Former Israeli Minister of Education says calling critics "anti-Semitic" is a trick they always use.

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Zero Sum


The interview starts at 0:43 in the video.

Jewish American Journalist Amy Goodman interviews Shulamit Aloni who served as Israel's Minister of Education, who says calling critics "anti-Semitic" is a trick they always use. Shulamit Aloni also says bringing up the holocaust is a trick they use against critics coming from Europe.

I would add that using the trick of accusing people of being "anti-Semitic isn't just used to silence critics of Israel, but it is a trick used to silence, stigmatize, marginalize, and destroy (socially, politically and economically) anyone who dares criticize any Jew for any reason.


Amy Goodman (Jewish American Journalist):
"Often, when there is dissent expressed in the United States against policies of the Israeli government, people here are called "anti-semitic," what is your response to that as an Israeli Jew?

Shulamit Aloni (Served as Israel's Minister of Education):
"Well it's a trick, we always use it. When, from Europe, somebody is criticizing Israel then we bring up the holocaust. When in this country (USA), people are criticizing Israel then they are anti-semitic.

Shulamit Aloni (Served as Israel's Minister of Education):
And [the Jewish] organization is strong and has a lot of money and the ties between Israel and the American Jewish establishment are very strong--they are strong in this country (USA)--as you know. They have power, which is okay, they are talented people and they have [the] power of money and media and other things...and they are not ready to hear criticism, and it's very easy to blame people who criticize certain acts of the Israeli government as anti-semetics and to bring up the holocaust and the suffering of the Jewish people, and that justifies everything we (Israel) do to the Palestinians."
 
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Israel (of which I hold dual citizenry) will rightly continue to bomb the anti-Semitic Palestinian terrorists. In due course we will also liberate the anti-Semitic Iranian Terrorists from their nukes.
 
Tsing Tao said:
Like the call of "racist", the label "anti-Semitic" is quickly beginning to lose it's power. If used often enough, and in situations where it is obviously misused, it begins to harm the label-er, not the label-ee.
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Why do you care about the Jews? Do they have special place in your heart?
 
gkishot said:
Why do you care about the Jews? Do they have special place in your heart?
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I don't care about the Jews. This isn't my thread. I only commented how labels get thrown around in defense of a "people" when it is the bad idea that is under attack, not the people.
 
Tsing Tao said:
I don't care about the Jews. This isn't my thread. I only commented how labels get thrown around in defense of a "people" when it is the bad idea that is under attack, not the people.
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What's this bad idea concerning the Jews that you don't care too much about?
 
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gkishot said:
What's this bad idea concerning the Jews that you don't care too much about?
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Are you being obtuse on purpose? The original article stated that "accusing people of being "anti-Semitic isn't just used to silence critics of Israel, but it is a trick used to silence, stigmatize, marginalize, and destroy (socially, politically and economically) anyone who dares criticize any Jew for any reason."

What I am saying is that instead of defending the idea that is being criticized (whatever it may be), the "trick" here is to label someone anti-Semitic and try to silence them rather than debate.

The same trick is used in the African American community, and the media as a whole. Instead of debating things like poverty, crime, degeneration of the family life, everyone questioning is considered a racist.

Labeling or trying to neutralize a vocal opponent isn't a strategy to drive improvement, because debate and alternate ideas can never be tolerated. Eventually, the labels and marginalization efforts destroy the effort to marginalize itself - because everyone gets used to hearing the label, and the label no longer has any power.

Or, said in a more simple way for some of our audience, call someone a (LABEL) enough times when it is not justified, and the word (LABEL) loses it's power until it has lost it completely.
 
Tsing Tao said:
Are you being obtuse on purpose? The original article stated that "accusing people of being "anti-Semitic isn't just used to silence critics of Israel, but it is a trick used to silence, stigmatize, marginalize, and destroy (socially, politically and economically) anyone who dares criticize any Jew for any reason."

What I am saying is that instead of defending the idea that is being criticized (whatever it may be), the "trick" here is to label someone anti-Semitic and try to silence them rather than debate.

The same trick is used in the African American community, and the media as a whole. Instead of debating things like poverty, crime, degeneration of the family life, everyone questioning is considered a racist.

Labeling or trying to neutralize a vocal opponent isn't a strategy to drive improvement, because debate and alternate ideas can never be tolerated. Eventually, the labels and marginalization efforts destroy the effort to marginalize itself - because everyone gets used to hearing the label, and the label no longer has any power.

Or, said in a more simple way for some of our audience, call someone a (LABEL) enough times when it is not justified, and the word (LABEL) loses it's power until it has lost it completely.
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How do you know the critics are right, that they are not twisting the truth and what their motivations are to draw such a deep conclusion of yours? How do you know that the critics are constructive and not engaged in blood libeling? Maybe the "critics" are abject haters after all. Don't you feel that you are already taking sides in your conclusions? Is it ok to criticize Islam as a religion of jihad and conquest or would it be just "islamophobia"?
 
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