I
f you’ve been paying any
attention to current events
over the last few weeks,
it’s likely you’ve heard a thing or
two about Ye — formerly known
as Kanye West — and the horrific
antisemitic comments that have
led to his downfall. The star took
to Instagram in early October
and began spouting antisemitic
conspiracy theories. He claimed
that Jews control the media,
value their financial gain over
everything else and more. He
also insisted that he could not be
antisemitic because he is Black
and a “true descendant” of the
Jewish people — another harmful
conspiracy theory that paints
modern-day Jews as “imposters”
for the “real” descendants of the
Israelites.
His
account
was
quickly
suspended, but he ran to Twitter,
tweeting that he was going to
go “death con 3 On JEWISH
PEOPLE.” This was the beginning
of a very long, and still ongoing, fall
down the antisemitic rabbit hole
for West. In the coming weeks,
he would not only defend these
comments but reiterate them,
along with similar antisemitic
sentiments.
Controversy has followed West
throughout his entire career.
Recently he has been in flirtation
with far-right politics while going
through a messy divorce, and
that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
This
particular
social
media
fiasco has left his reputation
more tarnished than ever. Several
brands have suspended their deals
with him, and his net worth has
suffered, causing him to lose his
former status as a billionaire.
Many
are
celebrating
this
outcome. Celebrities, politicians
and others with a large platform
have jumped on the anti-Kanye
train, condemning him for his
blatant hate speech. As a Jewish
person, I would be happy to
never hear from Ye again. Those
who have dashed to his defense
— mostly loyal fans — claim that
we are too quick to cancel West,
or that we need to consider his
mental health struggles in our
criticisms of him (even though
antisemitism is definitely not a
symptom of bipolar disorder) —
but these individuals are in the
minority. Thankfully, most have
realized that West is not someone
worth defending.
Being Jewish, it is refreshing to
see so many people condemning
West’s behavior and showing
their support. We definitely need
it. Shortly after West tweeted his
intentions to go “death con 3”
on all Jews, an antisemitic hate
group appeared on the overpass
of
a
Los
Angeles
Highway,
waving around a banner that said
“Kanye is right about the Jews”
and rendering a Nazi salute to
passing vehicles. Unfortunately,
this was not an isolated incident.
There has been a significant
increase
in
occurrences
of
public antisemitism since West’s
comments exploded across social
media,
largely
from
already
antisemitic individuals who are
using West’s comments as a lens
to further their own bigotry. Yet,
even as I see my peers post about
their support for Jews, I find
myself asking a familiar question
— where have these people been?
What West is saying is not new.
He’s relying on harmful tropes
about Jews that have existed for
millennia.
In a conversation with The
Michigan Daily, Judaic Studies
professor
Jeffrey
Veidlinger
discussed some of the alarming
antisemitic stereotypes that have
stood the test of time. “The most
prevalent trope of antisemitism
is the myth that Jews have
a
disproportionate
amount
of power,” he said. They are
imagined to have undue influence,
and in more extreme versions, to
even be controlling the world.”
West’s claims that Jews control
the media and the economy
reside in this exact trope. These
conspiracy theories have been
spreading for centuries, and while
their presence may not always be
as obvious as West has made them,
they remain a background hum in
the lives of many Jewish people,
acting as a constant reminder
that we will never quite be able to
escape the grasp of antisemitism.
Rationally, it should not have
taken Kanye West trending on
Twitter for the internet to realize
that Jews are in danger. Putting
aside violent acts of antisemitism
(though we have no shortage of
those), the use of antisemitic dog
whistles by our public leaders,
celebrities and others has been a
constant for years. Yet non-Jews
are much more likely to allow it to
fade into the background.
The only thing Kanye did
differently was put it plainly.
Jamie Moshin, communications
and media lecturer, told The Daily
that West’s position is particularly
unique in this aspect. “He is being
incredibly vocal about it,” he said.”
