You needn’t watch this entire video to get the sense of it. Reading the comments posted to the video, things I can’t repeat here, is also quite instructive.
This has the same flavor as something I encountered in London just last week. While walking down a street there, we passed in front of a small group of people shouting the same things, over the ubiquitous bull horn. They were shouting “Free Palestine,” and “In-fa-ta-da! In-fa-ta-da!” Being my usual self, I walked right up and shouted back, “Long Live Israel.” To which one of the men came right up, shook his fist in my face, and let out a very long stream of profanity in a strong British accent, with the word “racist!” embedded in the middle. In fact, “racist” was probably the only word reprintable in the entire tirade.
Let’s begin here: The word “racist” really doesn’t have much meaning any longer. It’s mostly a phrase slung around to shock and hurt, to keep people from talking, much like a cuss word itself, rather than an accusation with meaning.How much does this man in London know about me? Nothing. He didn’t know what country I’m from. He doesn’t know my views on race. He doesn’t know who my friends are. He doesn’t know where my charity money goes. In fact, the one thing he does know indicates I’m not a racist, for I support Israel. Israel is a Jewish nation, and I’m not Jewish. By definition, I’m supporting the good of a race of people I’m not a member of. As I’ve supported many people of many other races throughout my life. Let’s turn the question around. To the man shouting “infatada,” and “racists,” in the streets of London: How many Jews live in the section of Gaza abandoned by Israel today? Iran? Iraq? Libya? How many new synagogues have been built in Saudi Arabia in the last 100 years? Where do you find things like this?
Thirty years after the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, Hala Mustafa, editor of Egypt’s journal on democracy, is on trial for the “crime” of meeting briefly with Israel’s ambassador to Egypt. At the ambassador’s request, she spoke with him briefly in her office about a project to hold an academic conference including Egyptians, Israelis, Jordanians, and Palestinians. Mustafa replied that she’d check with her supervisors at the Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies on whether they wanted her to help organize or participate in the conference. -Rubin Reports
But you see, calling someone a racist is no longer the way to end a conversation, but rather to begin it. For by beginning a conversation this way, you can set the terms of the debate in a way that undercuts all facts and removes all thinking. Rather than starting by proving the bad motives of the person you are talking to, simply call them a racist up front. While they’re busy defending themselves, you can move the conversation in any direction you like, and make any points you want. If you call someone a racist, you will immediately make them back off anything they want to say, because they don’t want their points to be associated with racism. Calling someone a racists is, in fact, the most certain way to stop someone else from making any points at all.
This use of the word “racists” to stop all conversation, to stop people from thinking, or returning your points, is really a form of verbal terrorism. It’s not surprising to find terrorism of a sort among folks shouting “infatada” in the streets of London.
Some folks have told me I’m crazy for having shouted back at these people. “They could have harmed you.” Yes, precisely. What they are doing, calling people racists to shut down conversation, threatening people on the streets, waving their fists around, and making people walk away because they are afraid of being hurt, has a name. It’s called terrorism. Using the fear of harm to stop others from speaking, from thinking, from doing. In fact, by screaming “infatada,” they are tacitly admitting as much, admitting they are willing to use terror to shut down those among us who are reasonable, who care enough to dig, and find out what’s really going on, to keep us from speaking.
Are we going to let them?
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I would not shout back anything at people like this…people who are kind of angry…What was the purpose?! Were trying to explain them sth ?! Personally I try to look at intentions of the people, as some people just cant/didnt have opportunity to learn how to express themselves properly.
We need to listen to them, we need to know their pain…and then act/judge/blame… Why should we care?! Cause world is small, and we share it….if there is Swine Flue in Mexico, you would help them, otherwise it would spread to any other country…
Anyway, in today’s world it is hard to find sth “pure black” or “pure white”…and I would not call it “FAIR” to blindly support either side of the war.
I hope I was clear with my point of view on it.
What is the purpose of their anger? How many times in your life has the strategy of meeting terrorism with understanding, or bullying with understanding, actually worked? As for listening to them, and “feeling their pain,” you are making two presumptions:
1. That I’m not familiar with the situation, or that I just don’t know what I’m talking about. The problem here is you have no clue about how much time or effort I’ve put into “understanding the situation,” so you are putting forth a false premise to try and sound “reasonable.” I am not “blindly” supporting either side. I’ve investigated, and spent time on this issue. While Israel isn’t perfect–who is?–the danger to peace doesn’t come from the Israeli side of the border.
2. That as long as they are shouting, we must not have listened well enough. But here you illustrate the entire point of my post, that these people shout, and call names, simply to force you to continue listening, knowing that after a while, you’ll simply tire, and concede the point.
Your final comments, that it’s difficult to find “pure black” and “pure white” in today’s world illustrates the point even farther. Let’s not agitate the mean people, after all, we’re not perfect, either. There hasn’t been “pure black” and “pure white” in this world since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden. Yet somehow, when you’re cheated out of a few dollars, I’ll bet you find “black” and “white” enough to go and complain. You don’t go to the “customer service counter,” to “listen to the clerk’s tale of anguish,” and “understand,” you go to get your money back. It doesn’t matter if the clerk has had a bad day or not.
You are trying to excuse their current actions on their past “grievances,” real or imagined as they may be. This “victim game,” is why terrorism works. And as long as terrorism works, we will have terrorists in our midst.
Russ
Russ,
I posted my previous comment not to insult you or blame you because of sth (if it looks like I did, I am sorry).
I think that we(people) might be of different color, way of life, ideas, thoughts, nationality, religion, education…but we need to find a way to live together in a fair way! And I like most of us really hope this day will come!
With my following comments I just would like to share my thoughts doing my best not to assume anything:
All what I wrote about understanding their pain and stuff, is general…and it is just a way I try to approach most of the problems, identifying the source of the problem. Conflict with wife(if she is unhappy)…only intangible things will work as an example here. As I try and hopefully wont loose Hope!
You wrote that you studied the case in Middle East, ok…and you also added “While Israel isn’t perfect–who is?” it is your right to think so…but I would say “None is Perfect”. I tried to picture the clerk scenario that you mentioned above in my head…If it would happen to me, I would just go back…and explain that there was a mistake…(I wont assume that she cheated me)..I will try to look for FAIRNESS! Someone can say and I heard it a lot, that there is no FAIRNESS in this world…I say…ok…we can do our best to make it Fair, and Hope for it!
“You are trying to excuse their current actions on their past “grievances,†real or imagined as they may be.”
No, Russ. I dont try to excuse anything. I am just against calling sth/someone Black or White…against demonstration like this as well…as most of the time they are fake. You pay people they go there…and against any kind of terror!
[...] Pond’rings – An Encounter With Terrorism [...]
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I dont see any relation to above discussion.
[...] Pond’rings – An Encounter With Terrorism [...]
I think your analysis of the acts described are spot on. It is the typical use of rhetorical devices of our post modern left, all designed to short circuit debate and label opposing arguments illegitimate, all overlaid with a sinister patina of terrorism. A good post – and good for you for the action that you took. Glad to see this post linked at the Watcher’s Council.
“but we need to find a way to live together in a fair way!”
Why don’t you tell that to the Muslims?
A powerful and very instructive post. I agree with GW that it illustrates perfectly the soft terror tactics used by the Moonbat – Muslim Axis of Evil to shut down dissent.
I kind of wish I could have been there with you – I would have had your back. ;^D