Thread by @Yascha_Mounk

A few angry and disjointed thoughts on political violence, the responsibility of politicians, the apparent acceptability of certain kinds of anti-Semitism, civility., and what to do in the wake of the horrible shooting in Pittsburgh.

(Thread.)

pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/10/27/hea…

For the past days, there has been a big debate about whether Donald Trump is responsible for the mail bombs. Now, there will be an even bigger debate about whether he is responsible for the murders at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue.

In my mind, the best analogy for this question is with climate change: Scientists cannot definitively tell that any one particular storm is caused by global warming. But they know that the number of extreme weather events has increased due to the changing climate.

In the same way, it is impossible to ascribe any one particular hate crime or terrorist attack to extreme political rhetoric. But it is clear that the kind of violent and dehumanizing language used by Trump increases the number of such crimes.

Trump has never called Jews parasites or cockroaches.

But—as recently as yesterday!—he spread vile conspiracy theories about particular Jews, blaming George Soros for all kinds of evils, from mass immigration to political opposition.

That makes him morally responsible.

The horrible attacks in Pittsburgh should also remind us that, even in the United States, a) Jews have always faced an elevated threat of hate crime, and b) the violent effects of anti-Semitic rhetoric are rarely taken very seriously in public debate.

Some people like to claim that Jews cannot be victims of racism because they are white.

I wish it were so. As today shows, it is not.

There’s also a surprising amount of tolerance for some forms of vile anti-Semitism. Farrakhan has repeatedly called Jews cockroaches or likened them to poison. And yet, it's still possible to be both a friend of Farrakhan’s and a hero of progressive America.

That must change.

Finally, that much-dreaded topic: civility.

The far-right attempts over the past days to draw some kind of comparison between left-wing protestors shouting at Trump administration officials and right-wing extremists resorting to mail bombs or (now) mass shootings are absurd.

But there is a real danger of an escalating spiral of political violence. And declaring civility useless risks:

* Alienating voters we need to oust Trump
* Giving far-right extremists cover by creating the (wrong!) impression that both sides are similarly willing to use violence

Until 2020, we won’t be able to get rid of the bully who does so much to incite hatred from his pulpit. But we can:
* Vote
* Consistently condemn racism and anti-Semitism
* Marshall our anger to fight the extremists in political institutions, public debates—and peaceful protests.

I know: These responses aren't remotely equal to our anger.

But they give us the best chance of convincing our fellow citizens that it is Trump who's threatening American values—and of achieving a country in which political violence is a rarity rather than the norm.

[The end.]