Does Someone Have to Die?

 

I’ve been reaching a point where I dislike beating the drum about anti-Semitism. But the recent crimes in New York City and the denials that have accompanied them have convinced me that I can’t beat that drum enough. The media is reluctantly covering the story of the latest attacks on Jews in New York:

In Rockland County last night, during a Chanukah celebration at a synagogue a man stormed in with a machete and stabbed at least five victims, who were taken to the hospital. This is the latest in a string of antisemitic attacks in the New York City area, coming in the wake of the tragic killing of four people during an attack on a Jewish grocery store in Jersey City.

Several excuses have been given for the most recent attacks: Bill DeBlasio has blamed a white supremacist group; others have blamed the rhetoric of Donald Trump inciting people (which is absurd, given the fact that his daughter and son-in-law are Jewish). But it’s a good idea to look at some facts:

In 2018, almost half of all anti-Semitic assaults nationally occurred in New York. There, the New York Police Department’s hate-crime-unit data indicate a substantial increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes (a broader category than just assaults). The number jumped from 17 in 2017 to 33 in 2018, and is on pace to rise again in 2019, with 19 in the first half of the year.

These are also relevant facts:

Indeed, in 2017 and 2018, 37 blacks compared with 46 whites were arrested for anti-Jewish hate crimes, the majority of which were for property vandalism and harassment — statistics consistent with national data. The city, of course, has a history of such incidents, dating back to the riots in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights in the 1990s.

Now we’ve gotten to the crux of the matter: the Left doesn’t want to acknowledge that most of the crimes are being committed by blacks. In one podcast, the participants thought it was important to point out that the perpetrators were often black teenagers.

So what?

An additional problem might be the city’s approach to crime:

In an attempt to reduce arrests and incarceration, district attorneys in Brooklyn and the Bronx have been decriminalizing many crimes, and police have been more reluctant to make arrests. In light of the killing of Eric Garner, who was placed in a chokehold while being arrested for illegally selling loose cigarettes, a Manhattan source told a New York Post reporter in August that this ‘would never have happened today — because the city has told officers to back down on making such quality-of-life busts.’

Frankly, I’m sick of excuses. It’s time that Bill DeBlasio offers more than rhetoric and actually does something to address and mitigate these attacks.

Does a Jew need to die first?

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  1. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    Yehoshua Ben-Eliyahu (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn:

    In one podcast, the participants thought it was important to point out that the perpetrators were often black teen-agers.

    So what?

    It’s evident that the rhetoric of blacks towards Jews is intensifying. That’s what. Teenagers need not be emphasized but the facts are that blacks were involved in the last 8 attacks. That’s not a coincidence.

     

    Couldn’t stick with it long – just venomous!

    But the line about “marking the price up” strikes me as being at the heart of hatred toward Jews. People who don’t understand the value these groups provide, but perceive that they’re parasitic.

    • #31
  2. Rodin Member
    Rodin
    @Rodin

    ctlaw (View Comment):

    Stevens would not have cited the Cochran/Hardy/Harpending article:

    https://web.mit.edu/fustflum/documents/papers/AshkenaziIQ.jbiosocsci.pdf

    if not asserting a genetic component.

    I thought Stephens point was even if Askenazi IQ is higher, it is not the IQ that is the root of success for the group. That is the opposite of a genetic component. 

    • #32
  3. ctlaw Coolidge
    ctlaw
    @ctlaw

    Rodin (View Comment):

    ctlaw (View Comment):

    Stevens would not have cited the Cochran/Hardy/Harpending article:

    https://web.mit.edu/fustflum/documents/papers/AshkenaziIQ.jbiosocsci.pdf

    if not asserting a genetic component.

    I thought Stephens point was even if Askenazi IQ is higher, it is not the IQ that is the root of success for the group. That is the opposite of a genetic component.

    We do not have the original article.

    • #33
  4. lowtech redneck Coolidge
    lowtech redneck
    @lowtech redneck

    Doug Watt (View Comment):

    There are two acceptable forms of prejudice in the United States. One is anti-Jewish bigotry, a prejudice that is practiced in both the academic world, as well as outside the faculty lounge. The other is anti-Catholic bigotry that is practiced more often in the faculty lounge, and is somewhat rarer outside the ivy halls of the intellectual elite.

