The internet video of Occupy Wall Street protester Patricia McAllister, who freely gives her first and last name, and reports that she works for LA's public schools, is shocking and disturbing. She says that Zionist Jews should be run out of this country -- the US.
I don't know what to make of this. Are we entering a scary, new era in the US during which anti-Semitism will again become acceptable? Or is this just one person, not a straw in the wind?
How does this person maintain employment in public schools?
The introduction of "Bieganski" argues against any stereotyping, not just stereotyping of Bohunks. I hope that at some point some readers and online reviewers will remark on that. I hope that those who hope to combat prejudice make use of the book.
Last night I was listening to radio talk show host Michael Savage. I know -- Savage is an extremist. But I consume much media. I'm a current events junkie. Savage was ranting against anti-Semitism. A caller phoned in. The caller claimed to be Jewish. He said that he was troubled by the over-representation of Jews in banking.
Savage tried to debate the caller, but his arguments were weak. I wish Savage -- and anyone wishing to combat prejudice -- would read the introduction of "Bieganski."
The video referred to above can be seen here.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
6 comments:
Bieganski the Blog exists to further explore the themes of the book Bieganski the Brute Polak Stereotype, Its Role in Polish-Jewish Relations and American Popular Culture.
These themes include the false and damaging stereotype of Poles as brutes who are uniquely hateful and responsible for atrocity, and this stereotype's use in distorting WW II history and all accounts of atrocity.
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Of course they will get a pass. US media is not nearly as sensitive to equality issues as it seems on the surface. Mainstream US media, the one that counts, is primarily interested in the political orientation of the newsmaker. Misogyny, racial, ethnic or religious stereotypes are all presented according to where they originate. I am sadly sure this will get a complete pass, as it has so far, from main US and global media outlets. Heck, even most Jewsish Americans will keep their heads down on this one. Just as is done with non-Democratic Party affiliated African Americans, US media will use its self issued trump cards to vilify those they choose and guard those they want to protect.
ReplyDeleteMB
She's been fired since she made the comment. And, although many cringe at the over-representation of Jews in banking, an over-representation that has deep roots in Jewish history (prohibition against owning land; need to have mobile assets due to threat of expulsions, pogroms; desire for work, viz. lending at interest, that doesn't require large investment of time, in order to free up time for other pursuits, e.g. Torah-study) and although Zionism is in cahoots with the targets of the OWS movement...very few Americans feel Jews should be run out of the country. I have met some, though. I have met Americans who say Blacks and Jews should be given a country of their own somewhere in the US so that white Americans can live without the pollution of Blacks and Jews in their midst.
ReplyDeleteArno thanks for your post. I did not know that Ms. McAllister was fired.
ReplyDeleteI'm generally not in favor of firing people for public comments, but this is over the top and someone who feels that members of this or that ethnic group should be run out of the country has no place educating students in public schools. I read that she was a substitute teacher. Don't know if that is true.
That video leaves me agog. That someone could say what she says so openly, no ifs ands or buts. And identify herself by first name, last name, and her status as an employee of LA's public schools. WTF?
Yes, Jews are overrepresented in banking, Poles are overrepresented among peasants, Italians are overrepresented in trash hauling and the Mafia. African Americans in the US are overrepresented as committers of violent crime...we all have our ethnic profiles. That's no excuse for hate.
I address this in the intro to "Bieganski," where I argue against both Bieganski AND Shylock.
I wasn't excusing or forgiving hate; its not my role to excuse. I wrote, regarding her desire that Jews be run out of the country--it is a fringe opinion; making it a news item was racist and inflammatory; it was designed to fan the flames of Jewish racism against Blacks; it was designed to set Jews in the OWS movement against Blacks in the OWS movement. Yet, understood in their context in the Occupy Wall Street Movement, which does have its sights set on, among other things, corporate banks, international finance, and war, her grouping of Jews with banking is not inaccurate, and one which has its roots in well-documented Jewish and European history; European Jewish history from the 18th century includes over-representation of Jews in banking, for the particular reasons I listed. And, also to her point, the most successful Jewish bankers largely made their money by placing bets on wars, and profiting from wars. Read the history of the Rothschilds. Similarly, her grouping of Zionism with the rapacity and belligerence of international capitalism is also understandable and is well attested to, and that Zionism profits by war is also intuitively understood by many, herself included. Her comments were anything but foolish.
ReplyDeleteBut making this story is just a little bit of American media racism, that's all. Its not a big story. The Occupy Wall Street movement is a much bigger, more interesting, much more broad-based story than this little piece of inflammatory, pawns-in-their-game journalism.
I don't argue against Shylock. I think Shylock was a hero, a victim of antisemitism, as did Shakespeare think so. I am proud of these lines Shakespeare puts in Shylock's mouth.
to wit:
Shylock:
I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands,
organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same
food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases,
heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd by the same winter
and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If
you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?
And if you wrong us, do we not revenge? If we are like you in the
rest, we will resemble you in that.
thank you Wm. Shakespeare.
But Slavophobia is not censored in public school employees.
ReplyDeleteNemo
That someone could say what she says so openly, no ifs ands or buts. And identify herself by first name, last name, and her status as an employee of LA's public schools. WTF?
ReplyDelete-- I believe that's called freedom of speech.
There is all kinds of Slavophobia in the educational establishment, as part of the curriculum, and going uncensored no less, which should be objectionable on that count even more than this woman's comments.
Nemo