The left-wing media’s coverage of the increase in left-wing anti-Semitic attacks has truly been something to behold.
“The alt-right blindly hates Jews for no reason at all, whereas the left hates Jews for good reasons.”
—The Left
— Boomieleaks (@notwokieleaks) December 31, 2019
Honestly, that’s pretty much where we’re at right now. If anti-Semitic attacks cannot be directly tied to right-wing extremism, many lefties and media outlets find themselves attempting wild feats of intellectual contortion in order to rationalize left-wing anti-Semitic violence.
And so, without further ado, the Daily Beast:
The suspect in the Monsey, NY stabbings has some things in common with classic anti-Semitic conspiracists, but the differences between them may be more important https://t.co/RRCzEapFvE
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) December 30, 2019
(Spoiler alert: The differences are the things that kind of justify left-wing anti-Semitism.)
What’s behind the new wave in anti-Semitic hate? https://t.co/Xmj6K7f35e
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) December 31, 2019
What’s behind the new wave in anti-Semitic hate? Here, let Daily Beast legal affairs columnist Jay Michaelson (who’s apparently a rabbi) explain:
The answer is not simple. The recent street violence and acts of terror are based, in part, on anti-Semitic conspiracy theories similar to those on the Right. And yet, it is dangerous and misleading to see this as the same phenomenon, because the social contexts, the dynamics of race, and the relationships to power are all quite different.
…
This combination of baseless hatred and socio-economic grievance stands in stark contrast to the wordy theoretical manifestoes of white supremacist anti-Semitism. And while some attackers cite conspiracy theories similar to the ones on the nationalist right, such as the Black Hebrew Israelite doctrines noted above, the social contexts and relationships to power are utterly different.
…
And in terms of scale, there is simply no comparison between right-wing anti-Semitism, which arguably stretches into the White House itself (if not Trump, then some of his recent advisers), and the fringe sects, street violence, and bigotry found among small segments of the African-American community.
It cannot be a coincidence that the rise in anti-Semitism coincides with the rise in Trumpism. According to the FBI, anti-Semitic hate crimes jumped 37 percent in 2017, compared with a 3 percent increase in 2016 and 9 percent in 2015. (According to the ADL, the rise was 60 percent.) The dark turn to ethno-nationalism is a massive, global phenomenon. As horrific as the attacks in Brooklyn, Jersey City, and Monsey are, they are a footnote to this giant, global tidal wave.
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So, to summarize Mr. Michaelson, some anti-Semitism is more equal than others. At least left-wing anti-Semites have some legitimate grievances!
OH MY GOD I take it all back, please never ever write about this again, Daily Beast. This is what I get for pushing the pub that ran a drawing of Mariano Rivera standing on a yarmulke mound to write about antisemitism. Sweet lord this is bonkers https://t.co/XSrTyYF1Ui
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) December 31, 2019
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) December 31, 2019
The Atlantic: Jews being beaten and shot in the streets is a complicated racial dynamic.
Daily Beast: Hold my Heineken.
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) December 31, 2019
I feel like in the span of a couple of weeks we've gone from *there is no AS on the left* to *there is AS on the left but it's understandable*. ?
— Arthur Bodek (@ArthurBodek) December 31, 2019
I too was going to blame gentrification for these attacks. I’m glad someone went ahead and did it before me.
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) December 31, 2019
Sifting through the garbage pile that was this article this is probably the most…interesting?
Like the fact that antisemitism rose under Obama too is inconsequential because there's a normal/acceptable rate of antisemitism growth? pic.twitter.com/cPnfIEFT6q
— Ari Krauss (@AriKrauss) December 31, 2019
I like the part where the author tries to fight racism by saying that people with dark skin are not as good at writing manifestoes as white supremacists. pic.twitter.com/SHxh6NgrnS
— Pam Crouch (@pammalamma) December 31, 2019
I think I just had an anxiety attack of embarrassment ON @jaymichaelson’s BEHALF and yet I am sure he will remain forever oblivious to how ignorant he just revealed himself to be … which makes it EVEN WORSE! He doesn’t know how embarrassed he should be! pic.twitter.com/CGzPaf7AkB
— Lyndsey Fifield (@lyndseyfifield) December 31, 2019
Wow. Just wow.
— That's LIEUTENANT COMMANDER Crapplefratz! (@Crapplefratz) December 31, 2019
Astonishing. What the hell.
— Smells Like Teen Statism??❄️☧ (@AgentEightSix) December 31, 2019
What the unholy hell
— Washed in the Blood of the Lamb (@ArtOfTheState01) December 31, 2019
What a terrible article. What is wrong with these people?
— Alex Oakley (@AOakley19) December 31, 2019
This article. pic.twitter.com/aREYbaZBJB
— killroy (@Killroynase) December 31, 2019
What in the bloody hell is this article?
— Daniel Miller (@DanielMillerEsq) December 31, 2019
It’s hot garbage. But it’s not completely terrible … Michaelson does manage to make one good point:
The conclusion is sound, though.
"But to eradicate anti-Semitism, we must understand it—and right now, when it comes to this devastating new wave of attacks, we don’t."
I assume by "we" he means the staff of the Daily Beast. https://t.co/PskIRelqbn
— Michael K Pate (@michaelkpate) December 31, 2019
I mean I guess he at least got the conclusion right…he indeed doesn't understand.
— Ari Cohn (@AriCohn) December 31, 2019
***
Related:
‘This is obscene’: The Atlantic takes a turn rationalizing anti-Semitic attacks in New York City
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