General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Is blatant anti-Semitism rampant here at DU? [View all]BainsBane
(53,093 posts)I seriously doubt most people here know much about the theology of Judaism.
You see, Jewishness is not simply a religion. It is an ethnic identity, a racial other according to German anthropologists who created ideas of race and racism in the 18th and 19th century (coinciding with the development of race as a biological category in the Atlantic world as a means of justifying slavery). (see George Frederickson, Racism: A Short History). The idea that Jews were still considered Jews after converting to Christianity throughout the West, including in Nazi Germany, should give you a pretty big clue that it is not simply a religion.
That doesn't mean mocking people for religion is much better, but it is different.
When people claim to advance a cause by invoking animosity for other racial, ethnic or religious groups, they cannot convincingly claim the mantle of social justice. The extent to which several work to justify mass murder in Syria suggests to me that the loss of life is not their primary concern. Perhaps it comes down to something as simple as the fact that if it isn't on their TeeVee sets, they can't be bothered to think about it.