Joining The Ranks Of Racist States
Intolerance for others, is it a regional, a religious, or other, trait?
Racism against Israel’s Arab citizens has dramatically increased in the past year, including a 26 percent rise in anti-Arab incidents, according to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel’s annual report.
[.....]
“Israeli society is reaching new heights of racism that damages freedom of expression and privacy,” Michael said. The publication coincides with Human Rights Week, which begins Sunday.
“We are a society under supervision under a democratic regime whose institutions are being undermined and which confers a different status to residents in the center of the country and in the periphery,” Michael said.
The number of Jews expressing feelings of hatred toward Arabs has doubled, the report stated.
- Only 50% of the Jewish people in Israel think that Arabs should have equal rights?
- 75% would not agree to live in the same building or neighbourhood with Arabs?
- 72% think Arabs are dirty and dumb?
- 55% believe in encouraged Arab emigration? (wtf does that mean anyway?)
- Discrimination against in the job market?
- Unfair treatment at airports?
- denied entry to bars?
One almost expects to hear things like this out of theocracies or authoritarian societies, they’re the ones reasonable people believe need change and progress to rise above that….. but me thinks this report out of Israel is not exactly what you might call a glowing description of a free and healthy state.
You would think a country created as a homeland for a people who were massacred and abused for so long would be more empathetic towards the plights of others.
Instead, America sends them billions in military “aid” every year. How very backwards.
I would think a country (and people) under siege for nearly 60 years would be markedly intolerant towards those perceived as the besiegers.
Try to think from the shoes the 50% or 92.5% of the people to the left of you on the bell curve, who don’t spend much time in reflective thought as to the nature of their problems, who to blame, and what to do. Hint: they react, often thoughtlessly and sometimes viciously.
There is no rationalization, excuse, or a justification, for racism and intolerance, and there is no rationalization, excuse, or justification, for a racist and intolerant state.
It is entirely possible that the state of Israel and the people who live there are walking in a totally different direction than their mainstream supporters abroad, and ultimately that will prove to be [far] less than helpful to them.
If thats not irony, I don’t know what is SL.
Of course, many people claim to speak on behalf of many other peoples on many issues – the “support the troops” crowd in the U.S. is certainly claiming the right to speak for the troops, even though Ron Paul and his “let’s quit with this empire nonsense” received far more donations from military servicemen than any other Republican candidate.
>There is no rationalization, excuse, or a justification, for racism and intolerance,
There are certainly excuses for intolerance; I decided to be intolerant of the cultures which treat children and women as second-class or non-citizens (which nearly all cultures have at one time done, but some are more stubbornly resistant to change and egregious than others, and there are now too many good examples for those cultures to feign ignorance or fear of change) a long time ago. All cultures have at least some redeeming qualities and beauty, but for some there is not enough to mitigate the dark side. I do not care to tolerate them; I prefer to marginalize and change them. I despise them.
As for “racism”, it’s a broad brush. In the sense I think you mean it, I agree. But “culturalism” – social practices as opposed to inherited characteristics – is fair game.
Propaganda.
Anti-Israel.
Anti-Semite.
Let’s have some negative posting on this blog about Muslims for a change.
Dagh–nammit b!! Did you forget to check your luggage again? You know how Lily gets when you bring back troles from these little jaunts of yours, you better have got her something really nice this time ’cause she’s pi$$ed.
…… a brand new batch of mead, just delivered yesterday, in REAL OAK barrels even, and she’s storming around the Hall of Heros kicking things and muttering “propaganda indeed, I’ll show them propaganda!!” in that scary voice of hers — and fresh mead or no me and treehugger is just plain afraid to go down there this time so you get over here quick and give her her present already; we’re thirsty!!