Everyone acknowledges good and evil
But which is which?
Amphiist is a Greek word meaning both sides
Let’s explore the world of contemporary life
Through the lens of non-judgmental analyses of good and evil
*The newsletter for the average non-extremist*
Contact info: @JaclynHStrauss on Twitter
Jaclyn Holland-Strauss on Facebook
Amphiist 9: The Jewish Question
One of the most fundamentally important and controversial political issues of contemporary times is the Jewish Question. Normally, I show both sides of issues, but I have to admit, I am not as knowledgeable about this issue as I need to be. So I am hoping that any Jewish people who read this can point me in the right direction.
On social media these days, you can find many disgusting and evil things said about the Jews. These are obviously foul, and it is completely fair to ban such people from different platforms. Examples of this kind of incendiary hate speech is calling Jews horrific names, denying the Holocaust, etc.
Six million Jews, and seven million non-Jews, died in the Holocaust. I can’t see how anyone can deny this. There is a book; I can’t remember the name of it, but it revealed how IBM in the 1930s and ‘40s came up with technology, allegedly, that allowed precision technology to target the Jewish population in Germany. That is how they managed to kill so many people in such a short span of time. Even Holocaust deniers admit that many hundreds of thousands died; they just don’t believe the six million figure.
My concern is that hate speech against Jews could potentially lead to another Holocaust. Violence begins with words very often, in a variety of situations.
Voltaire said in a famous statement that if you want to know who has power in the world, ask whom you cannot criticize. There are countries in Europe you cannot visit if you deny the Holocaust. Twitter bans people for similar offenses.
However, as an amphiist, someone who tries to see both sides of issues, and who wants to see the middle ground, always, I want to discuss some of the charges levied against the Jews so that we can begin to understand the specifics of the Jewish Question that is being asked by the alt right, headed by Richard Spencer, and others.
There are several issues that people who ask this question entertain. One is, if Israel is such a friend to the United States, why did they sink the USS Liberty in 1967? They say it was a mistake, whereas anti Semites believe it was done on purpose. They believe that Israel is no friend to the US, and that it uses that country to achieve its own domestic and international goals. They point out the contradiction between how Israel demands open borders elsewhere, but does not favour this for its own nation. At the heart of the JQ, however, is the fact that although this group represents about 2-3% of the American population, their media and political influence is roughly 56%, and that all American Presidents kiss the Wailing Wall, regardless of which political party they belong to, and American politicians pledge allegiance to Israel before they are actually allowed to take office. If this is true, then it seems inappropriate. But I don’t fully understand what is going on. And it should also be mentioned that one of the reasons why Jews have such a large media presence is because they were not allowed by white Christians to participate in other media. When one digs deeper, once can often find information that vindicates the Jewish point of view, at least in some cases.
The US is 20 trillion dollars in debt, so Israel obviously isn’t giving a lot of money for this privilege. What the questioners have not adequately explained is why America agrees to be Israel’s servant. And if this arrangement is true, surely it is American politicians to blame, not the Jewish people who are pressing an advantage.
Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, the Bushes, etc., have all been devoted to Jewish interests. It suggests that political parties are meaningless, and that there is something going on behind the scenes. The neoconservatives always fight for war, and this also plays into the hands of Israel’s foreign policy leaders. Trump’s invasion of Syria is neoconservative in nature.
Assad is constantly lied about in the press. I am a tutor for international students, and hear all the time from them how he does not do what he is accused of doing, like attack his own citizens with chemical weapons (why would he?). The mainstream media also criticizes Putin, who, while dodgy domestically, when he imprisons journalists allegedly, does sincerely seem to be fighting the New World Order. Or that is, at least, what many think. The people I tutor are usually Muslims, and they have taught me a lot about Islam. Although they do not consider Jesus to be the son of God, they do respect him as a Messenger and Prophet of God, from my understanding. However, the Talmud teaches that Jesus is sinking in excrement. At least, that is what the haters say. I have heard from one specific Jew that in the Babylonian Talmud, it is idol worshippers who are going to drown in excrement. It has nothing to do with Jesus.
That is one of the biggest problems I have with those who ask the JQ. I don’t understand why they don’t view the average Jew with favour. The average Jew is like the average anyone else, wanting a good life for themselves and their loved ones.
They also state that Jews have been kicked out of 109 countries. They say this is as criticism, as though Jews are so unpopular that no one can stand them. However, does not the fact that the Jews thrive to this day suggest that this is a story of survival? Something to be admired? In spite of all they have endured at the hands of racism, so some believe, they have survived to the present day. Unfortunately, what works against this narrative is that part of the reason they do survive is that they do not allow any criticism of themselves. I think that some of the rabid hate that is directed against Jews would possibly lessen if open debate was allowed about many of the issues discussed in this article. And we must never forget that when people are allowed to say hateful things about Jews, or any other group, this can lead to violence, violence from which governments have a duty to protect us. After all, a government’s first duty is to assure its citizens’ safety and security.
If you would like to see this newspaper in print, so that the average person is exposed to these alternative perspectives, then please consider donating to my Paypal account at jaclyncarter2005@gmail.com.
https://jaclynhollandstrauss.com