Andrew Sullivan is busy attempting to exonerate himself from charges of anti-Semitism — always a difficult chore, and likely to consume quite a bit of his time given Leon Wieseltier’s rather long accusatory piece. Sullivan’s offense is that he circulated a comment of poet W. H. Auden that it would be to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the secular leftist TNR writers of the 1940s. How anyone could think of that as “anti-Semitic” is beyond me.
Sullivan’s first line of defense is to link to his “passionate defense of the Jewish people from Catholic bigotry.” I’m sure Sullivan is thinking, “Hey, I earned my stripes as a goy in the media by defending Jews. How dare you question my motives!”
But then it gets interesting. We find that Jews think of TNR as a Jewish publication. Wieseltier himself is quoted as saying that TNR is a kind of “Jewish version of Commentary.” (Update: HelenChicago, a commenter on this blog writes, “”A Jewish version of Commentary“?!? Isn’t that a bit like “a kosher version of matzoh”? Wish I had thought of that. As we all know, Commentary is published by the American Jewish Committee.)
Sullivan notes that “my old friend, Frank Foer” (translation: “some of my best friends are Jews”) commented that Auden made his statement “before we entered our High Shul phase.” And he goes on to describe the “joke ubiquitous at TNR when I worked there . … We teased each other for years about my being one of the few goyim at the place, that I was a function of affirmative action, etc. Leon was particularly and often mordantly hilarious on this kind of theme.”
This reminds me of Michael Wreszin’s comment that Dwight Macdonald, a member of the New York Intellectuals and contributor to Partisan Review, was “a distinguished goy among the Partisanskies.” He stood out because he was a goy in a Jewish-dominated movement. Always good to have a few goyim for window dressing.
Pretty clearly, the Jews who run TNR think of it as a Jewish publication. But one dare not say that Jews influence the media or that Jews attempt to use their position in the media to advance their version of Jewish interests (or that the New York York Intellectuals were a Jewish intellectual movement). Auden’s quote happened before TNR became a High Shul — a presumably the consequence of Martin Peretz buying TNR and turning it into a fanatically pro-Israel publication. This is a passage in The Culture of Critique:
Jews have also been greatly overrepresented as editors, publishers and contributors to a variety of radical and liberal periodicals, including The Nation, The New Republic, and The Progressive (Rothman & Lichter 1982, 105). In 1974 The New Republic (TNR) was purchased by Martin Peretz, son of a “devoted Labor Zionist and right-wing Jabotinskyist” (Alterman 1992, 185) and himself a leftist student activist before moving in the direction of neoconservatism. The only consistent theme in Peretz’s career is a devotion to Jewish causes, particularly Israel. He reflects a major theme of Chapter 3 in that he abandoned the New Left when some in the movement condemned Israel as racist and imperialist. During the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, he told Henry Kissinger that his “dovishness stopped at the delicatessen door” (p. 185), and many among his staff feared that all issues would be decided on the basis of what was “good for the Jews” (p. 186). Indeed, one editor was instructed to obtain material from the Israeli embassy for use in TNR editorials. “It is not enough to say that TNR’s owner is merely obsessed with Israel; he says so himself. But more importantly, Peretz is obsessed with Israel’s critics, Israel’s would-be critics, and people who never heard of Israel, but might one day know someone who might someday become a critic” (p. 195).
Sullivan better watch it — he’s just getting himself in deeper. All those quotes from Jews who joke among themselves about Jewish control of particular media outlets like TNR are for internal consumption only. For someone like him — or me — to mention it will certainly draw the ire of people like Wieseltier and the ADL. Tune in for more on this as it unfolds.
Facing the Future as a Minority
Was the Immigration Act of 1924 Illiberal?
Why doesn’t Sullivan make the obvious argument that diversity doesn’t work. If diversity is a good thing then why are Jews pursuing their own interests rather than the General Welfare? Isn’t that Jew Supremacy?
Why is Jewish Supremacy acceptable but White Supremacy is the height of evil?
Why is Nazism evil but Zionism is good? What’s the difference between a Jew state and an Aryan nation except one is Aryan and the other Jewish?
How does it make sense for the United States, 98% non Jewish, to support a Jewish state. Would Jews or blacks support an Aryan nation? Send their children to die for one or spend their taxpayer dollars for one?
Its so simple and obvious. Offense. Turn the tables and ask these questions just the way Mel Gibson turned the tables and attacked back. The Jews can never explain away these questions.
I don’t know who Andrew Sullivan are, but if known anti-semites on the net, support him, then it becomes certain that some jew will think he is an evil anti-semite as well, and attack him just to gain status among other uniformed jews.
