This Is a Christian Country
Here is David Schraub's riff on today's New York Post story about a young Muslim man intervening to stop a group of Jewish subway passengers from being beaten up (for having replied "Happy Hanukkah" when the attackers said to them, "Merry Christmas.")
Like all really good bloggings, Schraub's response takes this one particular incident -- a subway beating motivated by crude, unvarnished anti-Semitism -- and puts it in a larger context. The result is chilling -- and, clearly, threatening to many of the same people who are so deeply shocked when they see religious and racial hatred without the nice suit of clothes on top.
To the reader who asked, "And the point of this post is?" I would reply that this very question is part of the problem.
3 comments:
Hey Kathy, thanks for the kind words. Just FYI, the TMV post is a pointer to the actual riff, hosted at my other blog The Debate Link.
Thanks again for the link!
You're welcome, David. I saw the link to The Debate Link at Memeorandum, but did not realize that was your blog until after I'd posted my comment.
I think your frame for this event is so relevant, especially today with Rep. King spouting on about his resolution to "honor Christmas" and declare that the U.S. is a "Christian nation. Fortunately, it failed, but how long will it be until resolutions AND laws like that start passing easily?
It's really scary, and I'm looking at it from a much longer perspective than yours (I'm 57), meaning that I can see from my own life how much the atmosphere in this country has changed.
I was going to wait on this, but as anti-Semitism is the topic, I'll relate it now.
I had sent you a link about Chanukah in Antarctica, to which you responded positively. But before I sent it to you another person on the mailing list posted this:
What the hell, Why not, They are responsible for most of the bull shit going on in the world today supported by US tax payers. Why not Antarctica.
To which I responded:
Dutch,
Do you have a specific complaint about the followers of Judaism ? ?
So far, no one, not even Dutch and especially Dutch, has had the courage to respond. Yeah, I know even retired Navy folks can be anti-Semites.
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