Discussions of racism typically avoid any form of logic. Therefore, I could not be less concerned about someone labeling me “racist” — it means only they don’t like what I’m saying, and can’t think of a good excuse for arguing. Let’s use the standard Classical Western logic people recognize these days to dissect a few examples.
1. First, the Jokerbama Poster. Aside from it’s association with truly diabolical plans by the current administration, the first reaction from the protectors of the POTUS was to call it too obviously racist. We have some unstated assertions behind that.
Obama is a black man. It’s just as logical to say “Obama is a white man.” He’s half-n-half, according to official records. Even Obama doesn’t get to choose; you are what you are when it comes to DNA.
Criticizing a black man is inherently racist. Do I really have to shoot that one down? Evil comes in all colors, so this assertion/assumption is racist on the face of it.
Obama has good intentions. Two things here: Intentions don’t matter if you destroy something. Obamacare most certainly will, and it takes an airhead Pollyanna attitude to ignore it. The arguments against the plan are quite substantial, even among the erstwhile liberal supporters of Obama. Look, the current HMOs are bad enough, denying care over profits, but government can hardly tie its own shoes, so to speak. Take away the profit motive and you destroy what few good things are attached to something which is inherently an economic activity. Basic supply and demand don’t go away just by waving the magic wand of professed care and concern for the unfortunate.
The other thing here is I would argue Obama’s intentions are evil. You can forget about associating me with Republicans, as the propagandists are saying about the raucous town hall meetings. My politics don’t fit in the right-left matrix. I’m a primitive tribalist, if you need to know, rather like one half of Obama’s ancestors. And yes, I know full well what it would do to the world if my political dreams came true — we would be back to the world God created where people lived hundreds of years without modern medical care. Ever hear of Abraham?
2. Second example: anti-Semitism. It has no apparent meaning, except “whatever it is Zionists don’t like today.” If they said “anti-Zionist” it would be respectable semantics, at least. The label “Semites” includes anyone descended from Noah’s son, Shem. That includes Arabs, Kurds, likely the Persians (not the Medes, though), along with Hebrews, plus any number of nations we can’t trace. So just about everyone living in the Middle East today has some Semite DNA. At the same time, most people who cling to the label “Jew” as an ethnic term have virtually no DNA traceable to Shem.
There are also a great many people claiming a Jewish identity who don’t embrace Zionism, and not a few who outright reject it. Just as there is no inherently Caucasian, African, or Native political agenda, there can be no inherently Jewish political agenda, so Zionists can’t claim to represent “all true Jews.” Current uses of “anti-Semitism” have no logical basis. It’s just loud, emotion-laden screaming. I tend to avoid the term “Jew,” preferring more precise words such as Hebrew, Israeli, Biblical Israel, Modern Israel, adherents of Judaism, etc.
Oh, and if you want to add in spiritual-biblical logic, there is almost no “Jew” living today who adheres to Moses, according to the standards Jesus taught. Modern Judaism is entirely Talmudic, and Jesus said the Talmud was “traditions of men” — in the context, meaning it was something concocted by people, not from God. Further, He bluntly said the Talmud was contrary to Moses.
We know there is an on-going debate as to what being a Jew means. Ethnic/racial? See the link above on DNA studies. Religious? Judaism in the vast majority of cases means not adhering to Moses, so it’s outside the Covenant. Cultural? Try and pin that one down. We can come up with a fluffy Social Science meaning, but it won’t serve to define anything which can apply to discussions of racism. Not liking certain music, foods, lifestyles, etc., is simply a matter of taste, not hatred or any other moral indicator.
Shall we examine how Zionists treat folks who aren’t Zionist? Talk about unreasoning hatred…
So call me a racist if you like; it means nothing.