If this getting labeled an anti-semite, falsly or not, actually get jews to attack you, then getting labeled an anti-semite creates a self fullfilling prophesy no matter who points the finger first.
We anti-semites could of course help here, by actively pointing out potential anti-semites for jews, and then support the potential AS with all we got, if some slander piece gets posted.
This probably works on group level as well, and animal rights activists might be one of those potential groups one could try to point out have anti-semitic attitudes with their opposition to Kosher slaughter.
Ah, these literary feuds are sooo terribly bloody. Possibly, a nice Irish Roman Catholic boy like Andrew Sullivan will find himself impaled on Anne Frank’s ballpoint pen. The horror of it.
It might be fun to write to Sullivan and ask him if he can name an Irish Roman Catholic, or any Roman Catholic politician in the United States of any national, regional, or even statewide standing, who has actually held or holds elected office, who doesn’t have their tounge up the Jews’ ass licking for dollars & media attention? LOL.
“A Jewish version of Commentary”?!? Isn’t that a bit like “a kosher version of matzoh”?
I shamelessly ripped off HelenChicago’s comment (with attribution) in an updated version of the blog. Exactly right. Thanks, Kevin M
Cheese whiz, zap, zowie and zing, it’s truly amazing to realize how many “anti-Semites” are lurking around out there. “Anti-Semites” even matriculating from Shuls, already. “Anti-Semitic” shabbos goyin, even. “Anti-Semites” galore, even if they don’t even know that they are! Was ever a ‘people’ so paranoid? Was ever a land so Judenreich?
Sullivan is an AIDS-demented fool. He isnt worthy of defense.
They really are loons over there at The New Republic. A couple of weeks ago, Marty Peretz accused Obama of antisemitism because he did not specifically mention the contributions of Israel when discussing disaster relief in Haiti! Here is the link if you don’t believe me -
http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-spine/obama-israel-and-haiti-oh-yes-and-joe-klein
I don’t have much sympathy for Andrew Sullivan, though… he is a militant HIV+ homosexual who admits that he regularly shoots himself up with testosterone. Not that there is anything wrong with that, of course, but his blog scribblings and TV appearances are pretty much incoherent. He must be baffled by these spurious charges. Basically, he’s a loose cannon, which may make his response to this contrived controversy get him into more and more trouble until he loses it in a fit of hysterical mea culpas. This grotesque episode might get even more interesting.
Something deplorable about Andrew Sullivan is that he long campaigned to reverse the ban on HIV Positive persons entering the United States.
Thanks to Obama, he just got his public health endangering wish:
http://statsaholic.blogspot.com/2010/01/obama-reverses-ban-on-men-with-bombs_11.html
i believe the TNR publisher blatantly stated that his ‘pacifism’ stopped at the kosher deli door.
Neoboudica says:
February 10, 2010 at 11:42 AM
Why doesn’t Sullivan make the obvious argument that diversity doesn’t work. If diversity is a good thing then why are Jews pursuing their own interests rather than the General Welfare? Isn’t that Jew Supremacy?
Why is Jewish Supremacy acceptable but White Supremacy is the height of evil?
Why is Nazism evil but Zionism is good? What’s the difference between a Jew state and an Aryan nation except one is Aryan and the other Jewish?
Exactly!
Just ask them to explain the difference between The Chosen People and The Master Race.
Don’t worry, they’ll definitely have an explanation, and it will definitely be unsatisfactory.
Then we could ask them something like,
“Do you think the fact that your entire explanatory system could never survive serious analysis is the reason you demonize dissent, pathologize opposition, and impose Hate Crime Laws?”
They’ll have an answer for that one too, and it will be just as unsatisfactory.
I don’t know who Andrew Sullivan are, but if known anti-semites on the net, support him, then it becomes certain that some jew will think he is an evil anti-semite as well, and attack him just to gain status among other uniformed jews.
If this getting labeled an anti-semite, falsly or not, actually get jews to attack you, then getting labeled an anti-semite creates a self fullfilling prophesy no matter who points the finger first.
We anti-semites could of course help here, by actively pointing out potential anti-semites for jews, and then support the potential AS with all we got, if some slander piece gets posted.
This probably works on group level as well, and animal rights activists might be one of those potential groups one could try to point out have anti-semitic attitudes with their opposition to Kosher slaughter
WHAT A FANTASTIC IDEA…
Wow. Even a ultra-Zionist liberal homosexual with AIDS isn’t safe from these people. The unquestioned psychological domination that Jews enjoy in the MSM can be scary at times.
LOL @ “Wieseltier”, in German literally “weasel animal”. A Jew was never more aptly named.
http://www.weaselbreath.com/images/mad_weasel.jpg
“WHAT A FANTASTIC IDEA…”
Right now one could try to get the jews agitated because of the wording the social chan*-based network “Anonymous” uses in their attacks on the Australian government.
