OPINION & EDITORIAL
Racism distracts Israel questions
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Also by Suzanne Zoheri:
- Living options abound for graduates (January 24, 2007)
- Are Egyptian elections actually free? (September 7, 2005)
- Author misinterprets Islam; blames religion for human nature (October 11, 2006)
- Academic thought longing for action (October 17, 2006)
- Racism distracts Israel questions (November 29, 2006)
Related Stories:
- Borat deftly critiques U.S. culture (November 8, 2006)
- Readers spit flame (November 10, 2006)
- Racism has consequences at UW (February 27, 2007)
- Only part of the problem (October 14, 2003)
- Herald comic strip offensive (December 5, 2006)
by Suzanne Zoheri
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Meet Borat. A lovable, racist, adorable, pompous, offensive character that has swept our box offices with a full-length feature film on "Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." Now let's leave Kazakhstan out of the picture and focus on the recurrent themes of Borat's discoveries in America. Borat never holds back from a good Jew-lashing and always finds an American partner to join in.
In an old skit, Borat visits an avid hunter who, unprovoked, raises the "problem" of the Jews in the 1930s where, "they were so bad in Germany … the Nazis said … we're going to have a final solution." With a huge range of anti-Jewish comments being brought up by Borat and his guests, it is an awkward and tense humor when watching him on Da Ali G Show — because, fundamentally, Borat is comedic.
In an interview two years ago, Sacha Baron Cohen, the inventor and portrayer of Borat, describes why, when confronted with this eastern-European radical, people go along with his anti-Jewish comments. He says, "People really let down their guard with him. They are in a room with someone who seems to have these outrageous opinions. They sometimes feel much more relaxed about letting their own outrageous politically incorrect opinions come out."
But are these politically incorrect, outrageous opinions compatible with mainstream critiques of the Israeli government? I know, but follow me here: There is an uncomfortable relationship between critics of Israeli politics and bigots against the Jewish culture. Asking the U.S. government to reduce the $3 billion of aid yearly does not seem anti-Jewish in nature. Demanding that aid packages are awarded to a country only subsequent to diplomatic achievements or sustainable peace agreements is not directed vindictively at the Jews. To me, the difference is obvious. Nonetheless, making this appeal to others is no peaceful task. Granted, anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli views can be held by the same person, but these are two separate issues to address.
There is a wide array of social problems currently arresting Israel, and to mask them is a discredit to the movements of change. American journalists are hesitant to advertise factionalism in Israel for the same reason Fox News personality Sean Hannity is popular: Americans don't want to think very hard about the degree to which our world is changing. Hannity points at the inflation-raising Liberals and Communists as the threat to America, and our only salvation is the infant state of an exhausted and oppressed people. Jewish dignity remains a contentious issue in American society, but our policies cannot reflect cultural guilt. We've been grandfathered into accepting Israel as the coveted child of America.
There are no political overtones when I watch guests entertain Borat's campaign to "Attack the Jew." I sit scared and laughing when people actually sing along with "Throw the Jew Down the Well, So My Country Can Be Free." The cultural problem of accepting hatred is not humorous, but my laughter is inspired as much by absurdity as discomfort. And still, what unnerves me most is that the more I see the skit, the less funny and more insulting it becomes.
But should our cultural revulsion of anti-Jewish ideas dominate our relationship with a predominately ethnic Jewish nation? This exact question is posed in Mearsheimer and Walt's "Israel Lobby" article highlighting the fierce blockade against American-bred criticism of the Israeli government and against any evolution in policy. Mearsheimer and Walt assert that, save the Israeli Lobby, "No lobby has managed to divert U.S. foreign policy as far from what the American national interest would otherwise suggest." A stretch and oversimplification of the corruptibility of our city on the hill, but inherently a political machine that citizens have a right to dismantle.
Israeli exceptionalism is too controversial to talk about, and yet it is a foul play on our democracy. The Israel Policy Forum president Seymour Reich explained, "The word pressure is not in my vocabulary when it comes to Israel." And that is our (the taxpayers') very expensive problem. America has found a pal and refuses to let go. It isn't a problem of exclusively Jews, and should never be framed as so. When I want to throw passive foreign policy legacies down the well, so my country can be free — I don't imagine Jewish people. Trust me.
Suzanne Zoheri (smzoheri@wisc.edu) is a senior majoring in history and global cultures.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 2:36am):
What is the deal with the BH writing so frequently about Israel?
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 6:09am):
What really needs to happen is for everyone who hates Jews and Israel to #%&@ off! They aren't fooling anybody.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 7:50am):
What does the United States get out of Israel existing? We must be getting something, because I have yet to see our country operate out of the kindness of our collective heart.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 8:33am):
I tell you what -- direct the same criticisms at Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, UAE, Yemen, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority, and soon to be Iraq, and we can talk.
Until then, you're singling out Israel for criticism for doing nothing worse than their neighbors.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 9:14am):
I'm waiting to see if this clown will do some more of the same, but make moslems and blacks the butt of the jokes?
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 10:33am):
Let's have the almight gods duke it out to determine which of the Abrahamic gods is best. Hopefully, there will be a "none of the above" option.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 10:44am):
[Generic comment proclaiming author to be anti-Semitic mentioning Israel is a democracy and Hamas is comprised of terrorists. Also mentioned that any compromise would threaten another Holocaust]
[Generic response stating author is merely criticizing Israel's government and stating Palestinians are victims. Compare current situation to S. Africa and/or Holocaust]
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 10:55am):
The Jews know how to take a joke. And it's also getting popular to make fun of Christians. But say a bad word about a Muslim. BOOM!
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 11:46am):
Hey moron, this "clown" makes plenty of "moslems" and blacks the butt of his jokes.
