Farrakhan, was Re: Anti-Zionism Is Racism

Art McGee amcgee at well.com
Sat Aug 4 14:32:06 PDT 2001



> I recognize that the most oppressive form of racism in
> the US manifests itself as White supremacy. But
> Farrakhan is still a racist and antisemite. He lacks the
> power to make it a form of oppression.

He's actually more of a provocateur than being either of those things. Certainly, his anger directed at white people in general is no different than what the average Black person feels. The only difference is that he articulates it in public. Now, in terms of the provocative statements about Jews, that's where people part company with him. Most Black people view Jews as being white people, no more exploitative than any other White Supremacist or Capitalist. Jews certainly don't get any special exemption though, although some Jewish people are still under the delusion that they should. Sorry, but we ain't in the same boat. Jews are fully enmeshed in the White Supremacist and Capitalist system and are oppressors of Blacks and other minorities, just as the Italians, Irish, and other "white" people here are.

In addition, and this is appropriate for the topic, a lot of the hostility you may have seen coming from him in the past was really a poorly phrased version of Anti-Zionism. His comments have been purposeful attempts to take swipes at the obvious hypocrisy of the Jewish ruling class in the U.S. and Israel, but the way he does it comes out as generalized Anti-Jewishness. It took me awhile to figure that out, but I see it clearly now.

In fact, if you look at how any attempts to criticize anything about Israel, Zionism, or the historically paternalistic relationship that Jewish people have to Blacks in the U.S. is met with screams and cries of anti-semitism, even when coming from clearly non-racist Radicals, it makes you wonder if Farrakhan is really all that bad, and if a lot of the bitching and whining is just more of the same hypocrisy or attempts by the ruling class to protect it's territory.

Art



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