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You Don’t Have to Be a Hero
As we watch the foolish protestors in our own streets, and compare it to the dangers that the Israel Defense Forces face every day; as we watch the mindless hatred spouted about Israel and also American Jews, and compare it to the support Israel has received from France, Germany, Italy, Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand; it is encouraging to know that many countries and citizens publicly state their support of Israel and condemnation of Hamas.
But here at home, we have massive problems: our education system, the military, the economy, the liturgy of climate change, the damage caused by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) rules, the transgender farce, emergence of anti-Semitism, and many other attacks on our values and ways of life. Many of us feel helpless to do much of anything against these forces. But I believe, slowly but surely, at least in some areas, the tide is beginning to turn. I’m seeing pushback on DEI:
As of July 2023, 40 bills have been introduced in 22 states that would place restrictions on DEI initiatives at public colleges, according to data compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Other states are also creating legislation to defund DEI programs in business, especially in hiring.
Defunding DEI is not the only action taken by the states. States are recognizing the threats to companies with the creation of ESG programs.
And the House and Senate have been responsive to attacks on Jews in this country:
The resolution — H. Res. 798 — is Congress’ latest response to the rise in pro-Palestinian student demonstrations on campuses around the Israel-Hamas conflict that started Oct. 7. Senators last week passed a similar resolution, S. Res. 418, by voice vote.
College leaders have struggled with their responses to campus protests and the ongoing war and are grappling with an uptick in reports of antisemitism and Islamophobia. The resolution calls out college leaders for not speaking out in support of Jewish and pro-Israel students. It urges them to condemn all forms of antisemitism on their campuses and ensure Jewish faculty and students can exercise free speech without intimidation.
* * * *
All these activities are encouraging. But they are not enough. Recently, I read Ted Cruz’s new book Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America. It’s a very fine book, although for those steeped in an understanding of cultural Marxism in this country, you may find that new information is limited. I was impressed, however, with how he took on China and has been consistent in that fight.
I especially appreciated his stories about his family during the Communist takeover. His father joined the resistance and went to prison. I was particularly moved by the story he told about his grandmother, who was a teacher, and the expectations of the communists:
The communists demanded the same of my family. They ordered Abuela to begin teaching her children Marxism. And so she faced a choice. She could be complicit in poisoning the minds of her beloved students. Or she could refuse, and face prison or worse, be forcibly removed from her own family and subjected to who knew what horrors. She chose a third option. She feigned insanity. One day in class, she began foaming at the mouth, tearing out her hair, screaming and wailing like a madwoman.
She was removed from the classroom, never to return. Although a few of her neighbors may have realized her true intention, she was mostly shunned by the people in her life.
These are the kinds of sacrifices some people are willing to make.
There are state governments who are willing to attack those programs that are slowly destroying our country. There are people who show extreme creativity and courage in refusing to comply with hateful expectations. And then there are ordinary people, who for many reasons are uncomfortable speaking up. That’s most of us.
But I believe we can no longer rely on others to take the risks to save this country. Resistance to these actions might be easier than we think. When you see a breach in the support for DEI or ESG, think about how you might capitalize on that. Programs are beginning to fall apart, and the more people who protest, the more damage in their positions will be made. Many people on Ricochet have not only declared their support of our Jewish community and of Israel, but they proudly wear pins of Israeli flags or Jewish stars.
Write to the editors of your newspaper stating your contrary views. Talk to your neighbors in an effort to present them with correct or complete information.
Now that the ship of totalitarianism is slowing turning around, we must join forces with others who are willing to speak out.
[ photo courtesy of unsplash.com}
Published in Domestic Policy
I was listening to the local NPR outlet yesterday — I know, but I like to see what the other side is doing. I think their reaction to the pushback is best described as a conniption fit.
Oh, I love it! Great news!
There were a number of articles on how to stop DEI pushback, which tells me we’re over the target.
https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/how-to-navigate-pushback-to-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-efforts
Please don’t be put off by my call to take action, to strike while the iron is hot. I make that request periodically, hoping that people will have experiences in their lives that will motivate them to try out some simple pushback. For a couple of minutes I considered changing to a new name and avatar after I was attacked on this site, because it might make me vulnerable to people who want to harass me. Then I realized I would be betraying my own commitment to risk-taking. So I’m still Susan Quinn with the same photo. I’m still wearing my menorah charm on my necklace.
It must be so great to be a Jew.
The Jewish state has killed somewhere close to 10,000 Palestinian women and children in the past eight-odd weeks. Jews understand that those who object are exhibiting “mindless hatred.”
The Jewish state institutes a policy of deliberately starving over 2 million people, and depriving them of water, medicine, and energy. Jews understand that those who object are exhibiting “mindless hatred.”
With people like you around, it’s a thrill and a laugh a minute.
Let’s shove the Hamas talking points, shall we? In WWII we didn’t bomb the crap out the Germans, the Japanese and the Italians and then supply them with everything they needed to wage war against us.
You are either a fool, a provocateur or just an anti-Semite. Speaking as a member and not an employee of this place, perhaps you would feel more comfortable peddling this 30-pound-load-in-a-5-pound-sack somewhere else.
Susan,
I remember you mentioning the holiday decorations that your neighborhood does collectively and it is very festive. I assume you will put up yours too? I have heard that (I am in FL too as you know) that some Jewish people are afraid to where their kippahs in public now or have the mezuzah on the door etc. I have been and am still surprised by what has come out in many cities and schools across our country – I had no idea of the level of animosity..
Jerry, is there a high traffic area near you?
Go play in it.
I insist on wearing my new menorah necklace. Yes, we are modifying our street decorations (and that’s a whole post) and we will be putting up our menorah. I’d be surprised if anything is done to it. But we’ll see.
I just heard a report that 89.7% of Palestinians reject “co-existence with Israel”. That says it all. Israel has to wipe out the threat. Whatever actions the Israelis think are necessary to insure their survival is fine with me.
There are those who discount polls.
Maybe I’m just slow on the uptake but I can’t understand how the existence of fewer than 16 millions Jews world-wide can cause so much hatred.
After my many comments, I’ll assume that’s a rhetorical question. And even then it’s difficult to make sense of it.
That wasn’t intended to be a question. I was just expressing honest confusion. I used to laugh about something a KSFO guest host once said. He said there are a lot of reasons to hate some people. They drive PT Cruisers or they listen to Rascal Flatts, but being a Jew shouldn’t be on the list. It isn’t that funny anymore.
I don’t know if you have read this or not, so, just in case:
https://www.city-journal.org/article/how-dei-inspires-jew-hatred
It’s Stanley Goldfarb making a similar point.
The title to the post struck me this morning as echoing something else: the theme song to the 1985 dystopian movie Thunderdome, “We Don’t Need Another Hero”.
The lyrics are as follows:
It must be so great to be an Anti-Semite.
You get to believe all the bogus propaganda coming out of Gaza, most of it made up out of thin air. You get to fantasize along with Muslim leaders about how evil the West has been and how they must be destroyed. You get to make up your own revisionist history that has nothing to do with facts and then post these screeds on Ricochet. You don’t ever need to check sources or verify facts. And finally, you don’t even have to reply to any of the commenters who find fault in your analysis or who ask you questions. Like the old Jimmy Stewart movie, “it’s a wonderful life.”