As noted, this essay was written by me in 2019 but not published. Some of the references are out of date, but the main point holds. (I'm also not denying that some "Free Palestine" activists are also practitioners of "Identity Politics." But they don't have a well-funded Lobby)
There are plenty of ardent pro-Israel advocates I personally like (including some mentioned in this piece) but I've yet to understand how their identity-based fidelity to this foreign state is reconcilable with an overarching critique of "identity politics"
In every discussion of this issue, the pro-Israel identity politics advocates screech that everyone must performatively condemn Hamas. OK: I'm not a militant Islamist, so I'm not pro-Hamas. Now what? How does that move the ball forward in any way?
Support for Israel is maybe not “inherently” identity-based (although the very notion of a “Jewish state” seems inextricably bound up with identity politics.) Either way, the same people who decry “identity politics” in every other context have zero problems with it re: Israel
When all you do is repeat cliches like “Israel has a right to defend itself” what you’re effectively doing is endorsing the Israeli government’s tactic of waging perpetual war. Don’t take my word for it, this critique comes from Israeli elected officials: haaretz.com/opinion/.premi…
Honestly if this is your reason for being “pro Israel,” fine. It at least makes sense. But don’t then turn around and pretend you’re a principled critic of “identity politics”
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Netanyahu comes on American TV this morning and asks what we would do if rockets were being fired on NYC. This fake cliched analogy has been robotically repeated for every Gaza war since 2008 and it gets progressively dumber every time
If the US were besieging and blockading a small adjacent territory and bombing it into smithereens every few years to “mow the lawn,” I’m pretty sure there would be criticism of that policy. But sure, let’s all imagine a militant Islamist group taking over Ontario or something
As @ggreenwald has observed, all ideological trends that have otherwise changed mainstream US political debate are just completely shelved when it comes to Israel. Like the subject just exists in some secondary, self-contained universe
Predictable. If there’s one subject certain people can’t tolerate a smidgeon of dissenting views on (even if it’s one post a year) it would definitely be this subject
Some examples of COVID offenses that Newark, NJ police charged people with committing last year:
An official claimed police primarily targeted violating businesses and large gatherings. But here are some more activities that people were charged for engaging in:
- Failure to wear a mask
- Being outside for nonessential business
- Sitting in front of home listening to music
As New Evidence Emerges For COVID "Lab-Leak" Theory, Journalists Who Screamed “Conspiracy” Humiliate Themselves mtracey.substack.com/p/as-new-evide…
Some minor digging revealed that @R_H_Ebright, who was quoted widely in media reports last year as an expert authority "debunking" the lab-leak theory, is actually a strong *proponent* of the viability of the lab-leak theory! His views were grossly distorted for narrative reasons
It will definitely be up there. And it will have been primarily driven by their naked partisan desire to undermine Trump
Pretty simple: "intersectionality" is a left-wing ideological doctrine which has now achieved such wide circulation that even the CIA is proudly espousing it. But leftists are in bizarre denial about having played any role in this, because admittedly it's pretty embarrassing
The NYC mayoral candidate most in vogue among the Activist Left immediately proclaimed the need to "believe survivors" after this incredibly dubious PR offensive was launched to nuke a rival left-wing candidate. It's all amazingly cynical and exploitative
If this evidence doesn't compel you to treat these accusations with extra suspicion -- especially as a journalist -- then you are a dogmatic zealot who cannot be reasoned with, and should just admit as much
I mean, this really has all the makings of a quintessential campaign-season hit-job. And left-wing journalists/activism just gobble it all up with no skepticism whatsoever