“Open letter concerning Australian Internet Censorship. To whom it may concern, and for the unaware public.
Do not be confused about the intentions behind our attacks on various Australian government websites. Various media have falsely reported that our efforts are in defence of pornography. This is not about pornography. This is about freedom. The fact remains that under this proposed Internet censorship scheme over time the freedoms of Australians will continue to be eroded, all in the name of saving us from a threat that exists only in the minds of a VOCAL AND VERY UNINFORMED MINORITY who wish to impose their morals and values on the public at large. We are in no way encouraging child pornography; however other courses of action should be encouraged, for Australia’s “Cyber Safety Plan” creates problems in itself.
…snip…
We are Anonymous.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
We are Legion.
Expect us.
http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Operation_Titstorm–ED-Resource-Center
you said it burt EVERY goy eventually is antisemitic in their eyes. There whole identity is based on their belief that the goy are evil – even secular ultra jews like Dershowitz..
Neoboudica those were superb points for combating Jewish chauvinism and hatred. I’m no newcomer to the scene, but those are spectacularly clear and easy to ask for anyone and absolutely cannot be construed as unfair.
But watch, this is exactly the card the Jews, blacks play. That they are special and above the White race because they’ve always been victims of Whites. The one issue Jews absolutely cannot stand is Palestine. They cannot honestly counter it. It cannot be honestly explained from a Zionist perspective. They absolutely revile Palestinian people and consider them animals (ask Menachem Begin). This is one sure way to spot a Jewish Zionist, which >90% of Jews are (and not always explicitly).
Why? Is that anti-Semitic to declare? Well not if you want to call the entire nation of Israel anti-Semetic, which would be utterly absurd, right? Take the Likud party which has its roots in a terrorist Jewish organization Irgun, their party’s purpose and stands would make any Nazi blush or be envious.
An Us vs Them attitude at the heart of Jewish supremacism. Something intellectual and courageous Jews such as Jeshua bar Joseph (Jesus) and Spinoza stood against and despised in their people. Such Jews are reviled and shamed in Israel today.
Some kind quotes from Likud leaders about their Semitic Arab neighbors whose land has been stolen and millions of lives wiped away since 1948:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Likud
* In February 2004 Likud member and deputy defense minister Ze’ev Boim, speaking at a memorial ceremony, said “What is it about Islam as a whole and the Palestinians in particular? Is it some form of cultural deprivation? Is it some genetic defect? There is something that defies explanation in this continued murderousness.” In a comment, Likud member of Knesset Yehiel Hazan supported Boim’s statements: “I think this it is in their blood. It is something genetic. I have not researched this, but there is no other way to explain this,”. He added “Don’t believe an Arab, even one who has been in the grave for 40 years.”[13]
* In remarks at the Knesset in December 2004, Likud member Yehiel Hazan repeatedly likened Palestinians to “worms” and stated that the Palestinians are a nation of “murderers” and “terrorists.”[14]
* In a New Yorker magazine interview Moshe Feiglin, leader of the right wing Manhigut Yehudit faction of the Likud Central Committee, is quoted saying “You can’t teach a monkey to speak and you can’t teach an Arab to be democratic. You’re dealing with a culture of thieves and robbers. Muhammad, their prophet, was a robber and a killer and a liar. The Arab destroys everything he touches.”[15]
If someone were to replace the word Arab with Jew in those statements……what kind of media reaction worldwide would follow?!? I think you know.
K. MacD: “How anyone could think of this as antisemitic is beyond me.” But not beyond a Jew named Wiesel- whatever, I can’t spell it: again, Jews NEED a fairly high-level of “anti-semitism” in any and every host-nation because, without it, the tribal boundaries begin to erode, eg, too much intermarriage, cultural assimilation, etc. That is why they are incessantly sniffing around for it, inventing it where it does not exist, and actively creating it through the various political, economic, intellectual, and other manuvers for which they are so well known. Beyond a certain point, of course, this can get dangerous….for the Jews. But then they’ve got Israel to scamper away to. And that is why Wiesel-whatever comes down so hard on Andrew Sullivan: S. has declared against Israel and, to the Zionist, to be anti-Israel is to be the ultimate anti-semite. From the viewpoint of an organized Jewry that HAS to manufacture “anti-semitism” to sustain itself within the body of the host, this is a correct formulation.
So what?
A shabbos goy has outlived its usefulness and is being thrown to the wolves for sport, a la Tiger Woods.
It’s done every day. Jews set up, Jews knock down. (Obama is next.)
Don’t be a shabbos goy.
Charges of anti-semitism are the worst kind, its a crime that can never be expunged from the record.