This blog may be highly controversial. I will keep it short. For whatever my blogs may have been worth, I consider this to be by far the most significant.
For whatever reasons, justified or not, antisemitism towards Jewish people has been a long term historical reality. In the mid 1800's after a relatively long period of Jewish attempts to integrate into European society, it became apparent that no matter what methods of assimilation the Jews tried, antisemitism remained.
Out of this period grew a series of Jewish responses; Jewish enlightenment, Socialism, Immigration, Zionism and Westward migration.
I have had a difficult time trying to really put my finger on why I didn't like President Obama. He is educated, young, a family man, hardworking, likes dogs and kids, etc. and certainly not stupid. A politician par excellence.
And now for the kicker.
Unfortunately a very significant number of the Jews became socialists, communists and today would be called left-wing liberals. There was a strong feeling that if all people became very similar, the universal man if you will, then the Jews would be able to blend in and antisemitism would disappear. We all know that this assimilation attempt failed.
Today we know that the antisemitism against Jews was a prejudice and generally not predicated on Jewish failings, any more or less than any other group. If you go and watch the TV today you will see our President calling for "prejudice" against people he believes to be rich, rather than explaining to the masses how our system works and how we tend to benefit immensely from creation, entrepreneurship, investment of wealth, etc.
Just as the Jews tried to leave their areas of settlement and find new homes to not be attacked, you will find more and more builders of this nation looking for ways to separate. The Facebook founder who gave up his US citizenship to move to Singapore is the very beginning, no wheres close to the end.
So in summary, I hate to say it but our President looks to me like a bigot who instead of attacking the Jews, has chosen a campaign strategy of attacking the successful, both were small minority groups.
Let's hope that this bigotry will be just as unsuccessful as antisemitism.
For whatever reasons, justified or not, antisemitism towards Jewish people has been a long term historical reality. In the mid 1800's after a relatively long period of Jewish attempts to integrate into European society, it became apparent that no matter what methods of assimilation the Jews tried, antisemitism remained.
Out of this period grew a series of Jewish responses; Jewish enlightenment, Socialism, Immigration, Zionism and Westward migration.
I have had a difficult time trying to really put my finger on why I didn't like President Obama. He is educated, young, a family man, hardworking, likes dogs and kids, etc. and certainly not stupid. A politician par excellence.
And now for the kicker.
Unfortunately a very significant number of the Jews became socialists, communists and today would be called left-wing liberals. There was a strong feeling that if all people became very similar, the universal man if you will, then the Jews would be able to blend in and antisemitism would disappear. We all know that this assimilation attempt failed.
Today we know that the antisemitism against Jews was a prejudice and generally not predicated on Jewish failings, any more or less than any other group. If you go and watch the TV today you will see our President calling for "prejudice" against people he believes to be rich, rather than explaining to the masses how our system works and how we tend to benefit immensely from creation, entrepreneurship, investment of wealth, etc.
Just as the Jews tried to leave their areas of settlement and find new homes to not be attacked, you will find more and more builders of this nation looking for ways to separate. The Facebook founder who gave up his US citizenship to move to Singapore is the very beginning, no wheres close to the end.
So in summary, I hate to say it but our President looks to me like a bigot who instead of attacking the Jews, has chosen a campaign strategy of attacking the successful, both were small minority groups.
Let's hope that this bigotry will be just as unsuccessful as antisemitism.
Well said.
ReplyDelete