Opinion
The racism epidemic
Sami Michael
Published: 27.03.13, 10:00
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60 Talkbacks for this article
1. Excellent article!
Stan ,   Israel   (03.27.13)
I congratulate Sami Michael for telling it as it is. He is a man of the caliber of Anthony Lewis (Twice Pulitzer Prize winner who died this week)
2. I share every word of this paper, bravo!
Yossef   (03.27.13)
3. To the author
Sagi   (03.27.13)
Sir, I would like to address your article by opening with an adage from our sages. Man is like the tree in the field. I have always interpreted this as Man being only another component of nature, the universe or creation, and as such we act in accordance to the ways and laws of nature. Thus Man is bound to the basic concept of cause and effect. No amount of moral thinking and deep soul searching can change this, Man being part of nature and cause and effect being part of nature, ergo the two are inseparable. The concept of "sinat hinam" has been bandied about. I put it to you that no such thing exists, for the above stated reasons. I, just like you, would like to live in a Utopian society, free of all predjuces, but it will not happen, again for the two given reasons. To simplify things let me put it thusly. Arabs wish to destroy my country and expel my people from their homeland, cause. We retaliate by defending ourselves, sometimes by necessary offensive action, and mostly by excluding them from the mainstream, effect. The Haredim make unreasonable demands, by violence or coercion, on a large section of society, cause. Society retaliates by not liking them and again excluding them from the mainstream. I could continue with innumerable instances but they all boil down to the same thing, cause and effect. Man is by nature apprehensive of anyone who is different from his particular self and the constraints of the society or community in which he dwells and lives his life and practices his mores. Color and creed are beyond our control, here we must bring ourselves to believe, as you say, that we are all part of the same Human race. When it comes to religion it is a different matter altogether. Religion is a Man made concept and the fact is that it has been and still is the most devastating and detrimental concept ever devised by Man. Few are the deeply religious, from any denomination, who can truly say with profound belief, "We are all God's people", "love thy neighbor as thy love thyself". This would be tackling the very basic laws of nature, something which is an impossibility. You are a good person,Sir, a decent Human being, but you are attempting to change the unchangeable. Of course if the Arabs suddenly decided not to wish our demise then we would change our attitude to them, again cause and effect. But then, sure as heaven above, other reasons would pop up, why, because we are "the tree of the field".
4. A bitter man
Carl   (03.27.13)
Sami--You used to be a good writer now you're just a bitter old man.
5. Energy is transfered - not created
Apartheid Girl ,   TA, Israel   (03.27.13)
I grew up in Apartheid South Africa. Black people (read not white skinned) were severely discriminated against. Today, in the same country, what lessons were learned from racism? discriminate against white people now. This concept does not EVER dissappear, but is only transferred and reflected. 2 forces - people only feel protected within their "own" to the exclusion of others and ignorance of difference breeds fear and hatred. Every individual simply has a responsibility to be as fair as they can.
6. Well Spoke Sir!
World Citizen ,   the world   (03.27.13)
7. Racism in Israel
David ,   On this planet   (03.27.13)
The only racism in Israel was and is against Mizrahim ans Sepharadim and not Arabs. Arabs earned their racism by not willing to live in a Jewish state. The Sepharadim came to Israel as partners to the creation of Israel and were spit on. Get your facts wright or go back to Baghdad where you came from
8. Hey world citizen, they don't teach
HaifaGuy   (03.27.13)
English in "the world"? Well spoke(n) because this blind bitter miserable old pops has given you another reason to hate Israel? I guess in "the world" there is no animosity towards hoards of people hell bent on destroying you, I.e. the arabs. May I come for a visit sometimes?
9. To No. 3.
Bertram ,   London, UK   (03.27.13)
First of all, I give my unequivocal support to this excellent article. Secondly, you appear to have a biologistic and fatalistic approach to human life. I understand this point of view but it removes all moral responsibility for human actions since life is essentially unchangeable. If that is the case, we should refrain from moral outcries when the actions of others have negative consequences for us. It is a world of the survival of the strong and the defeat of the weak. Not surprisingly, I disagree with this position. I do not know about the rest of the animal kingdom but I do believe that humanity - at least in principle - is capable of moral choice. In that way, we have a responsibility to condemn the Nazis did, to condemn suicide bombers, and to condemn racism in all its guises. At the same time, we have a responsibility to act justly towards each other and not cross the road when we see injustice. Idealistic? Yes. Difficult to live up to these ideals? Undoubtedly. But if we don't even try then we are indeed less than fully human.
