Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 25, 2020

Leah: Ugh. Did you hear about the DeSean Jackson and Nick Cannon controversy? Because -- yikes.

Brandon: Oof, yes. Give me your take.

Anyway, both men eventually apologized, but it wasn't pretty.

In other words, our own experiences with racism don't prevent us from propping up other kinds of bigotry, whether we see it or not.

L: Yeah, for sure. I think that this whole thing reveals how even marginalized groups can support other types of oppression.

B: Without conflating the particulars of different prejudices, I've stopped a few times this past week to think about how broadly entrenched bigotry is in American society.

Part of its power is that it doesn't always need to register as egregious to be harmful. For many, antisemitic remarks may not have the same sting as other, state-sanctioned manifestations of prejudice, like the police killing of George Floyd in May.

L: YES, you're totally right. If an anti-Semitic comment isn't along the lines of Holocaust denial, people often look past it, I think, or excuse it as "not that bad."

The historical context

The Mississippi Burning case

The resulting conversations have been fruitful: They've made crystal clear the importance of detecting and grappling with cultural blind spots, specifically within Black communities.

But less talked about is the fact that addressing anti-Semitism is crucial not just because it's the right thing to do, but also because it's vital for understanding the wider workings of oppression. anti-Semitism -- anti-Jewish hostility -- is an ideological pillar of White supremacy, the very same bigotry that's long threatened Black Americans.

This sobering history offers a lesson for the America of 2020, as it interrogates deep-seated racial inequality: that we can't hope to fully reckon with the legacy of White supremacy if we also, intentionally or not, endorse its central tenet of anti-Semitism.

Recommended for your eyes and ears

Netflix's latest reality dating show is "Indian Matchmaking." It's a breezy watch, however it is not without its controversy.

In following a high-profile matchmaker's clients, the show highlights -- but doesn't really challenge -- the roles that colorism (the quest for a "fair" partner) and sexism play in dating and arranged marriages.

Since its debut, the show has ranked among the 10 most-watched items on Netflix. It'll surely suck you in, too, and give you lots to think about.

The release of Netflix's "The Baby-Sitter's Club," a remake of the classic children's book series, was followed by a short, 17-minute documentary called "The Claudia Kishi Club."

The documentary delves into the character Claudia Kishi, a stereotype-busting Japanese-American girl. Kishi has long been an inspiration to viewers and the documentary investigates why she -- as well as representation generally -- is so important.

"It was genuinely chilling, and this time, the anti-Semitism was coming from people who looked like me," writes Soraya Nadia McDonald, who's Black and Jewish.

Something else to think about

Around the office

He writes: "It's true that Lewis belongs to the era of Freedom Rides and epic marches, but he also showed you don't need to be a traditional civil rights hero to get things done. We do him a disservice if we freeze him in the black and white footage of the 1960s. He doesn't just belong on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He's in the streets of places like Portland, where protestors keep marching through tear gas and rubber bullets."

Original post:

Why it's crucial to grapple with our cultural blind spots - CNN

Category: Holocaust Denial
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