From Europe News;
The Serbia Standard
Gates of Vienna 14 June 2011
As most readers already know, a couple of days ago the comment thread on Fjordman’s essay descended into a Jew-obsessed free-for-all with which we are all too familiar, and which I have come to dread.
Such threads do not change anybody’s mind. They serve no useful purpose, as far as I can tell. People vent at each other for a while, and then the thread peters out, or someone fails to control himself and jumps the perimeter fence, forcing me to close the comments.
Since a lot of the very finest people I work with in the Counterjihad are Jewish conservatives, it does not align with my strategic interests to create any more flypaper for Jew-haters.
For these reasons, I was hesitant about posting anything further on the topic, knowing what is likely to develop in the comments section as a result. But today we received an email appeal from an Israeli woman, and it made me change my mind. I’ll get to that later on in this post, but first let’s talk about Serbia.
The subject came up because one of the commenters on the earlier post mentioned Srdja Trifkovic, the Serbian-American historian. Dr. Trifkovic’s history of the Ustasha in Croatia before and during World War 2 is unparalleled. The Jews and the Serbs were corralled together and massacred in the extermination camps of Croatia, with the support (and participation) of a number of Roman Catholic priests and bishops. These are historical facts, thoroughly documented, and Dr. Trifkovic’s work on the topic is exhaustive.
For this reason, I have learned to apply what I call the "Serbia Standard” to those who argue about Israel and the Jews. Anyone who supports Israel (as I do) should also support Serbia for the same reasons. Like the Jews, the Serbs were victims of an attempted extermination during the Second World War. Like the Jews, the Serbs have been unjustly demonized. Like the Jews, the Serbs are under siege by Islam in their own land.
Since the Russians often go to bat for the Serbs, one could even make the case for a vast international conspiracy that works behind the scenes to promote Serbian interests.
Those who are gung-ho about the Jews and Israel but refuse to support the Serbs and Serbia (or who actually vilify them) are intellectually inconsistent and incoherent, so their arguments may be justifiably disregarded.
The Jews now have their own state, as do the Serbs. Both nationalities suffer at the hands of those who would damage or destroy them. Therefore the Jews deserve no more special treatment than do the Serbs, and vice versa.
The Serbia Standard serves as a useful way of weeding out disingenuous and hypocritical arguments by those who support Israel. If they fail to support the Serbs, it exposes their special pleading. I presume it could do the same for anyone who treats Serbia in a similar preferential manner.
Supporting both Serbia and Israel is a useful strategy. So is supporting Finland, Latvia, Romania, Italy, Ireland, Australia, Texas, Virginia, and many other nations that are bastions of Western traditions.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dymphna and I received the following email this morning from a woman in Israel who has asked to remain anonymous:
Dear Gates of Vienna blog managers (Baron and Dymphna),
I write you from Israel, after reading the latest overheated debate on the "Jewish question”.
Actually, I have followed your blog for some time, in order to get news that is unavailable to the Israeli population (as well as most of the West).
A huge thank you for a priceless work you are doing — from all my heart.
Well, why I decided to write you this convoluted letter at all...
You see, the heated point was very justifiably raised first by certain people about the participation of those enlightened Jews/Jewish organizations in the PC wars enabling the "enrichment”. I won’t argue the fact that they play a relatively big part (based on their population percentage) in the issue, and it’s a point that should be discussed. Shutting it down won’t do any good to anyone, especially to Jews who like me have nothing whatsoever to do with this disastrous campaign.
Nonetheless, I have to admit that the discussion has turned from informative at first to downright ugly. Well, I think you took notice of that — and that’s not why I’m writing to you.
You see, what I wanted to tell is that those Jews and their organizations like George Soros’, or the infamous J-Street, are the mortal enemies of Israel as well — just as they are against the Western traditional world.
Here in Israel the situation is pretty much the same as in Europe or in USA — the radical Left rules in the media and the academy (no matter what the elected government tries to do), and they do everything they can to discredit their own state, including all the usual "enrichment” stuff and all. Anyone who seems even slightly "right” to them is immediately defined as "bigots”, "racists”, "radicals” and so on.
In short — all the usual stuff you’re so familiar with.
I just wanted to explain and stress this important detail that I believe was mostly absent from the discussion —Israel and the Western Traditional world have one common enemy. And this enemy has a lot of radical lefty Jews among them — many of them with power and money. While we, the regular Israeli citizens, don’t have any of that. And they use it against us exactly as they use it against you.