    One can hate in two ways, the color of a person’s skin, or their creed. There is no virtue in either of these choices.

    You can add evangelicals, Southerners, and Mormons to that list.

    • #34
  5. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    ctlaw (View Comment):

    Percival (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    They need to elect another Republican mayor.

    And if they can’t find one, ask Rudy to come back.

    Just got off the phone with a leftist who blamed this on “Giuliani’s anti-Semitic attack on George Soros”.

    • #35
  6. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Doug Watt (View Comment):

    There are two acceptable forms of prejudice in the United States. One is anti-Jewish bigotry, a prejudice that is practiced in both the academic world, as well as outside the faculty lounge. The other is anti-Catholic bigotry that is practiced more often in the faculty lounge, and is somewhat rarer outside the ivy halls of the intellectual elite.

    This is extended to Evangelicals and Christians who merely take the faith seriously.

    One can hate in two ways, the color of a person’s skin, or their creed. There is no virtue in either of these choices.

     

    • #36
  7. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Samuel Block (View Comment):
    “Polar Bear hunting” has been an underreported issue for years.

    ?

    • #37
  8. Doctor Robert Member
    Doctor Robert
    @DoctorRobert

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Samuel Block (View Comment):
    “Polar Bear hunting” has been an underreported issue for years.

    ?

    Attacking old bearded white men, in this case Orthodox Jews.

    • #38
  9. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    Doctor Robert (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Samuel Block (View Comment):
    “Polar Bear hunting” has been an underreported issue for years.

    ?

    Attacking old bearded white men, in this case Orthodox Jews.

    Specifically sucker punching them with the aim of knocking them out cold. 

    I doubt that the kids involved are concerned about the precise genetics of the “whites” they target; it would probably just come down to the ethnic makeup of the neighborhood.

    • #39
  10. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Susan Quinn: something to address and mitigate these attacks.

    Susan,

    This last one is of a different order. A few young punks praying upon Chassidic Jews in the street amounted to the preceding incidents. This guy planned an attack on a specific Chassidic Rabbi in his home in Munsey. The perp traveled from Brooklyn to Munsey to stab as many people as he could. This was planned for some particular reason no matter how insane. I want to know exactly what this bastard was up to and why.

    Both De Blasio and Cuomo immediately started their disinformation campaign talking about the atmosphere of the whole nation. That’s garbage. This is a New York problem. This a pure anti-Semitic problem. Hate crimes have been running per capita against Jews at a higher rate than any other group.

    I want to know why this lunatic went to Monsey and started stabbing people. If we get the run around then its time to demand the end of De Blasio and Cuomo. Did you see that NYPD cops are being attacked in the streets? Get rid of De Blasio now.

    Regards,

    Jim

     

     

    • #40
  11. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    James Gawron (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn: something to address and mitigate these attacks.

    Susan,

    This last one is of a different order. A few young punks praying upon Chassidic Jews in the street amounted to the preceding incidents. This guy planned an attack on a specific Chassidic Rabbi in his home in Munsey. The perp traveled from Brooklyn to Munsey to stab as many people as he could. This was planned for some particular reason no matter how insane. I want to know exactly what this bastard was up to and why.

    Both De Blasio and Cuomo immediately started their disinformation campaign talking about the atmosphere of the whole nation. That’s garbage. This is a New York problem. This a pure anti-Semitic problem. Hate crimes have been running per capita against Jews at a higher rate than any other group.

    I want to know why this lunatic went to Monsey and started stabbing people. If we get the run around then its time to demand the end of De Blasio and Cuomo. Did you see that NYPD cops are being attacked in the streets? Get rid of De Blasio now.

    Regards,

    Jim

     

     

    I’m with you on every point, Jim.

     

    • #41
  12. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    James Gawron (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn: something to address and mitigate these attacks.

    Susan,

    This last one is of a different order. A few young punks praying upon Chassidic Jews in the street amounted to the preceding incidents. This guy planned an attack on a specific Chassidic Rabbi in his home in Munsey. The perp traveled from Brooklyn to Munsey to stab as many people as he could. This was planned for some particular reason no matter how insane. I want to know exactly what this bastard was up to and why.

    Both De Blasio and Cuomo immediately started their disinformation campaign talking about the atmosphere of the whole nation. That’s garbage. This is a New York problem. This a pure anti-Semitic problem. Hate crimes have been running per capita against Jews at a higher rate than any other group.

