[✓] Cryptic, link-less complaint involving anti-semitism
[✓] "Douchebag" tag less than two days after lengthy discussion re: appropriateness of the term "douchebag"
[✓] Gratuitous use of the word "asshole"
[✓] Also, hate
[ ] Fun, relaxing Friday evening for Team ModWriting in yesterday's New York Times, Nicholas Kristof called attention to a recent blog post by New Republic editor Martin Peretz. Here's what Peretz had to say about American Muslims, in the context of the current debate over the Park 51 project and the rising tide of Islamophobia here in the United States:Pajamas Media: Zionist, Islamophobic.But, frankly, Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims. And among those Muslims led by the Imam Rauf there is hardly one who has raised a fuss about the routine and random bloodshed that defines their brotherhood. So, yes, I wonder whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse.
Pajama Media’s alum Pam Geller struck gold when she discovered a Sufi group intended to building a mosque and Muslim community center two blocks from Ground Zero. Now, her cause has been embraced by more powerful rightist pro-Israel forces, Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch and his patron, David Horowitz. Even more importantly, Politico has revealed that the source of all of the financial support for Jihad Watch over the past three years comes from L.A. technology magnate, Aubrey Chernick and his wife, Joyce. Aubrey funded Pajamas Media with a few-million of the $750-million he earned from sale of his software company to IBM in 2004.It's a trivial exercise to find these Zionist/Islamophobic characters. The more prominent they are in pro-Zionist political activism, the more likely they are to have been involved in Islamophobic activities.
Several years ago, when I wrote intensively about Chernick and Pajamas Media there was very little money trail from Chernick’s Israel philanthropy. I noted he was the honoree at a Stand With Us dinner, which made clear his ideological proclivities. I also noted he was a trustee of the pro-Israel think-tank, WINEP (originally affiliated with Aipac). But I didn’t feel I had the full picture. Chernick’s $900,000 gift to Horowitz, used to support Spencer and Jihad Watch, now fleshes out the picture of the Chernicks’ far-right political views.
Outside the Jewish community, I suppose the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) looks like one of our most respected and venerable institutions. Issuing press statements, soliciting apologies from anti-Semites, patrolling our world for outbursts of hatred against Jews (and, occasionally others), the ADL is ubiquitous, powerful, rich, and noble.However, it seems ADL is trying to play both sides of the game: HuffPo: Why I Joined Abe Foxman's Anti-Islamophobia Task Force. I hope they have the good sense to step back from the abyss.
So there was a fair amount of surprise when ADL went on record opposing the construction of a progressive, moderate, multifaith dialogue-oriented Islamic center two blocks from Ground Zero in Manhattan.
There's a point in an argument where the person with a weak position can see it, and would let the whole thing drop (with maybe a parting shot for pride's sake) if you stopped pressing them. They'll go away knowing that they looked kind of lame, and maybe look into a better argument for the future, or stop getting into those arguments as often.posted by skwt at 5:37 PM on October 24, 2010 [4 favorites]
Then there's a point where you've gone too far; you've been aggressively trying to squeeze "Ok I'm sorry, I was totally wrong and should never have had the temerity to argue with my superiors. I am a bad person" out of them. They will not go away feeling like they have some homework to do, they'll go away feeling unfairly persecuted by assholes.
The drinking of wine features prominently in keeping with the jovial nature of the feast. This is based on the fact that the salvation of the Jews occurred through wine and the Sages of the Talmud stated that one should drink on Purim until he can no longer distinguish between the phrases arur Haman ("Cursed is Haman") and baruch Mordecai ("Blessed is Mordecai"). Alcoholic consumption was later codified by the early authorities, and while some advocated total intoxication, the prevalent view, consistent with the opinion of many early and later rabbis, is that that one should only drink a little more than usual and then fall asleep, whereupon one will certainly not be able to tell the difference between arur Haman and baruch Mordecai. Other authorities, including the Magen Avraham, have written that one should drink until one is unable to calculate the numerical values of both phrases.posted by electroboy at 1:43 PM on October 26, 2010
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Anti-semitism! It's EVERYWHERE!
I don't hate you because you're a Jew, rosswald, I hate you because you're an asshole. Get it straight.
posted by Jimmy Havok at 4:28 PM on October 22, 2010 [1 favorite]