Another voice of reason and balance that will inevitably find little sympathy amongst the ‘groupthink’ cohort. Many remaining artists who are just getting on with their creative lives may yet have their day. Can only hope !
Striking the pose of reasonableness and being realistic are not the same thing.. See France Britain, Italia, Germany and several other European countries attempts at assimilating Muslims. All have failed. Mass deportation of Muslim extremist is now a maybe workable option . If not already too.late.
As for the Jews they never stop giving to the West in every area of endeavor.
Thank you for your post, fabulous reading as always, my only comment is that I think Herzog’s visit came at the right time, for me the sooner this aggression is exposed the sooner the powers that be will be forced to deal with it, then we can actually try for social cohesion
'Randa Abdel-Fattah, who famously told us that “Zionists” have “no claim or right to cultural safety”'
My take on this statement, from her subsequent explanations, is that she was using 'cultural' as the defining word of the statement. She may better have said 'no claim or right to critical (beyond criticism)safety'. That is how I have interpreted her words. I think in this sense she is absolutely correct.
Who is not irritated beyond equanimity by the roars of outrage for any criticism of Israel?
Sorry John, but if you take out the word 'cultural' then indeed it is a threatening and unacceptable thing to say. Put it back in and it can only be as I've suggested. What else could it mean?
What it means, to my eye, is another attempt to use a linguistic smoke screen to mask an essentially malign strategy. It's similar to the claim that being 'anti-Zionist' is not being antisemitic. The result of many of RNF's statements & actions is the same: it stirs up massive hatred among those who don't bother with fine distinctions. There are many Jews who call themselves Zionists who bitterly oppose Netanyahu's actions or the carnage in Gaza, but they are being tarred with the same brush. I think 'cultural' safety, as a term, is pure sophistry. It's a subject worth discussing, but RNF refuses to debate these issues in a public forum.
We should mostly, whenever we can, imagine generously. Perhaps I'm naive. But there is some serious and adept critical theory being practised, with real hutzpah.
Generosity should be the larger part of imagination. By everyone.
Another voice of reason and balance that will inevitably find little sympathy amongst the ‘groupthink’ cohort. Many remaining artists who are just getting on with their creative lives may yet have their day. Can only hope !
It's becoming a bit of a hobby horse, but I can only wonder when it was that artists began to abandon the idea of working quietly in their studios
An outstanding piece, John. I hope it is widely read.
Thanks Lou, may you too be always widely read.
Striking the pose of reasonableness and being realistic are not the same thing.. See France Britain, Italia, Germany and several other European countries attempts at assimilating Muslims. All have failed. Mass deportation of Muslim extremist is now a maybe workable option . If not already too.late.
As for the Jews they never stop giving to the West in every area of endeavor.
Thank you for your post, fabulous reading as always, my only comment is that I think Herzog’s visit came at the right time, for me the sooner this aggression is exposed the sooner the powers that be will be forced to deal with it, then we can actually try for social cohesion
Personally, I think it came too early & helped provoke the uproar. I suspect Albo's mob had little option with the timing of the 'invitation'.
'Randa Abdel-Fattah, who famously told us that “Zionists” have “no claim or right to cultural safety”'
My take on this statement, from her subsequent explanations, is that she was using 'cultural' as the defining word of the statement. She may better have said 'no claim or right to critical (beyond criticism)safety'. That is how I have interpreted her words. I think in this sense she is absolutely correct.
Who is not irritated beyond equanimity by the roars of outrage for any criticism of Israel?
I think that's rather a generous interpretation. It's no excuse for doxxing all those people in a chat group.
Sorry John, but if you take out the word 'cultural' then indeed it is a threatening and unacceptable thing to say. Put it back in and it can only be as I've suggested. What else could it mean?
What it means, to my eye, is another attempt to use a linguistic smoke screen to mask an essentially malign strategy. It's similar to the claim that being 'anti-Zionist' is not being antisemitic. The result of many of RNF's statements & actions is the same: it stirs up massive hatred among those who don't bother with fine distinctions. There are many Jews who call themselves Zionists who bitterly oppose Netanyahu's actions or the carnage in Gaza, but they are being tarred with the same brush. I think 'cultural' safety, as a term, is pure sophistry. It's a subject worth discussing, but RNF refuses to debate these issues in a public forum.
We should mostly, whenever we can, imagine generously. Perhaps I'm naive. But there is some serious and adept critical theory being practised, with real hutzpah.
Generosity should be the larger part of imagination. By everyone.