You wrote:
>>Emphasizing universal American values is more effective, and the right thing
>>to do, in my opinion. I don't see much of a future for ethnic nationalism in
>>the world<<
Yet this is the early 21st century, and we are a multicultural society. Faith
in the melting pot may be well founded, but how much of culture and history
should be erased in the effort? True multiculturalism -- the situation on the
ground here in the US -- loses ground to internationalism when the cultural
significance of human struggle is swept away.
Sean McBride <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Stephen Walt is definitely not Jewish according to my best information;
possibly neither Walt nor Mearsheimer is Jewish:
"Political science professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, who are not
Jewish, caused a sensation when they argued in a paper last year that a
powerful Jewish lobby prevents criticism of Israel from entering public debate
in the United States."
http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_802.shtml
I don't think Arab-Americans should be held to any different or higher standard
than other American ethnic groups with regard to indulging in the politics of
ethnic self-interest and self-promotion, but the reality of the situation is
that pro-Israel propaganda outlets in the United States have so seriously (and
unfairly) damaged the image of Arabs in general that Arab-Americans would
probably be wise not to lean too heavily on identity politics when pressing
their case with regard to Mideast politics. Emphasizing universal American
values is more effective, and the right thing to do, in my opinion. I don't
see much of a future for ethnic nationalism in the world -- this is one of
several reasons why I think Zionism as an ideology has a questionable future --
it's a messianic ethnic nationalist movement which, predictably, is polarizing
the world against itself, after the manner of *all* messianic ethnic
nationalist movements. (This isn't a uniquely Jewish dynamic --
it's a universal human behavioral pattern.)
I've never hesitated to criticize some Jews and some Jewish groups with the
frankest possible language. I just happen to think it's important not to
permit those criticisms to be misused by anti-Semites who have it in for the
Jews -- all Jews. There are many real and dangerous anti-Semites out there
who are sharpening their knives for the Jews. They need to be beaten down
(rhetorically, in open debate), not provided with ammunition to get on with
their genocidal schemes.
Albert Underwood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I use an algorithm similar to your semantic crosstabulation to analyze his
associations and activities. Walt has Jewish credentials in academia: his
position, lecture circuit, access to publishers are very similar to the
credentials of persons like Naomi Klein, Norman Finkelstein, Alan Dershowitz,
and others.
Thank you for clearing up the misidentification of Springsteen as Jewish.
Springsteen has Jewish credentials in the music industry, similar to the kinds
that Klein et all have in publishing and academia.
My interest in Edward Abboud is that he is the only Arab-American writer in US
history to write about Israel's impact on the US. For a country claiming fealty
to First Amendment rights of free speech and underlying tenets of democracy,
such as open debate, his absence can only be seen as suppression.
To assume that Arab-Americans opposed to Israeli damage to US society and
culture are 'Arab nationalists' puts a foreign spin on the one ethnic grouping
in the country that is suffering from the results of the 911 witch hunt
currently in progress in the US that is pirmarily targeting them, their
businesses, families, activities. This is an American problem, not an Arab one.
It's really long beyond time to worry if some Jews will get offended by some
comments. Forcing one's writinng into a mould to avoid censors serves as
self-censorship. The concern is to be accurate in observations.
Yes, the article you cited was excellent.
Sean McBride <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: On what grounds do you claim that
Stephen Walt is Jewish? I don't believe he is. You also falsely claimed that
Bruce Springsteen (who is Roman Catholic) was Jewish. Don't you take the
trouble to verify these claims before you make them?
When you promote Edward Abboud, are you promoting yourself? Are you Edward
Abboud? And are you speaking as an Arab nationalist? Attacks on Israel coming
from the Arab nationalist perspective, especially if they are tinged with even
a hint of animosity towards Jews in general, will never gain much traction in
the United States and will instead probably backfire, creating sympathy for
Israel and animosity towards Israel's Arab adversaries. The only critique of
Israel that will ever carry any weight in the United States is one which is
driven by a love