Maybe you should see the movie before you start lashing out blindly at its liberal bias, dumbass.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 2:07pm):
Yeah like the Jews are so oppressed. They were pre-WWII, but now it looks they're doing the oppressing. Anti-Semitism doesn't have anything to do with being anti-Israel; the former is bad, the latter is good.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 3:33pm):
"Maybe you should see the movie before you start lashing out blindly at its liberal bias, dumbass."
If the movie has a liberal bias, then there must be a justification in lashing out at it, and I can hardly believe that man's being blind about
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 5:03pm):
"Yeah like the Jews are so oppressed. They were pre-WWII, but now it looks they're doing the oppressing."
What a liberal asshole! The Jews are trying to prevent all that pre-WWII oppression from happening again. You could do your part by #%*%-ing off!
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 5:27pm):
I think it takes a lot of courage for you to write on the topic you chose. You make a lot of good points. Normally there are thousands of responses to pro-palestinian articles claiming "anti-semiticism" and other bullshit. The reason they haven't written to you is because you made that the basis of your argument while differentiating anti-jewish sentiments, which i am sure exist in some places, and anti-zionism. I pity when zionist associate their racist ideology to the Jewish religion, which in so many ways, especially in our own civil rights history, played such a critical role. Thank you.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 5:46pm):
* MIGs toNevada "Area 51 was used to train Navy and Air Force fighter pilots to fight USSR MiGs. Israel captured many MiGs in 1967, and they gave us a bunch of them. ... led directly to the F-4 'Phantom' turning around it's losses in Vietnam to a 14 to 1 kill ratio. They found the MiG's weaknesses and exploited them."
* Strategic Alliance "The U.S. and Israel share an unparalleled strategic relationship. Since a landmark 1985 agreement established the two allies as strategic partners, military cooperation has expanded to include the development of cutting-edge weapons systems, sharing of real-time intelligence and joint training exercises." (2005)
* "Army Says Israeli Armor Has Saved "Many" U.S. Lives in Iraq. The U.S. Army has thanked Israel for supplying it with armor for armored personnel carriers (APCs) in Iraq, the Israel21c website reported. The Israeli armor has saved "many lives," according to a letter sent by the Army to Rafael, the Israel Armament Development Authority. Israel expedited delivery of the armor to the United States to help protect American APCs from roadside bombs, which have killed more than 150 U.S. servicemen in Iraq.(March 2005)
* Technology Helps Prevent Mid-Air Mishaps "Mid-air helicopter crashes may become a thing of the past. The Lahav division of Israel Aircraft Industries has developed a system that predicts collisions during tactical missions and formation flights." (Oct 2004)
* Ben Gurion University develops anti-missile laser "used to develop a new airborne missile interception system in the US." (12 Jan 2004)
* USAF to equip with IAI conformal fuel tanks "F-16s...increase fuel carrying capacity by 50%." (28 Nov 2002)
* Passenger aircraft - anti-missile interception and detection system. Israeli company to complete development of aoperational system, the Passive Approach Warning System (PAWS), for detecting and disabling missiles fired against passenger aircraft.
* Light concrete-piercing bomb ...two US companies to jointly produce a revolutionary light-weight bomb capable of penetrating several meters of concrete. The bomb was developed in Israel. (14 Nov 2002)
* Super-chipsystem is global hit Motorola (NYSE:MOT) recently presented its third generation processors of this type, the PowerQUICC III series,developed in Israel. (12 Nov 2002)
* Instant messaging program ICQ ...developed in Israel, brought about a breakthrough in US military communications, and made US forces inAfghanistan many times more efficient, ... (03 Nov 2002)
* Aridic Soils of theUnited States and Israel ....designed to provide information toassist those who would manage their impact on the soils of arid regions for sustainability....
* Bekaa Valley War June 1982, Israeli ground forces pushed into Lebanon in an effort to putan end to cross-border terror attacks. ... [Israeli developed] RPVs went in first to get the Syrian SAMs to turn on their radars. Then the F-4s destroyed them withhigh-speed anti-radiation missiles...critical turning point in the deadly duel offighters and SAMs...operation threw military men (in Moscow) into a kind of shock... made the Soviets understand thatWestern technology was superior to theirs, and in this Czech general's view,the blow to the Bekaa Valley SAMs was part of the cascade of events leading tothe collapse of the Soviet Union. (June 2002)
* Litening II-pluspods United States has deployed anIsraeli-manufactured airborne targeting pod in the war in Afghanistan...installed on the F-16 multi-role fighters... laser spot capability that anAmerican rival does not possess.
(January 2002)
* ARROW ANTI-MISSILE MISSILE. IT IS A JOINT PROJECT -- WHERE THE UNITED STATES
PROVIDES MOST OF THE MONEY, THE ISRAELIS -- MOST OF THE HIGH-TECH EXPERTISE.
ISRAEL IS SHARING RESEARCH LESSONS WITH THE UNITED STATES
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 7:28pm):
To 5:03:
You're the asshole. Anti-Semitism doesn't exist in mainstream Western society anymore. Its just manufactured by the conservatives to negatively portray opponents of Israel. Israel is the oppressor nation, and the Jews of that country's government exploit the Holocaust and oppression a hundred years ago to defend their own racist and Nazi-like policies against the Palestinians.
The Jews don't need defending anymore since they don't suffer from any persecution (in fact, they are the most successful ethnic group in the US economically). Now its the Palestinians which are persecuted.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 10:47pm):
"What a liberal asshole! The Jews are trying to prevent all that pre-WWII oppression from happening again. You could do your part by #%*%-ing off!"
Why don't you "#%*% off" and stop propagating the myth that Jews are, or are on the verge of, being oppressed. They are the most successful ethnic group in the world right now.
