This Is a Safe Space. No Jews Allowed. Why are some American progressives embracing anti-Semitism?

[grossproffit]

Are you a Jew in Chicago who’d like to march for LGBTQ rights and gender equality? You’ll have to follow a few rules, helpfully laid out in recent weeks by the Chicago Dyke March and the Chicago SlutWalk.

First, you must not carry any “Zionist displays.” What are Zionist displays? That’s for others to decide. A Star of David might be OK. But if it’s on a rainbow flag, it probably isn’t because “its connections to the oppression enacted by Israel is too strong for it to be neutral.”

Second, you must express solidarity with Palestine. Marching in a parade with a pro-Palestinian stance is not sufficient, nor is advocating for a Palestinian state. As an openly Jewish person, you’ll need to satisfy more heightened scrutiny; other marchers may repeatedly demand that you disavow Israel and swear allegiance to the Palestinian cause. You must comply with these demands or else you will be expelled.

Third, you must renounce any previous connections you have had with Israel. Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of a group with ties to Israel? Repudiate and repent. Openly Jewish marchers are presumed to be in league with the Israeli government unless they can prove otherwise.

One final note: If you are a journalist who covers the implementation of these rules, you deserve to lose your job.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/faithbased/2017/07/the_chicago_dyke_march_and_chicago_slutwalk_aren_t_anti_zionist_they_re.html

[BigDemVoter]

1. I don't know but I NEVER witnessed or

experienced any antisemitism until this last year, and I am NO spring chicken!

[elleng]

2. Totally screwed up.

Glad I don't live in Chicago any more.

[brush]

3. They are not progressive. No possible way can one be anti-Semitic and a progressive...

or anti-black, brown, Asian-American, anti-Muslim or any other disadvantaged group for that matter.

[MosheFeingold]

4. I am curious why any gay-related group

Would demand support of Palestinian government, given the official position of their government is death penalty for homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. And it's not a theoretical position, either. It's supported by the vast majority of the populace and gays, et al, are regularly put to death.

[Behind the Aegis]

5. Because it is the "in" thing.

Many GLB (and some T), feel so "assimilated", they don't realize they are a disliked minority, and a vulnerable one. The other truth is this movement has leeched onto many progressive movements bringing in a disgusting amount of anti-Semitism, but the secondary problem is it distracts from the original groups' purpose, witness the women's movement, BLM, and now the GLBT movements. There are plenty of movements in which GLBT people participate, but what I and many others do not like nor appreciate is when a secondary movement, such as "Free Palestine"/ BDS moves in, it takes over and the original movement is strangled or shut down. It is like kudzu. It isn't to say the desire or motivation for an independent Palestine is a bad thing; it isn't and I totally support it, but not at the expense of other issues. If LGBT want to "Free Palestine", then they are free to march in those protest parades, but they are NOT going to bring them over to the LGBT movement and make it part of OUR movement, because it is not!

Frankly, this is the concept of bigotry being intellectualized and disguised as a progressive idea under the concept of "intersectionality."

[MosheFeingold]

6. I think you are correct.

The article was very informative on the "intersectionality" theory. I had heard of it, but never really understood the theory.

I suppose there is some logic in that bigoted beliefs tend to come as a package deal, but it's not a hard-and-fast rule, case-in-point being antisemitism.

I think a lot of people are just lazy thinkers, want easy answers; the Arab interests have been very well-funded by petrodollars; and, well, people like to have someone to hate, and Jews are the Western traditional "other."