Diagnosis

Historian Paul Johnson: The Anti-Semitic Disease:

What strikes the historian surveying anti-Semitism worldwide over more than two millennia is its fundamental irrationality. [SNIP]

Asked to explain why they hate Jews, anti-Semites contradict themselves. Jews are always showing off; they are hermetic and secretive. They will not assimilate; they assimilate only too well. They are too religious; they are too materialistic, and a threat to religion. They are uncultured; they have too much culture. They avoid manual work; they work too hard. They are miserly; they are ostentatious spenders. They are inveterate capitalists; they are born Communists. And so on. In all its myriad manifestations, the language of anti-Semitism through the ages is a dictionary of non-sequiturs and antonyms, a thesaurus of illogic and inconsistency.

The great thing about reading this historian’s work is that you don’t have to be a PhD to understand it. He doesn’t talk down; he merely talks sense. Here he indicts Queen Isabella’s fifteenth century Spain for its antipathy towards the Jews, along with the rest of Europe, from that era up to the end of the Third Reich. Then there is nineteenth and twentieth century Russia/Soviet Union. Lastly and presently, there is nearly the entire Arab/Muslim world.

In pointing out these phenomena, Mr. Johnson isn’t shy about stating what the outcome usually is for those who scapegoat the Jews for their own misfortunes and bad judgment. At the very least, the nation or tribe that hates on the Jews becomes a shadow of itself if it had any greatness—see Spain. At most, it is obliterated or conquered brutally and partitioned—see Ancient Egypt or Nazi Germany.

Coming to his point, Mr. Johnson compares anti-Semitism to anti-Americanism, and states his fear of Europe returning to its old ways—especially Germany, for obvious reasons.

[A]nti-Semitism and anti-Americanism have proceeded hand in hand in today’s Europe just as they once did in Hitler’s mind (as the unpublished second half of Mein Kampf decisively shows). [SNIP]

Especially disturbing is the spread of the cult in Germany. There, in the 1920’s, anti-Semitism was a feature of the social demoralization produced by defeat in World War I. Germany is now becoming demoralized again, for a variety of reasons: appallingly high unemployment; falling living standards relative to the U.S., Britain, and other advanced nations; declining population figures, giving rise to anxiety about the future of the workforce and the security of the pension system; and the inability of the country’s leaders to address any of these problems.

Read it and learn something.

Comments

[StinKerr]

I read it and learned, or rather was reminded, that hatred is corrosive and is most destructive to the hater.

This doesn't bode well for our politcal process which seems to be turning more to the politics of hate rather than reasoned debate.

[red]

Paul Johnson's book "History of the American People" should be required reading. It's fanTAStic. I know quite a bit about American history, but his book is encyclopedic. I highly recommend it.

[Jamie]

I'm right in the middle of "A History of the American People," and I'm enjoying the hell out of it. Second the advice from Red. I wish it was required reading; I'm taking a US history class right now (required) and find it shallow compared to Johnson's book, which I'm reading on my own.

I have also noticed these contradictions anti-semites have, and it's unnerving. This is a wonderful essay, I'm passing it along.

[Bill O...]

Baldi were you ever stationed in Europe? There is definitely an anti-American streak in Europe and it is growing. But to compare it to European anti-Semitism that caused the Holocaust is to trivialize the scale of what Hitler did. But if one wants to talk about anti-Americanism why stop at the borders of Europe? Can anyone name any legitimate Democracy where the majority of the population holds America in high regard anymore?

[A Proud Veteran]

quote: Can anyone name any legitimate Democracy where the majority of the population holds America in high regard anymore? (unquote)

Iraq.
Afghanistan.

[baldilocks]

Bill: I was stationed in Berlin for almost four years.

[Bill O...]

A Proud Veteran: While Iraq and Afghanistan did just have their first election and large portions of the population are grateful to the US those countries are not even close to being real Democracies yet. If those countries were Democracies all the US military would be able to come home.

[Fausta]

Paul Johnson's one of the great thinkers and writers of our time.
Excellent post, Juliette!

Baldilocks.
I suspected that you had spent time in Europe since you have been in the military. I was hoping that you would talk about what experience you had there that supports the view that anti-Americanism might evolve into something comparable to what lead to the Holocaust. I know you didn't mean to trivialize historic European anti-Semitism but isn't this the same level of comparison Dick Durban made and that you justifiably rebuke? You have mentioned the media inattention to Dar Fur but also there is the French involvement in the Rwanda genocide. More attention should be given these acts of genocide that are more aptly comparable to the type of anti-Semitism that has happened in Europe.

[baldilocks]

Anonymous: That is a legitimate question you asked, so let me make myself clearer than I have been doing, apparently.

I'm not opposed to such comparisons in and of themselves. What I am opposed to in the Durbin situation is the *unjust* comparison. Additionally, Durbin's position as US Senator while using those analogies undermines the morale of the troops and boosts that of our enemies. Paul Johnson's word do not do that. (Notice that you don't see Al Jazeera reporting on Paul Johnson's comparisons, in contrast to those of Senator Durbin's.)

