shared quite a LOT of history (in mini-lessons) as well as personal experience (not good) livin' with Muslim Men an' how they treat da laydeez. Here's a recent postin' of hers---ye both are wicked funny non-joos that give some'us us joos da warm fuzzies. THANK YOO!!!!!
here's a recent postin' from Karen (I think you'd like it!)
Can you elaborate a bit more on the symbolism of the COEXIST bumper sticker. In the past, when I had seen it, I had taken it mean someone who was primarily a pacifist. And yes, pacifism can be problematic at a time of war, such as now. Has the sticker taken on a second, more nefarious meaning?
Hey Raphael ... no, I don;t think so. I'm just using it as a catch-all for well-intentioned people who, on the other hand, subscribe to ridiculoius ideologies that (in the name of peace, of course) result in more dead Palestinians because they won't give up war until they control "PAlestine from the river to the sea."
I read everything you write and publish on Substack and I think this time it’s absolutely perfect. The phrase “ I just don’t know enough “ is so ignorant and hurtful and harmful, it puts me in blind rage. Thank you again for doing what you do!
Thank you Yuliya! I appreciate your words deeply.
Have only discovered your Substack recently Pat but all I can say is: What. A. Mensch
As for ideas for how to spread your work, I’d love to see your writings in a book. Or better yet, in the mainstream centre-left, liberal press (NYT, Guardian etc). Also, have you ever thought about debating? You are the exact antidote to leftist/wokist deplorables like Owen Jones etc. I’d happily pay to see you demolish their insidious Jew hate dressed up as “progressive” or “humanitarian” activism. You’d completely own.
Sure, (NYT, Guardian ). The two above are rabidly antisemitic publications. They would rather run themselves out of business (which I hope is happening) than publish anything rational about Israel. Please add WaPo to the list.
Pat, Sad Eh?
Good one, Pat. The couple of virtue signaling morons in the accompanying photo are doubtless more in the “know nothing” camp, than the “don’t know enough” camp.
Pat, educating people about Israel and its neighborhood is great, but it will not change the minds of dipsh*ts who just want to belong to the progressive community. Hating Israel and Jews is the baseline for these people.
I spent about 20 minutes this morning engaging with three pro Palestinian young people wrapped in kefiyas, who had set up a desk at the entrance to a lovely downtown park in Toronto. The banner said Spadina/ Harbourfront against GENOCIDE. They absolutely insisted on spouting lies and believed that I was misinformed. They would not credit that the Amnesty International report accusing Israel of genocide, had to change the definition in order to make the accusation fit.
When I asked why Israel was so incompetent at genocide, that they managed to kill only the hundred thousand that this group insisted upon, in 15 months despite being the most powerful army in the Middle East, they said I was fantasizing about murdering Arabs and was despicable. I did point out that the Hutus killed almost a million Tutsis in 100 days in Rwanda with machetes alone but that just confirmed to them that I was truly evil. They accused me of dehumanizing Palestinians and being racist. When I stated that Jews are most closely related genetically to Palestinians, with the exception of Israeli Druze, who really are our brothers, they turned away from me.
I asked if they had ever been to Israel or Palestine and they insisted they would never set foot in such a hateful country as Israel. I said “go to Palestine then.” to which they replied, “it’s a war. you can’t go” while rolling their eyes at me. I said that I had been in the Palestinian territories last April when I toured through East Jerusalem. Then they started yelling and I left. There is no fact or logic that will convince them. I wish I had been a bit more patient and asked them more questions to let them demonstrate the inconsistencies in their thinking on their own, but I did my best.
You have more patience than I do, Cynthia. But you have sadly encountered the precise calibre of the people we are dealing with.
Thank you, Pat!
As an American Jew of conservative beliefs, I am very saddened by the current state of events. I am wondering how much of the current anti-Semitism is due to some of the anti-American higher ups in the Biden regime?
The key point for me in this essay is the one on education. It all starts there, or in our case, ends. Education has become activism, which apriori denies the notion of enquiry and critical thinking. We can blame Iranian or Qatari money for subverting our curricula, but who do we blame for our lost ability to think critically? Sadly, I think this one is on us.
It used to be that pogroms were a safety valve to let out social pains and unrest - much better do it against the Jews than thenruling regime (whatever it is). It was the way for peiple to vent their life's hardships. Sadly these days in the West, the useful idiots that don keffeyehs and chant things theynhave no clue about have it too good. Their lives are uber privileged and they have not experienced hardship in life to spare a thought for what is worth standing up for. Those ivy league campuses say it all!
Pat, please, please lose and never use the phrases "Jewish person" and "Jewish people"! It's plain "Jew" and "Jews".
("Jewish people" is a good singular noun for the whole collectivity. "Jew" as a verb is derogatory. Duh.)
Mmm-kay. Couple things ...
1. I don't do well with diktats. LOL
2. I've written about this linguistic issue before, and I will again. Each of these formulations has its place.
3. When you write ~150,000 words on this subject in a year, as I have done in 2024, simple stylistic need and avoiding repetition demands shifting up the terms.
4. Thanks for reading and writing and please stay tuned! More on this very subject soon!
Diktats are never proceeded with “please“.
It’s actually worth repeating “Jew“ and“ Jews“, because it’s accurate (and also it's what we Jewish people request and prefer).
Stylistic schmylistic!
As an American Jew
ha ha, yup, "ffs" they need ta read their his'try AND take a GOOD LOOK at the Quoran which is quite eye-openin'...
Karen Hunt Mezek (who writes great Stacks on all sorts of stuff but lately lots on Islam) had been hard at work, like yerself, in defendin' Israel an' speakin' out against Islam(ism) but she also shared quite a LOT of history (in mini-lessons) as well as personal experience (not good) livin' with Muslim Men an' how they treat da laydeez. Here's a recent postin' of hers---ye both are wicked funny non-joos that give some'us us joos da warm fuzzies. THANK YOO!!!!!
here's a recent postin' from Karen (I think you'd like it!)
https://khmezek.substack.com/p/laughing-at-islam
Can you elaborate a bit more on the symbolism of the COEXIST bumper sticker. In the past, when I had seen it, I had taken it mean someone who was primarily a pacifist. And yes, pacifism can be problematic at a time of war, such as now. Has the sticker taken on a second, more nefarious meaning?
Hey Raphael ... no, I don;t think so. I'm just using it as a catch-all for well-intentioned people who, on the other hand, subscribe to ridiculoius ideologies that (in the name of peace, of course) result in more dead Palestinians because they won't give up war until they control "PAlestine from the river to the sea."