    I want to know why this lunatic went to Monsey and started stabbing people. If we get the run around then its time to demand the end of De Blasio and Cuomo. Did you see that NYPD cops are being attacked in the streets? Get rid of De Blasio now.

    Regards,

    Jim

    You do realize that 9/11 was caused by religious fundamentalists, don’t you? Therefore we need to take measures against Christian conservatives. That was the message I was hearing shortly after 9/11, anyway.   

    • #42
  13. Zafar Member
    Zafar
    @Zafar

    Have they asked the assailants what their motivation was, and is there a commonality among the assailants beyond being Black?

    • #43
  14. ctlaw Coolidge
    ctlaw
    @ctlaw

    https://nypost.com/2019/12/28/suspects-released-without-bail-after-shocking-attacks-on-jews/

    • #44
  15. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    Rodin (View Comment):

    Full Size Tabby (View Comment):
    Social and political pressure prevent us from examining why young (teenager and early 20’s) black males are responsible for such a disproportionate amount of violent crime, and what we might (or might not) be able to do about it.

    See comment #15.

    It took me a while to get your point.

    I disagree.

    I would not dare make that comment in a public forum with my actual name attached, such as a letter to a major metropolitan newspaper or the comments in the Wall Street Journal. Were I still employed, I probably would not have made that comment even here among the thoughtful people of Ricochet, as I would fear discipline from my employer.

    • #45
  16. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Susan Quinn: Does a Jew need to die first?

    Too many are dying already.  Maybe the question should be, “Does a famous liberal Jew need to die first?”

    • #46
  17. ctlaw Coolidge
    ctlaw
    @ctlaw

    Stad (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn: Does a Jew need to die first?

    Too many are dying already. Maybe the question should be, “Does a famous liberal Jew need to die first?”

    But they do not wear yarmulkes, go to synagogue, or travel alone.

    • #47
  18. Songwriter Inactive
    Songwriter
    @user_19450

    Arahant (View Comment):

    ctlaw (View Comment):
    Just got off the phone with a leftist who blamed this on “Giuliani’s anti-Semitic attack on George Soros”.

    I’m not going to like this comment, just shake my head.

    And there’s another “button” we could use here at Ricochet. I’d call it the “Are you kidding me?” button.

    • #48
  19. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    ctlaw (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn: Does a Jew need to die first?

    Too many are dying already. Maybe the question should be, “Does a famous liberal Jew need to die first?”

    But they do not wear yarmulkes, go to synagogue, or travel alone.

    That’s true, @ctlaw. But they know who many of them are. How about their traitor, Alan Dershowitz? Although he might be somewhat observant.

    • #49
  20. Kozak Member
    Kozak
    @Kozak

    They have top people on it.

    Top, top people….

    Suspect In NYC Anti-Semitic Attack Released On Bail, Arrested AGAIN In Another Attack

     

    • #50
  21. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…
    @ArizonaPatriot

    This attack was a terrible crime, and it comes just a few weeks after the even more terrible murders in Jersey City.  I do worry that this latest attack may have a copy-cat element, or have been motivated by increased racial and ethnic hostility resulting from the dreadful Jersey City attack.

    I do not see evidence of widespread anti-Semitic hate crime.  It looks like a confirmation bias effect, which is common to many groups.

    The article cited in the OP indicates very, very low levels of what are called “anti-Semitic hate crimes,” with the reported number in NYC in 2018 being 33.  The article acknowledges that these are generally minor, stating that the majority “were for property vandalism and harassment.”  To put this very small number in context, there were 289 murders reported in NYC in 2018 — itself a small number, comparatively speaking, the lowest since the early 1950s.

    A quick internet search indicates that there are about 8.4 million people in NYC, including about 1.1 million Jews.  Thus, the “anti-Semitic hate crime” rate in NYC, in 2018, was about 3 per 100,000.  I have NYC crime rates for 2016 — the murder rate was 3.4 per 100,000, and the total violent crime rate was 585.8 per 100,000.  (My source is Wikipedia, here.)

    These figures do not suggest that significant police resources should be devoted to minor offenses identified as “anti-Semitic hate crimes.”

