I’ve just delved into Michael Bérubé’s book The Left At War, and it’s reminding me how deeply influenced I am by the late Ellen Willis, in particular her 2003 essay “Is There Still a Jewish Question? Why I’m an Anti-Anti Zionist.” I should have linked to it much sooner.
Let me be clearer about why I raise the issue of antisemitism on the left as frequently as I do. It’s not because I think people need to feel our Jewish pain and be sensitive. It’s because, as Willis states, “Anti-Semitism remains the wild card of world politics and the lightning rod of political crisis, however constantly it is downplayed or denied.” Therefore, the left’s failure to deal with the issue — or worse, actually to aid and abet the phenomenon itself — is not just any failure. It has happened before in history and it is happening again.
Louis Farrakhan is not of the left, of course, but people on the left — most notably Jeremiah Wright in the recent past — have mistaken his championing of the black struggle for progressivism. And yet Farrakhan continues to say things like this, just yesterday:
“[You] can’t even engage in constructive argument over the veracity of the figures of the Holocaust. We know something happened, sure, but you can’t talk about [it]. In certain cities in Europe they arrest you and put you in prison for denying such.”
I think we can conclude that Farrakhan is less interested in “constructive argument” than in “denying such.”
Citing Cynthia McKinney as a victim of the all-powerful Zionist lobby, Farrkhan also said: “You can’t criticize, you can’t say nothing because if you do, you’re branded as an anti-Semite.”
Actually, this is what antisemites say to draw attention away from the fact that they’re promoting antisemitism. And it’s an attempt to stifle those who would oppose them.
One Comment
he's a prophet & i think you oughta listen to what he can say to you