Moderating The Forums: a suggestion

[sirio11]

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I am still waiting for Dynasty to substantiate his opinion.


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[Arnfinn Madsen]

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I am still waiting for Dynasty to substantiate his opinion.


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The paranoid anti-antisemitism seen by many here originates from paranoia, not substance. If everyone sceptical to some of Israel's actions would support antisemitism, why aren't the antisemitic movements in Europe gaining any considerable strength? Why aren't we voting for neonazi parties and putting them into power? Maybe because Holocaust is so present here that we don't tolerate human right abuses towards any race, be it Jews or anybody else. It is sad to see that many supporters of Israel, a country based on the idea of creating a safe place against human right abuses, have lost that broader perspective.

[jman220]

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Ad Hominem is the most misused "logical fallacy" on these boards. It is quite clear that most of you either never took a logic course, or failed to understand it.

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Yes, I have found something both me and Jman agree on [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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Chaos theory says it was bound to happen sometime.

[jman220]

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I aslo fear what I see as 'mob mentality' surrounding this specific issue, and ask all posters, as you do, to be very sensitive to where that type of mentality leads.

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An example of what that kind of mentality can lead to is the Holocaust.

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Comparing a squabble on the politics forum of a poker website to the holocaust = Brilliant!

[jman220]

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A number of posters have been attacking the poster (not the posts) by using the term anti-semitic.

Some have been challenged, I cant remember anyone defending their use of this term.

As far as I am concerned, those who use this term, even if the posts were out and out virulently anti-semetic should consider not posting that thought (I have in the past used the term fascist or bigotted - and in the past year or so tried consciously to resist using such terms even if I think they are fit the bill -- I have regres). It is not necessary to post every thing you think.

The moderators can cull the truly anti-semitic.

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ACPLAYER,
I will continue to call out the anti-semitics as I see them.

Regards,
--jman220.

[ACPlayer]

OK. It was a suggestion to reduce the level of noise on the forum.

However, please also point out exactly why the statements they are making are anti-semitic. Otherwise, it is just noise.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

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I aslo fear what I see as 'mob mentality' surrounding this specific issue, and ask all posters, as you do, to be very sensitive to where that type of mentality leads.

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An example of what that kind of mentality can lead to is the Holocaust.

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Comparing a squabble on the politics forum of a poker website to the holocaust = Brilliant!

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Ok, I will say it more clearly: take the posts of some of the posters here and exchange Arab with Jew and it sounds like early nazi propaganda. Mix that with mob mentality and you have the basis for another Holocaust. Of course it is far far away and I don't accuse anyone of being near that extreme, just pointing out what it may lead to. The kind of thinking that some other race is inferior and less worth has led to loss of plenty of innocent lives throughout history (Holocaust etc.). And we are not past that part in history, so we can't just shuffle it away as irrelevant, racial motivated killings happen in many areas of the world frequently today. That this is a poker forum provides no excuse from contributing to the futural risk of such events even if the influence is microscopic and society as a whole has a bigger knowledge buffer. If more people had confronted it in the 1920s and 1930s when it started to brew it may not have been possible for Hitler to do what he did, maybe some could learn from that?

[Gregatron]

Part of the problem is lack of a specific guideline for what is and what is not anti-Semitic. I grew up in an orthodox Jewish family, and have been to synagogue with more Jews than most supporters of Israel in the politics forum have ever met. Yet many of them would quickly and mindlessly in a knee jerk fashion label me as anti-Semitic, because I also have some serious reservations about the policy of Israel.

Attacking Jews, the Jewish people, etc, is obviously anti-Semitic. But Israel is a nation-state. It is a political entity. As such its actions should, IMO, be subject to as much scrutiny as any other country. I beleive most reasonable Israel supporters would agree with this.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

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As such its actions should, IMO, be subject to as much scrutiny as any other country.

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Bingo. Israel has not behaved like a fair democratic country, and thus is not perceived as one either (seems to be moving very clearly in that direction though, but the negative image will probably take long to get rid of). But nobody can claim that Jews are not fair or democratic, since there are plenty of fair and democratic Jews. Claiming that Jews as a religous group or people are responsible for human rights abuses is antisemitic IMO, it is a false negative stamp put on a group acting as individuals. Claiming that Israel is conducting such abuses is not antisemittic as it is a statement about the country. In short, tell me you are a Jew, and I will respect you, tell me you are an Israeli citizen and I will respect you, tell me that you think that Israel has a special right to mistreat other races and I lose all respect.

[Myrtle]

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Part of the problem is lack of a specific guideline for what is and what is not anti-Semitic. I grew up in an orthodox Jewish family, and have been to synagogue with more Jews than most supporters of Israel in the politics forum have ever met. Yet many of them would quickly and mindlessly in a knee jerk fashion label me as anti-Semitic, because I also have some serious reservations about the policy of Israel.

Attacking Jews, the Jewish people, etc, is obviously anti-Semitic. But Israel is a nation-state. It is a political entity. As such its actions should, IMO, be subject to as much scrutiny as any other country. I beleive most reasonable Israel supporters would agree with this.

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Given your background, help clarify for me.....

Is the opposition to the policies of Israel anti-semetic or anti-zionist?

....Or, is it necessarily either?

Perhaps those that are opposed to some of the policies are simply......opposed to some of the the policies?

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