    I think that I understand the terrible shock that a Jewish American would feel at a report of such a heinous attack on a Hanukkah celebration.  An emotional reaction is understandable and legitimate.  But such a time is the worst possible moment to evaluate the overall question of whether there is a serious problem of anti-Semitic crime in this country.  The evidence cited in the OP indicates that there is not.

    The evidence cited in the OP suggests that, nationwide, the problem of “anti-Semitic hate crime” may be significantly smaller than in NYC.  This is not completely clear, as the cited article reports that “almost half of anti-Semitic assaults nationally occurred in New York,” without reporting the number of such assaults either in NYC or nationally, and while proceeding to cite the overall “anti-Semitic hate crime” figures that it acknowledges to be “a broader category than just assaults.”

    If the “almost half” figure applies to overall “anti-Semitic hate crime,” then the nationwide rate is even lower than in NYC, as this would suggest about 60-70 “anti-Semitic hate crimes” nationally, out of a Jewish population of about 6 million (I think), a rate of about 1 per 100,000.

    • #51
  22. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…
    @ArizonaPatriot

    On another issue raised in the OP:  I don’t see why DeBlasio is at fault.  If I’m following the news correctly, the attack did not occur in NYC, and the attacker was not from NYC (though even if he was, I don’t see how one could blame a mayor because a resident of his city committed a crime in another jurisdiction).  It does appear that the attacker was apprehended in NYC, which looks like good work by the NYPD, presumably in conjunction with other police agencies.

    • #52
  23. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):
    I do not see evidence of widespread anti-Semitic hate crime. It looks like a confirmation bias effect, which is common to many groups.

    Let me ask you, Jerry. How many crimes need to happen for you to consider it “widespread”? 1,000? 10,000?

    • #53
  24. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…
    @ArizonaPatriot

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):
    I do not see evidence of widespread anti-Semitic hate crime. It looks like a confirmation bias effect, which is common to many groups.

    Let me ask you, Jerry. How many crimes need to happen for you to consider it “widespread”? 1,000? 10,000?

    Good question, Susan.  My initial reaction is to say “I’m not sure.”  It would have to be much more than 3 per 100,000, especially when the 3 include very minor crime such as harassment or vandalism.

    This is a difficult topic, because it generally arises in the emotional aftermath of a particular, dreadful, criminal attack.  

    Thinking about it further, if we’re talking about serious, violent anti-Semitic crime, I would begin to be concerned at a rate of around 1,000 per 100,000.  This is because, as I cited in my comment above, the overall violent crime rate in NYC is a bit under 600 per 100,000, and my general impression is that this remains an unusually low rate historically (here is an NPR report from 2017 reporting that violent crime in NYC is at record low levels, having declined for 27 straight years).

    So our general sense is that a violent crime rate of 600 per 100,000, in NYC, is a very low crime rate, making NYC an unusually safe large city.  If the rate of violent crime victimization among American Jews was significantly  higher than this, I would be concerned.  This leads me to the suggestion of around 1,000 per 100,000 as a reasonable threshold.

    I would be very concerned if the murder victimization rate among Jews was significantly higher than among other American whites.  I don’t recall ever seeing data about this.  I do know that homicide victimization rates among American blacks are much higher than among American whites generally, generally mirroring the higher rates of committing homicide among American blacks.  My recollection is that most homicides — around 80%, if I recall correctly — are intra-racial, i.e. such homicides involve a black killing another black or a white killing another white.

    The claims of hate crimes give me the sense of hysteria, confirmation bias, and the use of statistics in extremely misleading ways, often by conflating minor crimes with major crimes and by reporting increased rates from very, very low baselines.  I am quite skeptical of hate-crime reporting, because it seems prone to exaggeration and political bias, and it can be quite difficult to understand the motivations for a particular crime.  The statistics can also be exaggerated due to increases in reporting — for example, after President Trump’s election, which may have caused an increase in hate crime, but may also have caused an increase in false reporting of hate crime.

    [Cont’d]

     

    • #54
  25. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…
    @ArizonaPatriot

    [Cont’d]

    As an example, here is a CBS report last month (Nov. 2019) about 2018 hate crime statistics.  It paints quite a misleading picture, in my estimation, conflating minor crimes with major crimes.