As for the rest of your statements, they seem to be non sequiturs. Can you be clearer?

[Maynard]

Bill O.,

How about Iran and Israel. Both legitimate democracies and while the Ayatollahs may not care for America, the vast majority of Iranians want to be just like us.

[bleedingbrain]

Hi Juliette,

Nice essay by Paul Johnson.

Anti-Semitism seems to appear spontaneously through-out history but I know that there are waves of "whisper campaigns" that circle the globe quite regularly promoting anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism.

Where these "whisper campaigns" originate and who fuels them are mysteries to me. I just know that many people who do not base their thinking in reality are susceptible to these campaigns and they are often infected with the disease of irrational hatred of Americans and Hebrews.

[A Proud Veteran]

Bill O.,

If the measure of being a "real democracy" is for us to be able to come home, then I guess Germany and Japan aren't "real democracies" either? Or England? Or South Korea?

I will grant you that Iraq and Afghanistan are NEW democracies, but the fact remains that they are legitimate democracies and that the majority of their folks like us, regardless of what you read in the daily paper.

[Bill O..]

Proud Veteran.
If the US left Iraq and Afghanistan Democracy in those places would last about as long as it would take for the last US solider to close the helicopter door. If the US military left the UK, Germany and Japan these countries would still be Democratic. These countries have established Democratic institutions and their leaders don't rely on the US military to keep them in power. Someone said Iran and Israel which is more plausible. However I think the level of true Democracy in those later instances is dubious when being of a certain religious faith is a requirement for citizenship or being allowed to run for political office.

[Bill O..]

Proud Veteran.
If the US left Iraq and Afghanistan Democracy in those places would last about as long as it would take for the last US solider to close the helicopter door. If the US military left the UK, Germany and Japan these countries would still be Democratic. These countries have established Democratic institutions and their leaders don't rely on the US military to keep them in power. Someone said Iran and Israel which is more plausible. However I think the level of true Democracy in those later instances is dubious when being of a certain religious faith is a requirement for citizenship or being allowed to run for political office.

[StinKerr]

Nobody mentioned South Korea, another democracy that holds us in high regard. Oh yes, I know about the student demonstrators, but they are a very small minority, no matter how loud and obnoxious they are. The vast majority appreciate what we and our allies have given them.

The UK do fine on their own. Any U.S. units there are either liason or are based there as a courtesy or accommodation to NATO obligations.

Japan and Germany are former enemies who were severely limited by treaty in their military as a result of WW2. As such they needed to be defended. Now that democracy is well established they're in the process of building their own military and we're drawing down our forces there. Any bases left will be due to NATO/SEATO treaty obligations.

Did anyone think of Poland? Hungary? Most of eastern Europe, for that matter. Australia? The Phillipines? Ireland? Iceland? El Salvador? They stuck with us in Iraq when the Spanish and some others pulled out. Come on, it's not that hard to think of some more.

Indeed, when you get away from the loonies in control in some of the capitals of Europe, we're still pretty well liked I'd say.

As to our friends to the north they're so much like us that they're afraid of losing their identity so they seem to feel that they have to draw some distinctions. When the chips are down though, they're right there with all they're worth.

[Bill O...]

StinKerr.
The average person in many of the countries you listed are more likely to dislike the US than not. E.G. The Republic of Ireland had one of the largest protests in their history against the US when GWB visited. This was huge news in the British Isles.
Most of Eastern Europe? When I spent time in Poland and other parts of that region they generally expressed great admiration for Ronald Reagan but get really worked up about our current government hence their time table for wanting to pull out of "you know where" in the Fall. There are similar sentiments elsewhere in Eastern Europe. Even Canada is getting testy: after years of cooperation they just recently told our President they will not allow us to install missile shield technology on their soil which is very important for it to effectively protect us.

[Bill]

And don't forget the "intellecutally driven" back-hand complement type of anti-semitism like historian Arnold Toynbee's who was sick enough to say that the Jews had no right to a state because they were too important to humanity.

To him, they are a resource best managed by living at the permission of others. One sick b@st@rd. And intellecutaloids who need an excuse to love the Jews to death like to quote him.

Here's more on him from the a british comp sci prof. I DEFINITELY don't endorse this website but they seemed to be the only people with clout in the UK who stood against the anti-semetic AUT boycott of university academics. Though ENGAGE seemed to demand a similar loyalty oath from their supporters to that of the AUT twits, clearly had much a VERY radical marxist agenda behind them, they also were very clear on Israel's right to exist and that the boycott was rabidly antisemetic.

http://liberoblog.com/2005/06/10/some-historical-reflections-shalom-lappin/

[StinKerr]

Bill O,

If all these people hate us why are so many dying in the attempt to get here? Why are our southern borders innundated with illegals? Why are we turning people away at the northern border? Why are the legal immigrant quotas so backed up that we must engage in lotteries for green cards? Why do we have so many 'overstays' of people on temporary visas?

The "Yankee go home" signs might as well include "and take me with you".