Re: Antisemism and the Us Left/(Was Zionists & American Blacks)

[Jurriaan Bendien <bendien@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 If Pogrebin were to apply the logic of affirmative action -- positive
> discrimination in favor of the oppressed to bring about equality --
> to Israel, she ought to reverse her argument, defending the
> Palestinian refugees' right of return while advocating taking in only
> Jews who are actually persecuted or fear an imminent danger of
> persecution in the rest of the world, perhaps "in thousands."

Affirmative action means basically that people in a disadvantaged position
should be given privileged access to opportunities and resources in order to
promote the overcoming of the disadvantaged position, according to a
principle of fairness. This could take many different forms, but whatever
the form, it presupposes that there is an agency of some sort that extends
affirmative action and can do so, because it has the resources/opportunities
to give away to people in a disadvantaged position. If we dispute about the
terms for the distribution of those opportunities/resources, we overlook (1)
that the agency is in control of the resources/opportunities, (2) the
question of how the situation arises that there are these disadvantage
people on the one hand, and people able to extend resources/opportunities on
the other; and (3) how disadvantaged people could emancipate themselves on
their own strength, and gain the resources they need. Your assumption is
that there is something inherently progressive about affirmative action
generally and as such, because it intends to promote greater fairness, and
on that basis, you want to argue that Progrebin should be more fair.

Best to bin Pogrebin for now, I would say.

J.