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

[andie nachgeborenen <andie_nachgeborenen@xxxxxxxxx>]

Yoshie, this is tiresome and perverse. I did not say
you had to be a Jew to criticize Zionism. I said that
your denunciatory approach, though morally correct,
was not constructive. I can get away with it somewhat
better thana  non-Jews, but even from me it is not
very effective. It is the equivalent of refusing to
stand for the Star Spangling Banner at the ballgame,a
technically justified position that mainly pisses
people off. It doesn't help builda llinaces to tell
your potential allies, Don't Be Stupid, Your Fears Are
Irrational, Your History Is Irrelevant, You Are The
Oppressor Now. So criticize. But think! What do you
want to accomplish? To show that you are Right and
they are Wrong? Or to persuade people and cement
alliances? Think of it as a teaching exercise.

--- Yoshie Furuhashi <furuhashi.1@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> At 12:59 PM +0000 12/8/03, Seth Sandronsky wrote:
> >How do we help build the anti-war impulse in people
> with various identities,
> >all of whom suffer from losses of humanity?
>
> I'd insist upon a single standard.  If the idea is
> that only Jews can
> criticize Zionists and Israel, we ought to stick to
> the same idea
> vis-a-vis all ethnic/national/racial groups: only
> Blacks can
> criticize the Nation of Islam, Robert Mugabe, etc.;
> only Muslims can
> criticize fanatic Islamists; only Arabs can
> criticize Arab tyrants;
> only Palestinians can criticize suicide bombers who
> attack civilians;
> only North Koreans can criticize the North Korean
> government; etc.
> That's identity politics run amok, but that would be
> at least
> consistent.
> --
> Yoshie
>
> * Bring Them Home Now!
> <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/>
> * Calendars of Events in Columbus:
> <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html>,
> <http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, &
> <http://www.cpanews.org/>
> * Student International Forum:
> <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/>
> * Committee for Justice in Palestine:
> <http://www.osudivest.org/>
> * Al-Awda-Ohio:
> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio>
> * Solidarity: <http://www.solidarity-us.org/>


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