Those who continue to blame all Jews without distinction naively/wrongly think those Jewish magnates defend Israel, yet attack and get revenge on the West.. No, they do not. They attack Israel as well, yet they do it while covering their poisonous attacks by disguising them as compatriot help and care (Soros even doesn’t care about the cover-up).
We are desperate...
Please, I just wanted to deliver the message.
I don’t want to go public with it, yet if you want to use this letter because you have to — please, drop my name and let me stay anonymous.
I’m more than happy to deliver this lady’s message. Zenster asked for a thread to discuss this topic, and she has fortuitously helped us to create it.
And I ask all of you to consider the Serbia Standard. Whether for or against, do you apply the same standards to both Serbians and Jews?
I have no time for arguments that fail the Serbia Standard. They lack intellectual rigor.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Side note: Very few people, except those who have visited Israel and know something about Israeli society, are aware that there are social problems with Jews too who originate in North Africa, and deep divisions in Israel between the Ashkenazi and African-origin Jews from Muslim countries. Takuan Seiyo wrote an article several years ago that outlines some of the issues.
Note from Dymphna
For those readers who intend to reprise the comments thread on Fjordman’s post: resist that temptation.
This post is not about the machinations of the evil Jooooos and their secret conspiracy to gain world dominance. Been there. Done that. Vent somewhere other than on this blog about that subject.
This post concerns the fact that progressive idjits are trying to destroy Israel, and they want to take the rest of the West along on their suicide mission. Are there Joooos in that group? Sure. But they are only part of it.
Instead of pondering the JQ, let’s look at the PQ — the "Progressive Question”— and maybe the fact that so many high-IQ folks can put their intelligence in neutral while they serve an evil cause. Obviously, intellect has little bearing on wisdom or long-term survival with this group.
Sooo…them’s the rules: JQ has been ruled off the turf. There won’t be a repeat of what happened the other day when the comments thread on Fjordman’s post went sideways, much to his distress.
Yes, I know, I know: policing this thread makes me a coward, afraid of free speech. However, the notion of "free speech” never entitles a person to dump whatever they choose on my parlor floor. Such arguments are best left behind in the schoolyard as people mature. At best this unbridled speech is anarchistic.
Gates of Vienna is where we make our living. The comments threads contribute to our character and reputation. It’s a friendly place as long as civility is maintained. Outside our fence, say whatever you want. But inside my front gate the rules are clearly posted.
Capish?
Posted June 14th, 2011 by pk
The Serbia Standard
Gates of Vienna 14 June 2011
As most readers already know, a couple of days ago the comment thread on Fjordman’s essay descended into a Jew-obsessed free-for-all with which we are all too familiar, and which I have come to dread.
Such threads do not change anybody’s mind. They serve no useful purpose, as far as I can tell. People vent at each other for a while, and then the thread peters out, or someone fails to control himself and jumps the perimeter fence, forcing me to close the comments.
Since a lot of the very finest people I work with in the Counterjihad are Jewish conservatives, it does not align with my strategic interests to create any more flypaper for Jew-haters.
For these reasons, I was hesitant about posting anything further on the topic, knowing what is likely to develop in the comments section as a result. But today we received an email appeal from an Israeli woman, and it made me change my mind. I’ll get to that later on in this post, but first let’s talk about Serbia.
The subject came up because one of the commenters on the earlier post mentioned Srdja Trifkovic, the Serbian-American historian. Dr. Trifkovic’s history of the Ustasha in Croatia before and during World War 2 is unparalleled. The Jews and the Serbs were corralled together and massacred in the extermination camps of Croatia, with the support (and participation) of a number of Roman Catholic priests and bishops. These are historical facts, thoroughly documented, and Dr. Trifkovic’s work on the topic is exhaustive.
For this reason, I have learned to apply what I call the "Serbia Standard” to those who argue about Israel and the Jews. Anyone who supports Israel (as I do) should also support Serbia for the same reasons. Like the Jews, the Serbs were victims of an attempted extermination during the Second World War. Like the Jews, the Serbs have been unjustly demonized. Like the Jews, the Serbs are under siege by Islam in their own land.
Since the Russians often go to bat for the Serbs, one could even make the case for a vast international conspiracy that works behind the scenes to promote Serbian interests.
Those who are gung-ho about the Jews and Israel but refuse to support the Serbs and Serbia (or who actually vilify them) are intellectually inconsistent and incoherent, so their arguments may be justifiably disregarded.
The Jews now have their own state, as do the Serbs. Both nationalities suffer at the hands of those who would damage or destroy them. Therefore the Jews deserve no more special treatment than do the Serbs, and vice versa.
