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Barbara Shaw's avatar

I’m glad the Jew haters are over-exposing themselves. Roald Dahl was a terrible writer as well as an elitist and a racist

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David Praill's avatar

Thanks Howard for expressing this so clearly. Sadly I fear that the few who agree with you will only be those who have already learned, somehow, to stand back from the baying crowd and to think for themselves. Social media seems to turn many into zombie like creatures without the ability to delve into complexity of any form. And the 'respectable' media don't seem to realise how easy it is to feed the fires of those caught up in the frenzy - it is I fear a deep rooted failure of the human race. I hope to meet you at a garden party one day!

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William R Hackman's avatar

It was not Freud who called that feeling "oceanic." It was Romain Rolland, who used it in a letter to Freud. Freud then repeated the term in his reply.

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Bob's avatar

How much farther from Glastonbury can you get than Melbourne? Arguably, no harm has come to any Israeli soldier (yet) on account of Bob Vylan's chant. Yet the “Death to the IDF” featured at a rally on the 6th of July and was apparently used when cars were torched and tagged with “Death to the IDF”, and that two days after it was chanted during the storming of the Israeli restaurant Miznon on Friday night (the 4th of July) while on the same night a synagogue, well, fortunately only its front door was set ablaze. All this in Melbourne within one weekend. Words, indeed, seem to have consequences.

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William Duff's avatar

It's not the IDF (the best hope for Gaza's peace) in more danger, but the gathering of centuries of persecution of innocents worldwide, to avalanche proportions.

Part of Iran/Hamas plan... with Putin's help, to break liberal democracy, from within.

And it's working fine!

(oddly, the ME still has a slender hope, ex Assad, Lebanon, if Iranians could rise)

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Alison R Noyes's avatar

Thank you yet again for your witty bitterness. So true and poor Yorick, so chap-fallen.

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Benjamin Blaine's avatar

As someone with a shameful "big-games only" interest in a football yet an inherited, blood deep appreciation of cricket, I wouldn't actually draw distinction from the Barmy Army and audience at a football match. One cheer for something I feel connected to on a level deeper than inclination or enjoyment, one cheer for something I understand less but that doesn't mean their feeling, their connection, is any less visceral, personal or real. I worry on this, and other matters in this piece, you write with less empathy than you are capable of.

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steven garside's avatar

Incredible that Jacobson can't find a word of condemnation for the fascist regime of Netanyahu, or display any empathy for the people of gaza. Instead, he reserves his spleen for those opposing a genocide. What a truly repugnant individual he is. If antisemitism is on the increase maybe it's because not enough Jewish people are saying 'not in my name'.

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William Duff's avatar

In any existential conflict, otherwise decent people will not always behave perfectly.

It is not clear to me, that ANY of those crowds baying for Jewish blood, are in the position of being surrounded by millions wishing their deaths.

And happy to celebrate their, and their children's martyrdom to achieve an imaginary Paradise?

I seek enlightenment...

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David Breger's avatar

i dunno. this whole subject continues to bamboozle me and if i could impose any result short of resurrection with my magic wand, i’m not sure what that would be. But, as Borat in Arizona makes clear, there were plenty of antisemites around way before Israel’s current - what, can you say aggression notwithstanding October 7th (yes you can). i’m not sure there were, or needed to be, many conversions at Glastonbury. You can also believe the current Knesset has murdered it’s own aspirations and those of Jews worldwide (meaning NYC) without being anti-Zionist and that gravity does not necessarily pull an anti-Zionist into antisemitism. As a Jew who hopes for Israel’s long term survival, I’m not going to let the IDF off the hook anymore that any rogue Vylan. Based on the little i know, i don’t really see you as victimized.

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Trevor's avatar

A naive interpretation of what happened at Glastonbury. Jacobson surely knows better?

Are there to be no limits on the depravity of the most criminal army in the world.?

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William Duff's avatar

I'm not sure that you could call Hamas/Hezbollah/Islamic Jihad armies - but depravity in using their people as shields to turn baked-in Hate into action against any innocents, yes.

PS No excuse to the appalling Netanyahu gang - but only 7/10 stopped them being thrown out of office.

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Frederick Roth's avatar

Have you ever turned up at someone's funeral to complain about them? Doing so could be read as a desire to cause grief to the grieving instead of a good faith discussion about the deceased's deeds.

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Trevor's avatar

No, I wouldn't do that but I'm not sure I understand the relevance of your comment.

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Frederick Roth's avatar

The relevance of my comment is that this is precisely what you are doing when you use an article about mainstreaming of anti-zio/semitism to DARVO.

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