1/ I’m on holiday so didn’t really want to say anything about Aaron Bastani but here’s a quick-ish thought. I want to kind of zoom out for a second and I’m afraid this isn’t going to provide a clear answer. Bear with me (THREAD)
2/ Something that has occurred to me over 2018 is that the behaviour surrounding the Labour antisemitism issue (as with many controversial subjects fought over on social media) sometimes reminds me of bullying at school
3/ I went to a school where there was lots of bullying. I was sometimes the subject of it. I was sometimes a bystander. I sometimes participated when it was happening in a group
4/ I’m not proud to say that - but I look back on my 13-year-old self and I forgive him. It wasn’t an easy environment and I think I did what I could to keep my head above the water, no less and certainly no more
5/ That environment - kind of a bullying ecosystem - has its own rules, conventions and characters. William Golding got it spot on and took it to its natural, grim conclusion in Lord of the Flies
6/ There are different types. There are the outright bullies and the ever-victims. There are rarely more than a few of those. Most people, like I was, are in the uncomfortable middle where you’re never quite sure where you will end up in the food chain on a given day
7/ I’m not even sure how helpful the terminology is - of ‘bully’ and ‘victim’. Because there are so many shades in between - at the least there needs to be a richer language to explain this common arena of human behaviour.
8/ And of course bullying isn’t limited to children. It happens in families, at work and any space humans come together. Including - as we all know - social media. It’s how humans can dominate each other
9/ One of the features of the Labour antisemitism issue, and why I think it has been so difficult to resolve, is that for some Labour supporters it has become fused with their political loyalties
10/ So it has become an article of faith that claims of antisemitism are a politically motivated smear - like Corbyn being a lifelong anti-racist on the right side of history, or Labour being the kinder gentler alternative to evil Tories
11/ As @jonhaidt has eloquently articulated, once your tribal political loyalties are triggered it’s very difficult for you to see beyond them. And combined with the conspiratorial, with us or against us mode of the Corbyn Labour movement... it’s a toxic mix
12/ As I became involved In this issue during 2018, I engaged with many people. Hundreds - probably thousands. It’s a rough arena. And reminded me at times of being back at school.
13/ So I found myself, subconsciously sometimes, fitting individuals into those same categories. Are they the perpetrator, enabler, bystander, victim or even hero saviour..? It’s tricky. People can move category, even during a single conversation.
14/ And who/where you are can legitimately affect how you judge a person’s behaviour. I’m not a relativist, but I do believe you have to listen extra carefully on social media as people are engaging in a non-linear space where misunderstandings are common
15/ I look across the arena where this difficult, sensitive and high-stakes issue is happening and I see some obvious antisemites. The idiots who tweet me pictures of a swimming pool at Auschwitz saying it wasn’t really a bad place. They are the perpetrators
16/ There are bystanders. To be honest, I don’t blame people for not getting involved. It’s toxic and difficult to parse. Goodness knows there are plenty of issues I steer clear of.
17/ Then there are the enablers. This is where I would place Novara, The Canary, Squawkbox. They enable and sometimes originate the conspiracy theories about the ‘Zionist media’ and British Jews...
18/ ... they watch on, winking or even smiling, as Jewish MPs like Luciana Berger get extreme abuse from vicious antisemites. They cheer as Chris Williamson and JVL say it’s all a smear
19/ And occasionally, as with all bullying enablers, they cross the line into being the perpetrators. I think this is the pattern you can see with Aaron, who as far as I know has never stood up, really, against antisemites despite the fact that there are many on the left
20/ Ultimately, I’m not a fan of applying labels to people - maybe as I’m too soft. Maybe because I’m terrified of having a label applied to me, unjustly. People are complicated. But if your behaviour enables racism, I think of that as enabling. And you are part of the problem
21/ And it’s no surprise if whilst fiercely defending your political tribe you occasionally cross a line into saying that rabbis should be checked out before being listened to, or taking a bit to much about Jewish banking families.
22/ It’s not like this is the only way to behave if you are on the left of the Labour. Momentum are doing some good work with videos and calling out antisemitic Facebook groups. They get it. At least in part.
23/ Anyway, that’s my thought. Not sure if it helps but I feel we need to think carefully before categorising people, as few if any fit into neat categories, and everyone can change. I hope that Novara, who I think are well-meaning people, consider whether they can be better