10. The various talkbacks just prove what Sami writes
Yossef   (03.27.13)
11. #10 epic fail
(03.27.13)
9 Talkbacks precede yours. 4 support Michael completely. 3 (#3, #5 and #7) agree with Michal but respectfully give a more nuanced opinion. 1 writes to another Talkbacker 1 says Michael is bitter. So you are saying "Michael is proven right because 7 of 9 Talkbackers support him". Do you know how silly you sound?
12. Stupid, discrimination is not racism
Sidney ,   USA   (03.27.13)
The Israeli response to Arab terror and violence is rational. When a group uses pregnant women as terrorists and children to throw stones at Israelis and elects MKs who openly side with Israel's enemies, it is rational not to trust the group. The bombs in World War II could not distinguish between "good" and bad Germans. "Discrimination is the prejudicial and/or distinguishing treatment of an individual based on their actual or perceived membership in a certain group or category".
13. Amen to Sami!
Sarah ,   Rehovot   (03.27.13)
I was just ranting about this to my husband last night! I am very much fed up with how badly certain populations in this country are treated and I am very glad that someone has decided to speak out about it. I do, however, hold no hope that the majority of Israelis will ever change their behavior towards the "others," as they have little respect for even themselves, how can we expect them to have compassion towards others? The education system does need to change, but so does the education received at home.
14. Yes,mr. Sami Michaels, we all are racist without exception.
leo ,   usa   (03.27.13)
Such is our human nature. BTW, any non-racist who thinks that Jews are better than that is racist too. However, having so many flaws that we do it is not important who individuals are, but it is important how society reacts to individula imperfections, whether society condones or condemns them. Lastly, when it comes to Arabs it is not as much as case of racism as it is case of prudency - like they say in my country, reputation is a btich.
15. A thinly veiled Useful Lftist article parading as socio-
tom ,   tel aviv   (03.27.13)
philosophy.Embarassing at best. There is nothing unnatural in man's tendency to protect own CULTURE. Sometimes it goes in pair with RACE sometimes doesn't. There is wonderful speech by dictator Putin given at the Duma on Feb4: "In Russia live Russians. Any minority, from anywhere, if it wants to live in Russia, to work and eat in Russia, should speak Russian, and should respect the Russian laws. If they prefer Sharia Law, then we advise them to go to those places where that's the state law. Russia does not need minorities. Minorities need Russia, and we will not grant them any special privileges, or try to change our laws to fit their desires, no matter how loud they yell 'discrimination'. We better learn from the suicides of America, England, Holland, Scandinavia and France, if we are to survive as a nation. The Russian customs and traditions are not compatible with the lack of culture or the primitive ways of most minorities. When this honorable legislative body thinks of creating new laws, it should have in mind the national interest first, observing that the minorities are not Russians."
16. Jerusalem Jews daily victims of Arab racism
LiveHereForAwhileSam ,   Jerusalem Israel   (03.27.13)
If Sami lived here in Jerusalem for awhile he would experience the daily humiliation and racist taunts by Arabs including graffiti desecration of synagogues racist remarks in the Old City and its environs by Arabs not to mention the majority of suicide bombings and bombings in general over the years have been aimed at Jerusalem's Jewish residents The Jews of Jerusalem have suffered this for generations and deserve a special medal for suffering ! Stay safe Sami in your Tel Aviv ghetto.
17. Let us get real! Balance!
rea rea   (03.27.13)
There are plenty of derailed minded Jews, Israelis, and too many Arabs, Syrians, Jordanians, Palestinians. A balanced constructive critique on the victims of multiple trauma could help. The most violent racism is found today, in the Muslim Brotherhood, Wahabbism, Shi'ite and Iranian politics.
18. # 15 Tom
Sagi   (03.27.13)
Putin's idea and concept are the penultimate ideal solution, the ultimate one being expulsion of minorities and self imposed isolation, it will not happen because the world, at the beginning of the 20th century entered a phase which we now call technology, this has been and is an ongoing event which causes the majority of people to be "overtaken" by it. It is also the major cause of population movement and what we call a cosmopolitan society. It will only go deeper as we progress and hi tech becomes nano tech.
19. Tom #15
Dror ,   Emeq Yizrael, Israel   (03.27.13)
Good post. I agree whole heartedly with Mr. Putin. "In Russia live Russians. Any minority, from anywhere, if it wants to live in Russia, to work and eat in Russia, should speak Russian, and should respect the Russian laws. If they prefer Sharia Law, then we advise them to go to those places where that's the state law. Russia does not need minorities. Minorities need Russia, and we will not grant them any special privileges, or try to change our laws to fit their desires, no matter how loud they yell 'discrimination'. We better learn from the suicides of America, England, Holland, Scandinavia and France, if we are to survive as a nation. The Russian customs and traditions are not compatible with the lack of culture or the primitive ways of most minorities. When this honorable legislative body thinks of creating new laws, it should have in mind the national interest first, observing that the minorities are not Russians." Putin is nobobys push over. Russians will survive the NWO better than the western world, because they don't pretend it does not exist. Jews in Israel are pushovers, lackies, and suck ups, but God will be our protector to make up for the lack of leadership that Putin exhibits for his people.