    One interesting data point is the total number of reported hate crime murders in 2018 — 24.  This figure includes reported anti-Semitic murders (including 11 at the Tree of Life Synagogue), but also includes others.  It is difficult to draw conclusions from this data, because not all jurisdictions are included in the reporting, so the actual figure may be higher.  But 24 murders is insignificant, statistically speaking, in a nation of over 320 million.  There were a bit over 16,000 murders in the US in 2018.  Thus, the number of reported hate-crime murders is about 0.15% of the total number of murders — about 1 out of every 667 murders.  

    The current murder rate is quite low, historically speaking — though tragically higher in a very small number of jurisdictions, which are not NYC and do not involve Jewish victims, but rather generally involve much higher rates of murder victimization among American blacks in certain high-crime cities like Chicago.

    So the risk of being murdered is about 1 in 20,000, of which 1 in 667 is reported to be a hate-crime murder. 

    Quite literally, the risk of being killed by a lightning strike (about 49/year, according to the National Weather Service here) is twice as high as the risk of being the victim of a hate-crime murder (24/year in 2018).

    Here is an article summarizing the 2018 FBI hate crime report, which indicates that there were 105 incidents of violent anti-Semitic crime in 2018.  Assuming accurate reporting, each of these is a terrible crime, but the number is extremely low.  With a Jewish population of about 6 million nationwide, this indicates a rate of anti-Semitic violent crime of about 1.75 per 100,000.

    Compare this with the total violent crime rate in NYC of about 600 per 100,000 — about 300-350 times higher.

    Yet Bethany Mandel posted today complaining of a “slow-moving pogrom” against Jews in New York.  This claim is not supported by the data.

    • #55
  26. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…
    @ArizonaPatriot

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):
    I do not see evidence of widespread anti-Semitic hate crime. It looks like a confirmation bias effect, which is common to many groups.

    Let me ask you, Jerry. How many crimes need to happen for you to consider it “widespread”? 1,000? 10,000?

    I didn’t quite answer this.  If we’re focusing on violent crimes against Jews, I think that somewhere around the 60,000/year range would be a cause for concern.

    I answered above by suggesting a violent crime rate that would give me concern — 1,000 per 100,000.  This rate is debatable — I relied principally on the NYC total violent crime rate of about 600 per 100,000.  Nationwide in 2017, the total violent crime rate was 383 per 100,000.  In my home city, Tucson, it was around 800 per 100,000.  I’ve lived in Tucson for over 45 years, and have no particular fear of violent crime at this background level.  

    There are about 6 million Jews in the US — perhaps a little more, perhaps a little less, depending on the basis for classification of a person as a Jew.

    Using these figures, if there were 60,000 violent crimes committed against American Jews in a particular year, that would be a rate of around 1,000 per 100,000, which would be a bit above the background level in Tucson and NYC, and would be a cause for concern. 

    Of course, each such incident would be a wrongful and violent crime, but this is the number that I would expect, using the general level of violent crime reported in my hometown and in NYC, which I generally consider to be reasonably safe places.

    This shows the confirmation bias problem.  It is difficult to wrap our minds around these statistics, which result from very large populations.  

    • #56
  27. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):
    The claims of hate crimes give me the sense of hysteria, confirmation bias, and the use of statistics in extremely misleading ways, often by conflating minor crimes with major crimes and by reporting increased rates from very, very low baselines. I am quite skeptical of hate-crime reporting, because it seems prone to exaggeration and political bias, and it can be quite difficult to understand the motivations for a particular crime. The statistics can also be exaggerated due to increases in reporting — for example, after President Trump’s election, which may have caused an increase in hate crime, but may also have caused an increase in false reporting of hate crime.

    I don’t like the term “hate crimes” either. But there are two issues that I want to address. The first is that repeatedly you have indicated in other posts that you don’t think crimes against Jews are that serious–that their importance is over-emphasized.  And you use statistics to make your point. For people like me, your analysis is irrelevant.

    The second issue is related to the first. Jews and the larger population, through history, have downplayed the seriousness of the problem of anti-Semitism. The Jews in German weren’t worried because they saw themselves as fully integrated into the greater population; by many, being Jewish was secondary. At what point should they have wised up? Laws were being changed, restrictions were being implemented, crimes were being committed, many that affected them. But they ignored the changes. And six million people died.

    So you can give me all kinds of data. I will also do my best not to distort the issue. But I will not agree with you that it is not serious.

