Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Good to know

If you're old, Jewish, and not voting for Obama, you're a racist and an idiot! This useful NYT story will (parenthetical remark by parenthetical remark) explain how old Jews and their bigoted stupidity will ruin the election for everybody else. Which is good because this way, when McCain wins, we'll know who to turn on.

10 comments:

Withywindle said...

If Obama wins, shall we blame the young Jews?

Do you have any thoughts yourself on the merits of the candidates?

Phoebe Maltz Bovy said...

This post was intended to be sarcastic. I thought the article was pretty much as offensive as they come--let people vote how they want without humiliating them for being old and not with-it, right? The article was implying--as many articles now have done--that if Obama loses (to Hillary now, to McCain later) it's because Americans are bigots. But here there's the convenient tie-in with Walt-Mearsheimer-esque arguments, that who wins is really up to the Jews, and that if anything goes wrong, it's much easier to blame the bigotry of a tiny minority than that of the nation at large.

Anonymous said...

A phenomenally offensive, superficial, ahistorical and statistically inaccurate article from the Times, essentially Elders of Zion in modern dress (see: big sunglasses). The writer touches on the Holocaust, urban crime, Jewish money and power, Jewish gated communities, everywhere dropping implications and inviting stereotype. Aunt Claudie, indeed.

Withywindle said...

Sarcasm, check. C'est entendu.

Anonymous said...

Listen to Air America faithfully (as I do) and you will learn that anyone who refuses to vote for Obama is a racist.

Neat!

Chaim

Anonymous said...

Phoebe, these sorts of articles have already been floating around about white folks in KY & WV, so I don't think this is unique. Further, the idea that "who wins is really up to the Jews," isn't speculation from the writer, it's a straight quote from a rabbi suggesting it'll all "boil down to a few old Jews in Century Village."

If people are informed and still choose to vote against Obama that's obviously their right, but when he's rejected because of disinformation and smears that play on race fear then it needs to be pointed out and discussed.

Phoebe Maltz Bovy said...

it's a straight quote from a rabbi suggesting it'll all "boil down to a few old Jews in Century Village."

In other words, that rabbi is misinformed, and ought to have been presented as such.

The portrayal of 'Florida Jews' as on the whole foolish is a bit of a smear, no?

Anonymous said...

Phoebe, if it's accurate it's accurate. Being white I can't say that I object when many West Virginians or Kentuckians (both places in which I've lived and have family) are presented as racist or out of touch, because there's truth there. Maybe it's not pleasant, but I'd rather we discuss it and get the problem on the table. Obviously it's a little more complicated in this case, but I think the principle is the same.

Phoebe Maltz Bovy said...

The article was a full-on denunciation of elderly members of a minority group who, if not consistently discriminated against at the moment, were without a doubt within their own lifetimes. As for whether "there's truth there," there's of course some truth everywhere, but it's for the journalist to pick an angle, and that angle struck me as untruthful and unfair.

For what it's worth, I don't see any advantage to declaring "many" residents--Jewish or not, white or not--of this or that state to be racist until proven otherwise.

Anonymous said...

Eh, West Virginians, hillbillies know what discrimination is as well. In my mind that's not much of an excuse, just as I wouldn't accept a black friend slandering Jews or anybody else. Whether the author is right or not, I can't say, but if there really is doubt about Obama (particularly in this form) in Jewish communities, then that's significant political information people need to know. Whether there are extenuating circumstances that justify or explain it is secondary.

On the issue of states and racism you must have a pretty high standard of proof, as there's mountains of evidence out there. In a place like Kentucky it's just not up in the air.