He’s not closeting it or cloaking it,
he’s doing it at the top of his lungs,
and every time he’s told to stop, he
doubles down and says something
even more inflammatory.” In
other words, his language is so
outright horrible that anyone who
claims to have a sliver of respect
for Jews has to condemn him.
While it is encouraging to see
non-Jews offering their support,
it is also, to put it simply, the bare
minimum. Condemning Kanye is
easy. What is harder is learning
to recognize and combat the
antisemitism we encounter in our
every day lives.
The vast majority of people
wouldn’t dare to render a Nazi
salute. However, they will use
coded, intentionally confusing
language
to
convey
their
antisemitism. It is this kind
of speech that is the easiest to
make excuses for, particularly
when
it
is
a
celebrity
or
politician that you agree with
on other issues. Today, this is
often seen through criticisms
of the Zionist movement. Of
course, criticizing Israel is not
always
inherently
antisemitic.
However, because this is such
a contentious issue, positions
on Israel have hardened and it
has become nearly impossible to
have a civil conversation about
it without veering into offensive
territory. It is then that criticisms
of Israel can become rooted in
antisemitism, largely because the
Israel-Palestine conflict is such
a complex issue and many do not
know much about it.
We must shine a light on
this more subtle antisemitism,
firstly by not allowing our anger
toward West to fade. Following
the Tree of Life Synagogue
shooting
in
2018,
activism
against antisemitism increased
drastically
in
the
months
afterwards. Unfortunately, many
have lost that vigilance since.
We must fight back against this
and use our anger as a jumping-
off point to show non-Jews that,
while antisemitism is often made
up of blatant acts of violence and
hate speech, it is also manifest
in subtle microaggressions that
are collectively just as harmful.
Only then can we begin to have
a meaningful conversation about
combatting antisemitism.
I
want to share something. A
quote, from a conversation
in
season
two
of
the
TV
series
“Fleabag,”
about
pain. “Women are born with
pain built in,” says one of the
characters. “It’s our physical
destiny — period pains, sore
boobs, childbirth. You know
we carry it within ourselves
throughout
our
lives.
Men
don’t. They have to seek it out.
They invent all these gods and
demons just so they can feel
guilty about things, which is
something we do very well on
our own. And then they create
wars so they can feel things
and touch each other and when
there aren’t any wars they can
play rugby.” That last bit really
stuck with me. When men
cannot fight, they play sports.
I cannot recall a time when
sports wasn’t a big part of my
personality. The first time I
remember being a sports fan
was when I was six years old.
Since then, I’ve spent many
weekends sitting opposite a
screen
for
hours,
watching
game after game. It’s a routine
I enjoy and one that provides
adequate distraction from the
stress and pressures of, well,
life.
That was how I planned to
spend the weekend of October
29th as well.
The Sunday of that weekend,
however, started on a somber
note, because I came across the
video of what transpired in the
tunnel after the Michigan vs.
Michigan State football game
the previous night.
When I first saw the video, I
didn’t really know how to react.
The truth is, I had become numb
to such incidents. It worried
me that something as terrible
as two college students being
assaulted, as well as the manner
in which it happened, wasn’t
the most shocking thing I’d
seen that week. Unfortunately,
it’s the kind of thing I see
regularly.
The
relationship
between sports and violence
is as gruesome as it is clear. I
began seeing it at a very early
age: “It (sport) is bound up with
hatred, jealousy, boastfulness,
disregard
of
all
rules
and
sadistic pleasure in witnessing
violence; in other words it is
war minus the shooting.”
Although a tad bit extreme,
the claim from George Orwell
(author
of
“1984”)
here
is
not baseless, and it sounds
eerily similar to the line from
“Fleabag.”
The
connection
between war and men’s sports
is a strong one that has survived
in many forms to this day. It is so
deeply ingrained in the culture,
manifesting itself in everything
from
the
vocabulary
used
within the sport (war jargon
such as “last line of defense” is
a commonly heard phrase, to
name one) to the game itself.
