Looks like this is not a recycled story, something that happened his week ‘Abhorrent antisemitism’: homes of Jewish Brooklyn Museum leaders vandalized
Three Columbia deans placed on leave over disparaging text exchange during antisemitism panel This is the point I’ve been trying to make. People keep framing this wrong, it’s well beyond free speech, or a Tik Tok problem. There’s a dangerous rot at the heart of much of this.
These administrators were placed on administrative leave for comments made in a non-public text chat. Someone took pics of it and disseminated it. Please explain how this is not a free speech problem?
Discipline the person who took the pictures. Doesn’t change what happened. And the free speech I was talking about were the larger protests. At some point, the left is going to have to accept that they got to the level of insanity they did because of bias in some admins. This is evidence of that. by the way, I read somewhere that Columbia was going to put staff and faculty through some training where they would be taught that anti Zionism is anti semitism. I don’t support that either, this whole idea that a school has to teach people with PHDs what’s right and wrong or define what constitutes discrimination against each group is silly. Hire people who respect everyone on campus and let people share their beliefs within the rules of campus and the laws of wherever they are. If they violate them hold them accountable. It’s not that complicated.
What happened exactly that was so egregious? Or even “anti-Semitic?” The emojis? The “ugh.” The claims of fundraising? You don’t find it interesting at all that you’re a very liberal person who is all of a sudden posting New York post articles? You don’t think that maybe, just possibly, your judgment on this issue is clouded by you being Jewish?
Haha, I looked around actually to see if anyone was debunking it and I couldn’t find anything, they just happened to have the broadest article on it. If anything in it is untrue please point it out and I will happily concede it, I don’t want this stuff to continue to happen. To the larger point. 60 percent of US jews have felt unsafe at some point since Oct 7. One in 10 have ended a friendship over anti-semitism. A quarter have hidden their Jewish identity out of fear. And it’s not unfounded, anti-Semitic attacks are up 360 percent year over year. And the group that historically has stuck up for minorities seems to be the one that continues to minimize it. Which is why I keep posting this stuff. AJC Survey Shows American Jews are Deeply and Increasingly Connected to Israel https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/10/us/adl-antisemitism-reports-soar-reaj/index.html
I don’t think anything in the article is untrue. I just don’t think these professors or administrators did anything that warranted a suspension/leave. Again it was a private chat. What the hell am I missing here? Did they advocate for violence or any sort of intimidation towards Jewish students? Do you want these people to be punished for having an anti-Israel position?
I actually wouldn’t consider myself jewish. I have probably posted before that I had one catholic, two Protestants and one Jewish grandparent. And I didn’t really follow any of the 3 growing up, outside of a year or two in a Presbyterian church. Though I was a history major who understands had I been in Germany in 1939 I would be wearing a gold star. So that point is never lost on me. I also don’t think the liberals here ever fully claimed me, even if I tend to side with them on more issues than I do the right. And no, I don’t care if someone is anti-Israel, even I think BiBi is an idiot who brought much of this on himself and his country. But mocking someone talking about anti semitism and also mocking a student who felt unsafe is more than anti Israel, and in making that argument you are actually kind of making my point. Imagine a black speaker at Columbia was talking about racism and similar texts were shared among white professors. What would be your response? I would bet (heavily), not what’s above. And that’s true of the larger liberal response to the last few months. It’s just baffling to me, largely because in that discussion my POV on this is classically liberal. Jews as a minority are being targeted right now at a higher level than anytime maybe since WW2, that should be the liberal wheelhouse. But somehow right now it’s not, ostensibly because of something happening half a world away that they have no control over and is light years more complicated than the catchphrases like “genocide”, or “from the river to the sea”. But dinner time.
“Imagine a black speaker at Columbia was talking about racism and similar texts were shared among white professors. What would be your response?” If they said something actually RACIST I’d want them punished. I’m never gonna get on board with any/all criticism of Israel being considered “anti-Semitic” let alone “racist.”
TBH I've found the responses to the situation in Israel quite confusing. For example, what is "liberal" about the responses you are referring to? (and I presume you are referring to campus protests, yes?)
I am talking about this, the mocking of an article by a rabbi, which was as conciliatory as one could be. OK fine, that’s at least a political argument or debate ostensibly…but then this. “Kromm also made a sarcastic reference to the article as a Jewish alumna burst into tears describing the hostility her sophomore daughter has experienced.” She was mocking a Jewish student who felt unsafe on campus while her mom was literally in tears over it. Again, trade out black alumna and student for Jewish, not a single liberal on this board would minimize it, rightfully. Someone would have already been fired likely. But this is somehow different. But if you honestly can’t see it there’s no reason to continue. Feel free to tell me how wrong I am .
