Can someone explain it to me, in simple terms?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by Fat Controller, Apr 30, 2016.

  1. Fat Controller

    Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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    Before I begin, I want to make a couple of things clear:

    - My questions are genuine, and I am honestly naive/thick (delete as appropriate :biggrin:) when it comes to stuff like this

    - Absolutely no offence is intended to anyone, this is pure curiosity/lack of knowledge

    OK, so my question refers to all of the nonsense that has kicked off with the Labour party regarding anti-Semitism etc. I admit that I haven't really seen much more than the headlines on this (I am so short of staff at the moment, I am almost permanently at work, although I have actually finished for today and it is still daylight!)

    I don't really understand anti-Semitism - - I understand that it is hatred toward Jewish people, but I don't understand why? In truth, I don't understand any hatred, but I really am at a loss as to why Jewish people are the target of such horrid behaviours.

    Also, what is Zionism? The only time I have ever heard the word Zion is in the song lyric - "like a lion, in Zion", so I have absolutely no idea what it actually means?

    Lastly, why on earth is this sort of inhumanity suddenly surfacing in the Labour party? I always thought that Labour were more aligned with tolerance, fairness and equality - so to me, all this nonsense kicking off is completely at odds with what I would expect?

    As I said above, I have a hard time understanding any hatred or 'isms' - - I don't give a monkeys who people are, what size, shape, colour, religion, age, sex, sexuality etc etc they are; so please, can someone explain this to me in simple terms?
     
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    • clueless1

      clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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      I look forward to reading the replies to this. I've often wondered the same thing. I might have even asked a similar question on here at some point. I've tried researching it both on and offline. I've been unable to find anything resembling an answer.
       
    • WeeTam

      WeeTam Total Gardener

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      A very dangerous subject to bring up as it nearly always ends up with the participants who dont follow the mass medias viewpoints being labelled as anti semites and nazi loving racists.
      All im prepared to say on the matter is that if peoples want to really know the truth in this matter and in the broader workings of the troubled areas of the world they need to do their own research and follow many news sources and not just follow the blinkered viewpoints of our national press or some of our national politicians who clearly are working to an agenda that is kept secret from its voters. ?
       
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      • HarryS

        HarryS Eternally Optimistic Gardener

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        Zionism is a political movement started in the late 1800's , for a creation of a Jewish homeland.
        Anti semitism goes back to ancient Greece , maybe not a subject for this forum. :noidea:
         
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        • Fat Controller

          Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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          Fair enough ladies and gents - clearly a very difficult subject, and I wasn't aware just how difficult and sensitive that it is; I fully respect your views that this may not be suitable for discussion here, and will endeavour to research elsewhere myself.

          Thank you for your honesty and integrity - yet again we prove the very qualities that make me proud to be a GC member.
           
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          • redstar

            redstar Total Gardener

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            I do not understand either.
            It seems to me "some" people wear horse blinders, and if the other person does not fall into the little square within their blinders then they are "not acceptable" or "something" wrong with. These folks go through life believing that only their narrow world is correct. Then there are others, who do not wear horse blinders, where "acceptance" of others is at a much wider -broader area. The people with the horse blinders do not understand that by simply accepting people's differences does not mean that you follow "their beliefs or values" at heart. That you can still keep your own values/beliefs. These folks also lack confidence in themselves, and with that also comes fear, and fear turns to anger, and anger can turn to harm, all because of narrow mindedness. Its like a dog, some dogs are taken everywhere with their owner, they build up a sense of the world and the "normal" of the world, the exposure to lots of humans and other dogs. The dog learns to accept and be calm in a variety of situations because of exposure to many and learns he will be ok. Then you have the other dog, who is only tied to a line, in his back yard, for many years. You take the dog out of his back yard one day and fear sets in, its new, its scary, his hair goes up, he's timid, shy, scared, might bite out of fear, feel threatened. Be the dog out of your yard.
             
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            • Scrungee

              Scrungee Well known for it

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              Here's it all in simple format:

              Anti-Zionism is a disagreement with the creation of Israel as a Jewish State.

              Anti-Semitism is hatred of those of Jewish faith and/or ethnicity.

              Not all Jews are pro-Zionist State in it's current format.

              Not all Muslims are anti-Semitic.

              Not all Muslims are pro 'Islamic State'.


              But the complicated format is that all of those get mixed up with other stuff, and then it all gets rather messy.
               
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              • pete

                pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                I always think if a subject is considered too difficult to discuss then someone, somewhere along the line is being too touchy.
                I heard what that twit Ken Livingstone said, but I think the MP that started a rant at him, over it, in the street made a real prat of himself IMO.
                 
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                • Scrungee

                  Scrungee Well known for it

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                  Yes.
                   
                • ARMANDII

                  ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                  :lolpt::lolpt::lolpt::heehee:
                   
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                  • clueless1

                    clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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                    It seems that Wikipedia puts forward something of an explanation.

                    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Jews

                    It seems that while the ancient Greeks started it, purely as a result of war between people who happened to be Jewish vs people who happened to be pagan, and the pagans won, the Jews were also blamed, by some, for the execution of Jesus.

                    With the rise of Christianity, and ofcourse the way it was made political, Jews generally became a scapegoat for everything, from theseed of hatred that was the blame for Jesus death.

                    I don't think this should be a taboo subject. In fact I think the opposite is true. We're not talking about 'jews', we're talking about men, women, kids, who fellows have been, and continue to be persecuted for no reason other than their lineage. Quite possibly the dirtiest scar on the history of mankind arises from the clinically efficient execution of around 6 million men, women and kids, just because of their lineage. The only chance we have of ever preventing such things happening again is to not sweep it under the carpet, but to try to break down the problem of hatred, and expose it as unfounded, unjustified thing it is.
                     
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                    • ARMANDII

                      ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                      It's not a taboo subject, Clueless, at least not on GC.........but it is in the area of being controversial due to the sometimes strong and differing, right or wrong, opinions on the subject.
                      We have had similar threads on GC which were prone to inflaming passions, bias, on the left and right of views. Those threads have always started out peacefully enough but on the odd occasion some members involved in the thread forgot, or ignored, in the heat of the moment the GC Admin advice of thinking twice before posting and, if the post would offend, not posting at all. So such threads always have the gentle eye of Admin on them, but it is up to the GC members to remember to discuss the subject rather than argue it.:coffee::snork:
                       
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                        Last edited by a moderator: Apr 30, 2016
                      • CanadianLori

                        CanadianLori Total Gardener

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                        I think it probably all comes down to jealousy. Envy over a neighbour's property is harmless but jealousy quite often creates mean words and nasty acts in order to ruin the other fellow's life. Which on a large scale creates terrorism and war.

                        And I think religion plays a large part. Why does one faith have to be the one and only right one?

                        Don't know.... glad I don't thump any book of beliefs anymore as I'm just not interested in something that could cause rifts with anyone.

                        And besides, I have a terrible singing voice. The church was probably secretly delighted when I stopped showing up and mangling one hymn after another :)
                         
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                        • HarryS

                          HarryS Eternally Optimistic Gardener

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                          Highly likely this post will end in a train crash . I'll move on too the floral posts.
                           
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                          • ARMANDII

                            ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                            :hate-shocked::heehee:
                             
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