The Serbia Standard serves as a useful way of weeding out disingenuous and hypocritical arguments by those who support Israel. If they fail to support the Serbs, it exposes their special pleading. I presume it could do the same for anyone who treats Serbia in a similar preferential manner.
Supporting both Serbia and Israel is a useful strategy. So is supporting Finland, Latvia, Romania, Italy, Ireland, Australia, Texas, Virginia, and many other nations that are bastions of Western traditions.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dymphna and I received the following email this morning from a woman in Israel who has asked to remain anonymous:
Dear Gates of Vienna blog managers (Baron and Dymphna),
I write you from Israel, after reading the latest overheated debate on the "Jewish question”.
Actually, I have followed your blog for some time, in order to get news that is unavailable to the Israeli population (as well as most of the West).
A huge thank you for a priceless work you are doing — from all my heart.
Well, why I decided to write you this convoluted letter at all...
You see, the heated point was very justifiably raised first by certain people about the participation of those enlightened Jews/Jewish organizations in the PC wars enabling the "enrichment”. I won’t argue the fact that they play a relatively big part (based on their population percentage) in the issue, and it’s a point that should be discussed. Shutting it down won’t do any good to anyone, especially to Jews who like me have nothing whatsoever to do with this disastrous campaign.
Nonetheless, I have to admit that the discussion has turned from informative at first to downright ugly. Well, I think you took notice of that — and that’s not why I’m writing to you.
You see, what I wanted to tell is that those Jews and their organizations like George Soros’, or the infamous J-Street, are the mortal enemies of Israel as well — just as they are against the Western traditional world.
Here in Israel the situation is pretty much the same as in Europe or in USA — the radical Left rules in the media and the academy (no matter what the elected government tries to do), and they do everything they can to discredit their own state, including all the usual "enrichment” stuff and all. Anyone who seems even slightly "right” to them is immediately defined as "bigots”, "racists”, "radicals” and so on.
In short — all the usual stuff you’re so familiar with.
I just wanted to explain and stress this important detail that I believe was mostly absent from the discussion —Israel and the Western Traditional world have one common enemy. And this enemy has a lot of radical lefty Jews among them — many of them with power and money. While we, the regular Israeli citizens, don’t have any of that. And they use it against us exactly as they use it against you.
Those who continue to blame all Jews without distinction naively/wrongly think those Jewish magnates defend Israel, yet attack and get revenge on the West.. No, they do not. They attack Israel as well, yet they do it while covering their poisonous attacks by disguising them as compatriot help and care (Soros even doesn’t care about the cover-up).
We are desperate...
Please, I just wanted to deliver the message.
I don’t want to go public with it, yet if you want to use this letter because you have to — please, drop my name and let me stay anonymous.
I’m more than happy to deliver this lady’s message. Zenster asked for a thread to discuss this topic, and she has fortuitously helped us to create it.
And I ask all of you to consider the Serbia Standard. Whether for or against, do you apply the same standards to both Serbians and Jews?
I have no time for arguments that fail the Serbia Standard. They lack intellectual rigor.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Side note: Very few people, except those who have visited Israel and know something about Israeli society, are aware that there are social problems with Jews too who originate in North Africa, and deep divisions in Israel between the Ashkenazi and African-origin Jews from Muslim countries. Takuan Seiyo wrote an article several years ago that outlines some of the issues.
Note from Dymphna
For those readers who intend to reprise the comments thread on Fjordman’s post: resist that temptation.
This post is not about the machinations of the evil Jooooos and their secret conspiracy to gain world dominance. Been there. Done that. Vent somewhere other than on this blog about that subject.
This post concerns the fact that progressive idjits are trying to destroy Israel, and they want to take the rest of the West along on their suicide mission. Are there Joooos in that group? Sure. But they are only part of it.
Instead of pondering the JQ, let’s look at the PQ — the "Progressive Question”— and maybe the fact that so many high-IQ folks can put their intelligence in neutral while they serve an evil cause. Obviously, intellect has little bearing on wisdom or long-term survival with this group.
Sooo…them’s the rules: JQ has been ruled off the turf. There won’t be a repeat of what happened the other day when the comments thread on Fjordman’s post went sideways, much to his distress.
Yes, I know, I know: policing this thread makes me a coward, afraid of free speech. However, the notion of "free speech” never entitles a person to dump whatever they choose on my parlor floor. Such arguments are best left behind in the schoolyard as people mature. At best this unbridled speech is anarchistic.
Gates of Vienna is where we make our living. The comments threads contribute to our character and reputation. It’s a friendly place as long as civility is maintained. Outside our fence, say whatever you want. But inside my front gate the rules are clearly posted.
Capish?
Posted June 14th, 2011 by pk
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