    • #57
  28. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…
    @ArizonaPatriot

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):
    The claims of hate crimes give me the sense of hysteria, confirmation bias, and the use of statistics in extremely misleading ways, often by conflating minor crimes with major crimes and by reporting increased rates from very, very low baselines. I am quite skeptical of hate-crime reporting, because it seems prone to exaggeration and political bias, and it can be quite difficult to understand the motivations for a particular crime. The statistics can also be exaggerated due to increases in reporting — for example, after President Trump’s election, which may have caused an increase in hate crime, but may also have caused an increase in false reporting of hate crime.

    I don’t like the term “hate crimes” either. But there are two issues that I want to address. The first is that repeatedly you have indicated in other posts that you don’t think crimes against Jews are that serious–that their importance is over-emphasized. And you use statistics to make your point. For people like me, your analysis is irrelevant.

    The second issue is related to the first. Jews and the larger population, through history, have downplayed the seriousness of the problem of anti-Semitism. The Jews in German weren’t worried because they saw themselves as fully integrated into the greater population; by many, being Jewish was secondary. At what point should they have wised up? Laws were being changed, restrictions were being implemented, crimes were being committed, many that affected them. But they ignored the changes. And six million people died.

    So you can give me all kinds of data. I will also do my best not to distort the issue. But I will not agree with you that it is not serious.

    Susan, I’m sorry if I gave the impression that I don’t think that crimes against Jews are serious.  I think that all crimes are at least somewhat serious, and that more serious crimes — especially violent crimes — are more serious.  I do not think that a crime against a Jewish person is any more, or less, serious than a crime against anyone else.  Of course, minor crimes like vandalism are less serious than violent crimes.

    You (and Bethany, and Yehoushua, just to mention those who posted on the issue yesterday) seem to be making a claim of rampant anti-Semitic crime.  I do not see evidence of this.  I detailed the evidence undermining this claim, including the evidence that you cited yourself.

    I find the suggestion that we are on the verge of a Holocaust in this country to be quite unfair, and even insulting.  I am not a Nazi, and our fellow Americans are not Nazis.  I’ve generally been quite philo-Semitic, but I’m becoming weary of unsupported claims of widespread anti-Semitism, and concerned that there is a political agenda involved that I do not understand.

    I remain open to actual evidence and reasoned argument.

    • #58
  29. Zafar Member
    Zafar
    @Zafar

    Jerry, there’s something frightening about being targeted just for who you are, especially if it’s happened catastrophically in the relatively recent past.  It also makes this qualitatively different from being mugged for money.  I take your point about the relative number and severity of the crimes that were committed, but there is more going on here than just the numbers would tell us.

    It may not be time to panic, and how it is reported certainly has a number of political dimensions and agendas, but (1) politics and agendas do not necessarily delegitimate (or indeed legitimate) concerns and, more importantly, (2) violence against groups always starts low and then escalates (verbal abuse > property damage > low level physical abuse > assault > murder).

    Each step becomes part of the new normal, which in turn makes the next step possible.  That’s why it’s not a bad idea to be vigilant about each of these as they occur.  Western civilisation seems unable to deal with minorities (with difference) neutrally – it’s always either pro or con – so our cultural tendencies are a relevant thing to take into account.  And when it comes to this, minorities are definitely part of Western civilisation – they aren’t immune to dealing with other minorities in this way.

    • #59
  30. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Zafar (View Comment):

    Jerry, there’s something frightening about being targeted just for who you are, especially if it’s happened catastrophically in the relatively recent past. It also makes this qualitatively different from being mugged for money. I take your point about the relative number and severity of the crimes that were committed, but there is more going on here than just the numbers would tell us.

    It may not be time to panic, and how it is reported certainly has a number of political dimensions and agendas, but (1) politics and agendas do not necessarily delegitimate (or indeed legitimate) concerns and, more importantly, (2) violence against groups always starts low and then escalates (verbal abuse > property damage > low level physical abuse > assault > murder).

    Each step becomes part of the new normal, which in turn makes the next step possible. That’s why it’s not a bad idea to be vigilant about each of these as they occur. Western civilisation seems unable to deal with minorities (with difference) neutrally – it’s always either pro or con – so our cultural tendencies are a relevant thing to take into account. And when it comes to this, minorities are definitely part of Western civilisation – they aren’t immune to dealing with other minorities in this way.

    Thanks for your thoughtful response, @zafar.

    • #60
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