20. #15 How do you interpret "Remember, you have been a stranger
Yossef   (03.27.13)
in the land of Egypt" ? Does it speaks to you ? And also, BTW, "love the stranger as yourself"...
21. #16 The racism of other people, even our enemies,
Yossef   (03.27.13)
doesn't justify our racism, never. Judaism teaches us not to condemn the father for his son's fault and not the son for his father's fault.
22. # 9 Bertram
Sagi   (03.27.13)
Animal instincts and human instincts are not far removed from each other, when it comes to evolution we are just one foot out of the jungle. Morality, like pornography, is a matter of geography, one man's meat is another man's poison. I have a very pragmatic view of life and I therefor hold the opinion that it is nigh impossible to change certain things in Human nature. Far from condoning racism or ethnic hatred I find it totally abhorrent. Discrimination of any kind is anathema to me, but as a matter of pragmatism, as explained previously, I accept that it exists and will continue to exist. None was happier than I at events and people in my lifetime that changed the world, MLK and those who who gave him the incentive to act, Pete Seeger, Rosa Parks etc. When I was young and first read about the suffragettes I found it exhilarating and when I read about the slave trade from Africa I felt ashamed and regarded this as a terrible stain on Humanity. Of course we have to try, we invented the concept of God and we have put untold of effort into promulgating this concept. We also invented the concept of morality, but the input of effort into the success of this concept has been miniscule in comparison to that of religion and in fact has been left to a very few individuals throughout history. This is a testimony to the paucity of Man's capability of distinguishing between right and wrong.
23. racism?
layzer shimon cynamo ,   beitar illit israel   (03.27.13)
not all jews are ready to BARE their throats to the knife-by extension,enough is enough,and the rage at being made helpless by never ceasing concessions and sacrifices by the oy my goy hoy poloy will not be stilled by equating the victim-us the jews-with the enemy...elie wiesel speaks from very bitter experience when he says "if someone says he's going to kill you...BELIEVE HIM ! ! ! ''
24. #7 Racist
Rau   (03.27.13)
You can't even spell the word right correctly yet have the gut to move this man to Baghdad. The article is actually referring to you. got it.
25. Sami from Iraq
Dror ,   Emeq Yizrael, Israel   (03.27.13)
Sami, look at Iraq, look at what they have brought down upon their heads for the destruction of the First Temple. They kill each other like dogs. Now, who is responsible for the Second Destruction of the Temple? who is responsible for the Holocaust? Who? Rome-Europe-and their bastard stepchild USA (ALL ESAU) look at what awaits them. Financial ruin, civil war, chaos, shame, self destruction... take your racism pablum puke crocidile tears back to Iraq, lets see how they respond to you there.
26. As Judaism is fading, it defends itself through mean racism.
Michael ,   California, USA   (03.27.13)
27. Wrong
Bob   (03.27.13)
Actually, for a country who has been at war for 60 years and made up mainly of refugees who were kicked out of Arab countries, Israel is remarkably non-racist
28. There are two races: the human race and the human race po
Rivkah   (03.27.13)
polluted with fallen angel DNA. Those polluted with fallen angel DNA hate the humans who are 100% human since the nephillim are not eligible for the plan of salvation. There are those who are eligible for salvation and those who are not and those who choose not to be eternally saved by HaShem. DNA tests to determine if a person is entirely human should be done before marriages. Nothing can be done about the savage hate of those with fallen angel DNA toward those with human DNA except for the Jewish Messiah Yehoshua to come and cast the unbelievers into hell with the fallen angels and the nephillim turn back to dust since they do not have souls to go to hell, in my opinion.
29. No racism in Israel
Richard Sandler ,   Brooklyn,NY   (03.27.13)
There is no racism in Israel. I mean there are laws to protect against racism in Israel and Israelis have gone out of their way to bring all races into Israeli society. there is prejudice due to differences in prayer methods and there is individual racists...but Israeli education teaches against racism.
30. To No. 22 Sagi
Bertram ,   London, UK   (03.27.13)
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I would add just one rider. Recent research has shown that there appears to be some kind of morality (i.e. altruism) operating with higher order primates (apes), and not only in relation to parents and children (e.g. 'maternal instinct' behaviour). This leads me to think that morality is actually important for human survival, that without cooperation and acting in the 'right' way living together is unviable. I agree that the form morality takes may vary from one group to another but acting in a moral way is not an invention (religious or otherwise) but a human necessity. That is why racism, for example, is not just wrong - it dehumanises.
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