I was 'undecided' for a long time. My husband and I decided we were both in Sanders' camp about two months before the Oklahoma primaries. We have our reasons, but those really aren't germane to this discussion. However, as I was deciding, I read quite a bit on DU (a few other sites, but not like here). I pretty much knew from day one, that anti-Semitism would play a role in the campaign; it did. I was "amused" watching budding Sanders' supporters, who had a long history of anti-Semitism, now have to switch gears. Sometimes, it made me sick, other times I got a hearty laugh. I was "sickened" when I watched Jewish posters attacked as "fake Jews" or "self-loathing" for not supporting Sanders or even questioning his running. I "heartily laughed" when I watched anti-Semitic posters battle each other over what was and wasn't anti-Semitic; each labeling the other "anti-Semitic." I was pissed when discussions of anti-Semitism were laughed off or called "playing the Jewish card" or "Holocaust card", and this was by other minorities who routinely balk, if not get vehemently abusive, when posters start making claims about "playing the race/sex/gay card" and yet, here they were doing the same thing to Jewish concerns. Some of the same people who constantly bray about being respectful when addressing minorities and not "'splainin'" things to them, turned around and did the same fucking thing to Jewish posters. There is more, but that was my general experience. As for the article...
Takeaway for Bernie Sanders: Don’t be afraid to claim your Jewishness
Bullshit! I don't think Sanders was "afraid" to claim anything. To him, it wasn't as relevant as other issues. In a country, which is supposed to have separation of Church and State, every goddamned election cycle we see candidates whipping out their...crosses (usually). Sanders, if anything, showed how far we still have to go. When Sanders did "claim his Jewishness" we saw all kinds of backlash, but rather than people rallying to his side in protest of anti-Semitism, we saw excuses! We saw supposed liberals and progressives claiming he was "playing the Jewish card".
Takeaway for the Jewish community: Don’t be afraid to claim the Jewish candidate
I mainly agree with this subset. Where I was really angered was watching people flat out lie about his positions on Israel, even as far as stirring up shit and missing the message, and then creating an atmosphere of "Jews are more loyal to Israel". It was sickening! It was made worse that these attacks were actually coming from the Jewish community. To whit: the whole "Sanders compared Baltimore to Gaza". The fuck he did! This was a missing the forest for the trees moment. But it demonstrated that Sanders was a Jew and he was going to be attacked for being a Jew...and he was, even by other Jews. It is one thing to be upset, disappointed, or even angered by his positions, but the vitriol unleashed on him was disgusting. Of course there are Jews who are horrible bigots when it comes to Israel or even other Jews, but to act as if Sanders was in that camp made me ill.
Takeaway for everyone: Anti-Semites gonna anti-Semite
Well, duh! As I said earlier, it was "amusing" to watch Jew haters (Yahoo! comment boards were a fucking hoot and a half) battle each other all the while "playing the anti-Semite" card. The only positive thing, I guess, to come from this is some Jews actually got to see anti-Semitism up close and personal for the first time in a long time. It also allowed some non-Jews to see it, likely for the first time ever outside of a history book.
What I personally took away is the fact people still are largely ignorant of anti-Semitism, what it is to be Jewish, and many swim in that cesspool of ignorance and therefore are blind to anti-Semitism. A few others, finally, saw a bigotry against a people they don't know or understand and realized a very simple concept: hate is hate.
= new reply since forum marked as read
