The effort to smear Occupy Wall Street as an anti-Semitic movement came to a head last week, when The Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI) released an ad, following, as they do, the Anti-Defamation League's demand for an apology and condemning the month-old movement as a proponent of hate speech. (The next day, it is worth knowing, Rachel Abrams, who sits on the ECI's board, called for genocide to include Palestinian children, and the Anti-Defamation League didn't bat an eyelash.) It would seem there have been some anti-Semites, spouting the same Jewish banker insinuations that have plagued the last few centuries of Western life, down at Liberty Plaza Park.
That may be, and on at least one occasion, the population of the park at large decided to shout down an anti-Semite, impressing upon him in satisfyingly hostile ways the importance of inclusion. This "anti-Semite" brouhaha has arisen largely on disingenuous grounds. The corporatist right wing, unable to counter Occupy Wall Street's charges of corruption and depravity, has decided to change the subject and attack Occupy Wall Street's character instead, resorting to that old favorite, charges of anti-Semitism.
For the right wing, determined to be offended notwithstanding the absence of offense, the vigorous participation and endorsement of prominent Jews is inadmissible evidence on Occupy Wall Street's behalf. As Jeff Sharlet, himself Jewish, points out, Jewish signatories to the Occupy Writers list include Elisa Albert, Steve Almond, Eric Alterman, James Atlas, David Bezmogis, Max Blumenthal, Randy Cohen, Morris Dickstein, Kira Brunner, Janice Eidus, Eve Ensler, Kiera Feldman, Nell Freudenberger, Mila Goldberg, Myra Goldberg, Arthur Goldwag, Matthew Goodman, and just a few others. According to the good folks at Commentary and its comrade publications, appearances and speeches at the park by everyone from Joseph Stiglitz to Naomi Klein are irrelevant.
But that's just the point: to them, even anti-Semitism is irrelevant. Does anyone think that Bill Kristol and D.G. Myers and the rest of the Wall Street-financed bloc would be supporters even if Occupy Wall Street were a specifically Jewish organization? Of course not. The deranged conspiracy theorist with his sign is merely the latest trial balloon the right wing has floated in its mission to deflect attention from substantive critiques of our economy's overfinancialization, the extremely active revolving door, drastic recent increases in wealth inequality, callous budget cuts targeting programs of critical value to the most vulnerable Americans etc. When they stop arguing the points and start attacking you personally, you know you've hit a nerve.
No comments:
Post a Comment