Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Coulter, Jews and Culturism

I saw Ann Coulter last night. Not surprisingly, she made some shocking remarks. Amongst them was the claim that liberals hate Jews. A liberal audience member hated the fact that she used the word hate! She responded by arguing that between covering for Palestinian atrocities, blaming Jews for infractions, protecting Ahmadinejad and other policies enabling the annihilation of Israel, it seemed like hate.

Then the liberal asked her a very interesting question, “If liberals hate Jews, why did the vast majority vote for Obama?” Coulter said she was personally dumbfounded by the phenomenon. She didn’t know. But she guessed it had to do with Jews once having been the “popular victims” and not having realized they’d lost the status. She has the instincts of a lightening rod! Her answer did not satisfy me.

Herein it gets personal. I am Jewish. And, though I do not identify as such, as thinker I must ask, “would it be anti-culturism if I did identify as a Jew?“ The answer is no. That is because Judaism is integral to Western history. We share values with the West. To be Jewish is to be a part of the West.

That said, culturists being culturists they must acknowledge Judaism has distinct cultural propensities. When the Jews came to America, like others, they brought their own history, tradition and ideologies with them. The largest influx of Jews to come to our shores was escaping tyranny and oppression at the hands of the Russian czar. A large faction was also embracing socialism as they rejected the faith of their fathers.

Jews' leading roles in the Civil Rights movement likely reflect this history. This Jewish orientation, magnified by a propensity for being lawyers inherited from Talmudic traditions, definitely sped up the rise of civil rights, multiculturalism and open borders. For better or worse, history impacts culture. And the entry of particular cultures into mainstream culture also has an impact.

Blindly using laws to assist all victims hurts Jews. We do not benefit when protecting the rights of anti-semites to enter the nation and spread theocratic ideals. Doing so puts Jews at odds with the protection of western culture. Insanely enough, many Jews even ride this cultural trajectory into positions where they fight for the rights of those who would destroy Israel. Rather than automatically siding with the underdog, due to our broader roots and heritage, we should just fight for the West.

Many Jews are Democrats because their parents were Democrats. Their parents were Democrats for the same reason. Ultimately, we fight for underdogs because of our treatment in Russia. Culturist explanations teach us that people naturally and without much scrutiny absorb the cultures that nurture them. By recognizing this trend we can diffuse it. We can start to ask ourselves why we Jews, of all people, would be so enthusiastic about a disciple of Farrakhan’s friend, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, who wants to have discussions with Ahmadinejad.

7 comments:

Ducky's here said...

Hey culture man, my recently departed great uncle came to America after digging out of the Gulag in Ukraine. Yeah, he was an ethnic Slav.

Does that make him an anti-semite?

Should he have been allowed to maintain his culture?

Have you come to grips with the idea that Jews are not the touchstone for the misery of much of human experience and people do get tired of them constantly trying to validate that nonsense?

Unknown said...

Culture Man!! I like it.

My post is a criticism of Jewish ideals. Did you understand that? It also states that it people within the Western tradition - I include here Slavs and Jews - do not disrespect the West by holding true to their cultures. Did you get those ideas?

If so and you still think I think the Jews are the touchstone of all misery and you can't be Slav and Western, it must be my fault. I hope you don't think I think that.

Thanks, John

Z said...

Jews have been and are an integral part of our American culture, John, I agree.

I'm sorry Ducky's here telling you that Jews are "tiresome" in validating misery when, really, misery's been about all they've had.

Z said...

By the way..case in point: Larry King, Jewish, giggling over Ahmedinejad (who is the first guest I've seen get flowers on the set during an interview with King) "GEE!! You don't LOOOK old enough to have grown kids!" giggle giggle.

Here's a man who HATES JEWS and King's kissing his behind because IT'S A BIG SCOOP. WHORES is what I'd call us, especially when we champion the comfort of those who mean harm to our country and Jews just to look inclusive.

John said...

C.J., thank you for visiting.

I think you're monolithically conflating two cultural types within one culture and make apologies for one type on behalf of another.

It's like explaining American atheist Michael Newdow's (sp.?) militancy against theism as resulting from the same cultural forces that produced the missionary zeal of American evangelist Billy Graham.

Perhaps there is something to that, certainly our excellent Constitution creating a culture which allow both opposites to operate.

I can't use the word "co-exist" because Newdow doesn't want co-existence, but segregation and marginalization of theists, and that--(conservative) theism vs. (liberal) atheism--is at the crux of the Culture War.

I qualify theism and atheism with "conservative" and "liberal" because there are liberal theists and conservative atheists, and in many respects the conservative theist is more intellectually (if not spiritually) kin with the conservative atheist (often a Libertarian, votes Republican) than he/she is with a liberal theist (often a socialist, votes Democrat).

So there are, for the sake of this argument, two types of Americans: Not theist and atheist, but conservative and liberal.

And there are two types of Jews, liberal and conservative.

And two types of Europeans, liberal and conservative.

And so on.

These--liberals and conservatives--are distinct ideological factions--cultures unto themselves-- within distinct cultures, even those that are (traditionally) politically monolithic, like the African-American one, and the Jewish one (if only by the ratios of Ds and Rs within that culture).

And so the Culture War in the United States--a great melting pot--is not between cultural ethnicities, but of broader, cultural ideologies, the conservative and liberal ones.

I myself am a first-generation American from Europe, and although I try to maintain some sort of authentic, ethnic identification with my country of origin--whether through the appreciation of language, by associations (though few and far between), preservation of the best traditions, etc.-- I am nevertheless a hyphenated American who does the same for that part of me, i.e. maintain some sort of authentic, ethnic identification (i.e. an American one, if that itself can be called an "ethnicity") through appreciation of (the English) language, by associations (I have more American friends than I do from the country my parents were born in), and the preservation of the best American traditions, which I consider conservative ones (i.e. Classically liberal).

Because of that, I relate more on essential levels to a fellow conservative--whether American of any ethnicity, or foreigner--than I do with a liberal who shares my ethnic heritage (most of whom are liberal), or from wherever.

This is because, essentially, liberalism is the inverse, the photographic negative, of conservatism.

Such a stark contrast is not so evident among the mass of Americans/humans who lean right or left or are all over the map in their own complex way, but study, say, the writings/outlook of Adam Smith vs. the writings/outlook of Karl Marx, and, more importantly, the respective fruits they bore (cf. the United States of America and the Soviet Union in the 20th Century, in terms of human liberties, standards of living, dynamism, technological innovation and progress, created national wealth, deaths by firing squad, etc.) and the philosophical divergence--indeed, the polarity-- is quite evident.

And so when a fellow European from the same locale--perhaps even a relative--votes one way or another contrary to the direction of my vote, I do not explain his political impulses in terms of our shared heritage (as you seem to be arguing--though well--about your fellow Jews), but in terms of political ideology--liberal or conservative--which knows no national boundaries.

Anonymous said...

A friend of mine and I (we are both Christian) were pondering the same question: Why are most Jews in the US democrats? Your answer is as good as any. But it still makes no sense that the party and the political philosphy that supports Arabs over Jews and that doesn't recognize the fascist heart of Islam would be supported by Jews. When will this change. What will it take?

MathewK said...

"We can start to ask ourselves why we Jews, of all people, would be so enthusiastic about a disciple of Farrakhan’s friend, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, who wants to have discussions with Ahmadinejad."

Yes indeed. It has to start somewhere, it is difficult to go against the tradition of supporting democrats, it's like going against your parents, but it has to start somewhere.

Thanks for stopping by A Western Heart by the way. A fellow blogger let me know who you are, and we are honored. I must put your book on my growing to-read list. :)