I, like many sports fans
around the world, saw athletes
as role models — as people to be
inspired by — and in turn, put
them on a pedestal. It is because
of the violence inherent to
sports,
however,
that
most
sports fans learn sooner rather
than later that this isn’t the
healthiest practice. While I can
proudly say today that I am able
to separate the crimes of the
athletes I once considered my
heroes from my love of sport
and what I think it should
stand for, the aftermath of the
Michigan-MSU game made me
question it all.
Why do athletes and sports
groups resort to violence as
much as they do? For years
I’ve seen sports pundits talk
about how they like seeing
passion and aggression on the
pitch, and I can’t help but feel
like the MSU players did what
they did as a way to show how
much they care. At some point,
somebody told these young men
that this is what they should
do for the sport they claim to
love. They should, as the cliché
goes, “be willing to die for it.”
And the unfortunate thing is
that society, including even the
most level-headed fan, builds
these athletes up to such an
extent that they think they’re
invincible. That anything on
the sports field goes.
No, it doesn’t.
For the sports fan out there
who thinks jokingly passing a
racist comment in the stands
is okay, it isn’t. For the pundit
who sits in the safety of a studio
and claims “it’s a man’s game,”
it isn’t. And for every college
and pro athlete out there who
thinks they are untouchable:
you are not, no matter how
much society might convince
you otherwise. Sometimes we
let the things we love get the
better of our emotions, and
while I can sympathize with
that, because that’s what makes
us human, I cannot accept it.
There are elements of our
lives, like sport in my case, that
matter just a little bit more than
anything else. These are the
things that keep us motivated,
happy
and
sometimes
even
sane. And whatever that thing
is for you, I promise you that it
is beautiful, made even more so
by the people who are a part of
it. But not everybody associated
with the thing you love will
always be in the right. I’m here
to tell you: Please don’t give up
on it — don’t give up on the thing
you love. Fight for it. Fight for
what it truly stands for. Fight
for it without hands or words,
but with actions that affect real
change and that bring people
together.
That’s what it means to fight
for the things we love.
Opinion
Why do we fight for the things we love?
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
10 — Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Condemning Kanye West is easy, combatting antisemitism is harder
RUSHABH SHAH
Opinion Columnist
D
uring
his
stop
in
Ann
Arbor
this
Saturday, Sen. Bernie
Sanders, I-Vt., made the case for
reproductive rights, climate action
and economic equality. I arrived at
the event an hour and a half early
with a question top of mind, a legal
pad in hand and a readiness to
write.
While in line, I was handed
pamphlets by Communist party
advocates, lectured about the need
for tighter wastewater regulation
in the Huron River and approached
by young activists asking to sign me
up for volunteer shifts. With a few
exceptions, nearly everyone else in
line was my age.
That’s to be expected on a
college campus. However, Sanders
has a long history of garnering
youth support. Sanders has a 75%
approval
rating
among
young
voters. President Joe Biden, in
contrast, lags significantly behind
with this group. Since 2018,
young voter turnout has risen
substantially.
Attracting
these
voters is no longer optional. It’s
critical to any Democratic victory
in 2022 and 2024.
I attended Saturday’s event
because I’ve had a question Berning
since Sanders’s first presidential
race in 2016: How on earth did this
81-year-old man become so popular
with people young enough to be his
grandchildren?
Based on his speech Saturday,
Sanders’s
popularity
with
young voters stems from three
characteristics.
First,
Sanders’s
independent
standing gives him more leave to
criticize both mainstream political
parties. He’s able to quickly pivot to
issues young people care about and
he’s an expert at energizing and
connecting with supporters.
If other Democrats want to be
as popular with Generation Z as
Sanders is, they’ll have to start
incorporating some of his strategies
into their own campaigns.
Though
he
caucuses
with
the Democrats, Sanders isn’t a
Democrat
himself.
