Anti-Zionism Is Racism

Forstater, Mathew ForstaterM at umkc.edu
Mon Jul 30 11:24:02 PDT 2001


the old canard you repeat about the experience of the "black inhabitants" of South Africa being the comparable to the Boer is an old standard part of the apartheid mythological/ideological scheme. you just need a few touches, like call the Boer "Afrikaaners" (i.e. Africans) and the the Xhosa, etc. 'bantu'. You actually go further than some versions. Anyway, I can't go into the whole argument right now, but wanted to get on record as knowledgeable of it and rejecting it. I'll try to get back soon. Mat

-----Original Message----- From: Daniel Davies [mailto:d_squared_2002 at yahoo.co.uk] Sent: Monday, July 30, 2001 4:56 AM To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com Subject: Re: Anti-Zionism Is Racism

--- Gordon Fitch <gcf at panix.com> wrote: > Forstater, Mathew:
> > > ... And to my mind, Ashkenazi Jews had the same 'right' to
> > Palestine
> > > that the Boer had to South Africa--none.
> > > ...
>
> Gordon:
> > In general, what right does a person have to be anywhere?
>
> Forstater, Mathew:
> > a farmer or pastoralist whose family has tilled the soil or herded
> > livestock for generations as a basic mode of subsistence has a right
to
> > continue that way of life in the face of an invasion by outsiders
> > carrying bibles and/or guns. no?
>
> I don't know. I don't think too many of us would have a
> right to be anywhere under that sort of rule.

Indeed. Many of the inhabitants of the land area currently occupied by South Africa at the time when the Boers arrived certainly wouldn't, as they were there as the result of the expansionist adventurism of Shaka/Chaka a mere generation or two previously.

A significant proportion of the black inhabitants of modern South Africa have a worse claim to be there than the Boers by this criterion, given that they are descended from tribes brought into the region by the British to help out with colonisation during the mid 19th century.

The Boers themselves have a rather decent claim to remain in South Africa these days; they have very little in common culturally with the English, Dutch or any other Europeans. Their position is rather like the loyalist Ulstermen, who are Irish, not British (repatriation to Scotland would be no solution whatever to them).

It is extremely rare for historical processes to throw up clear right/wrong distinctions of the kind that Matt seems to need for his strong anti-Zionist case to go through.

dd

===== ... in countries which do not enjoy Mediterranean sunshine idleness is more difficult, and a great public propaganda will be required to inaugurate it. -- Bertrand Russell

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