Monday, February 25, 2013

An Open Letter to Gilad Atzmon (On Intellect)



In response to THIS CONFUSION.

Dear Gilad,

I believe that you best summed up a point Israel supporters have been trying to make for some time: "For the BDS leadership, intellect is a threat". Indeed! For once, we agree.

I think you should also add: For BDS sympathizers, intellect is an elusive beast. It is a beast with a racist's head atop a criminal's body.

Now, I normally reserve my criticism for your movement to the undeniable fact that one of its three tenants (and a third of its name) is based on trying to confuse, trick, extort and blackmail artists into self-censorship. But, today. Well, today you crossed a line of logic that is just too silly to let slide. And, worse yet, you are trying to deprive me of my art. Tsk, tsk.

My art is writing. My art is advocacy. My art is fighting you and your organization, the oppressors of women, creativity and freedom. My art is showing the hypocrisy of the BDS campaign. My art is picking apart your fallacious arguments and showing how ridiculous they are at core. My art is avoiding the divisive accusations of racism and seeking to destroy your message with the very message itself.

But, today you have made all that moot. Today, you have put the first stake in the heart of your vampiric organization. Today, you have lifted the woman oppressing veil for which your organization stands and showing the world the hatred upon which your organization is based. Today, you have begun to kill your own movement.

If you are the Godot of an artless world, so be it. But, today, you prove that for BDS sympathizers, intellect is a hated lie, an apology for bigotry and racism.

You begin by defending George Galloway. George Galloway is known to be involved with: removing homosexual rights from his party's platform, asserting that there are circumstances where rape is not rape, stealing money from needy Iraqi citizens in the Oil for Food program and openly supporting Hamas. He is a man so revolting that he was refused even entrance to Canada. Canada, the nicest country in the world.



This time, Galloway is under attack for walking out of a debate (that he was losing) because he did not want to debate the Israeli that he knew but pretended to be surprised to be debating. The BDS then distanced themselves from him, aware that his comments at the debate appeared to be anti-Semitic and, as Rachel Shabi, a spokesperson for the BDS indicated, by showing his anti-Semitism, it might drive away some of the Jewish support that has been tricked into helping the BDS.

You, Gilad Atzmon are angry at this Jew for trying to get more Jews to help you who hates Jews. Whoa, once.

You deny anti-Semitism by making the following points:
"BDS Committee in Ramallah has, once again, had to bow to its [Jewish] paymasters."
"Do you really want to turn Palestine (sic) into a synagogue and the solidarity movement into a yeshiva?"
and consistently referring to the "Jews in the movement" as some sort of scourge that needs to be eliminated.

Doesn't all this smack of anti-Semitism? Doesn't it just shout it from the Dome of the Rock? What is more indicative of Judaism than references to temples and religious schools? What is more old school racism than the hint of Jews as money-lenders and bank controllers? Not only is your anti-Semitism anti-Semitism, it is one of the oldest, most boring forms. At least come up with something new.

Wait, this is new: You confirm that Omar Barghouti is a racist. Well, we agree again. Barghouti is a racist and the leadership of the BDS - like Barghouti and yourself - are threatened by intellectualism.

To summarize your article. You are not racist because you are racist. The BDS isn't racist enough. You hate Jews so much you don't even want them tricking other Jews into supporting your racism. Whoa again.

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