Officially,
Sanders is an independent, and
describes himself as a “democratic
socialist.” Because of this, Sanders
has had more openings to critique
both parties.
Sanders’s contempt for the GOP
is well documented. Two weeks
ago, he accused the Republican
Party of having no economic plan
beyond blaming liberals and called
election-denying from the right
“a cowardly, wimpy response to
political defeat” on Saturday.
But he hasn’t left the Democratic
Party bruiseless either. He recently
asserted that “the Democratic
party has turned its back on the
working class” as a cause for the
rise of Republicanism in rural
areas.
In
a
world
where
most
Americans have an unfavorable
view of both Democrats and
Republicans and 56% want a
third party, that independence is
a strength and a quality to whivh
voters are increasingly responsive.
Candidates
who
can
balance
supporting their party while also
criticizing it are in demand.
Second,
Sanders
recognizes
that the youth bloc simply has
different priorities than the rest
of the country. From the students
I interviewed at the event, a
few common issues stuck out:
reproductive
rights,
access
to
health care and student loan
forgiveness. As if he overheard us,
Sanders highlighted all three in
his speech. To clarify, a Democrat
doesn’t necessarily need to agree
with Sanders to get that support.
Ignoring these causes, however, is
a non-starter. To mimic Sanders,
candidates need to recognize the
importance of these issues and
offer up their own solutions.
On stage, Sanders struck first
at abortion. Sarcastically calling
Supreme Court justices “geniuses,”
he criticized the Dobbs decision
that let states ban abortion in June,
saying, “It’s hard to believe … in
the year 2022 these people have
determined that women are not
intelligent enough to control their
own bodies.” These comments were
met with resounding applause.
With
health
care,
Sanders
focused on the rising cost of
prescription drugs, speaking to
how he and his supporters drove
from Michigan to Ontario, Canada
to buy insulin at “10% of the cost.”
These comments, too, were met
with applause.
When Sanders got to the issue
of education, shouts of “I love you,
Bernie!” had been exclaimed and
audience members had burst from
their seats to clap multiple times.
The energy was electric. Sanders
argued
that
forgiving
student
loan debt and expanding access to
college education were necessary
to ensure global competitiveness.
Rather than settle for Biden’s
limited student debt forgiveness
program, Sanders advocated for
free college and university tuition
nationwide, concluding that “We’ve
got to cancel all student debt in this
country.” You can imagine what
the crowd of around 1,000 college
students thought of that idea.
My final point rests on Sanders’s
ability to connect with and energize
voters, both on stage and through
other mediums. LSA sophomore
Vrunda
Patel,
who
attended
Saturday’s
event,
highlighted
Sanders’s use of social media to
connect with young voters, saying,
“It’s really encouraging to see him
post [about] … the difference in
wages for women and men … those
are issues that matter to us.” LSA
junior Kadisha Akbar echoed that
sentiment, saying, “He’s funny and
relatable.”
Toward the end of the event,
I was ushered backstage past
Capitol police to meet the Senator
himself before he continued on to
Pennsylvania, the last stop on his
tour before Election Day Tuesday.
We smiled for a picture, I put my
hand around his shoulder and
stammered a quick “It’s a pleasure
to meet you, sir.”
For all his divisive speeches,
bombastic
comments
and
far-
reaching policies, Bernie Sanders
feels radically familiar. Sanders is
credible when he criticizes both
parties. He’s credible when he gives
his position on an issue. He’s credible
when he speaks to his audience, be it
onstage, online or behind a curtain.
When Sanders gets quiet, leans
forward and starts a rant with “what
politicians often don’t tell you…”
young people believe him. Young
voters trust Bernie Sanders. That’s
why he’s loved by so many.
Why Bernie Sanders is so popular with young voters — an account of his
campus visit
JOHN KAPCAR
Opinion Columnist
TESS CROWLEY/Daily
REBECCA SMITH
Opinion Columnist