I've watched in awe how the media war has distorted reality. The unease I feel at the turmoil in the world now, only increased by the very narrow slit through which people everywhere have chosen to look at what's happening, without context and one-sided, Hamas has managed to infect the minds of a whole world. It's been so clear for me how the decency of the Jewish authorities to not parade the dead online, to not make a feast of the pain of others has made them the enemy, and even so I found myself alone in this belief and sometimes wondered if I was the one in the wrong. Every time you write about this I'm comforted that I'm not mad. Thank you!
Glad I’m not the only one who sees the complicity of the media in warmongering in an area of the world we do not understand, nor do we attempt to do so. I don’t speak of this war- for the very reasons you’ve mentioned. As an atheist, I find all wars to be based on religion, and unfortunately history itself proves the fact. The parallels between djt and bibi are overwhelming, two racist xenophobic a$$holes trying to stay out of prison are destroying the ability to discuss anything with anyone. And the world just loves being entertained rather than educating themselves individually about the history of the world that has brought us to this place of games, frauds, and scams. The media’s complicity in featuring the obscene is reprehensible.
I felt the power and importance of this piece with every sentence. Given the insane atmosphere of bias and ignorance, I felt the bravery of saying what Bordo said. I was proud. I don't think it will necessarily change any minds, but at least she spoke. It's interesting -- there are a lot of new Substacks appearing, but one of the special things about hers is that she can go lighter (media, memoir, etc) but also be extremely intellectual and politically astute. I mean, she breaks it down for you! The sequence! The false equivalencies! The Mainstream media's complicity. I can tell there is a lot of research, background and fact-checking that goes into these pieces. We need these kind of thinkers desperately now, especially when bigotry is driving us Jews underground. She's going to need support to hang in; she's only human.
Appreciate your piece Susan, I have been a middle east analyst (and former diplomat) or more than 30 years, and there's not much in the region I haven't seen. What you said about peoples being held hostage by corrupt regimes is spot on.
There is strong consensus that Al Qaeda's goal with 9/11, was to draw the US and its allies into quicksand. The US obliged, not with a massive criminal investigation, but an ideological crusade, and a series of wars that killed hundreds of thousands (conservatively), harmed US institutions and reputation, and threw the region into further chaos (of which the current war is arguably a symptom). Extremists applied strategy in numerous other attacks since -- including, notably, Benghazi, which has also been the subject of uninformed conspiracy theories and partisan opportunism, as the real culprits and their motives were left unexamined. Several countries, not least of which Libya, were turned upside down in the process.
Hamas is not a purely Palestinian entity. It's been built up over years by several other states in the region, with training, weapons and massive funds -- and also, cynically by Netanyahu's government, which underestimated the threat, and is operating in its own interests, not those of Israel.
Too few experts have pointed out that Hamas' 10/7 atrocities were no random savagery, but carefully planned to provoke a disproportionate response, that it (Hamas) knew (or more generously, could have easily predicted) would take many thousands of Palestinian lives.
The nature of Netanyahu and his extremist government's response to the Hamas attack is both immoral and self-harming (to the broader Jewish community as well.
What Israel (and the broader Arab world) needed most before 10/7 was a broader peace, as a pathway to prosperity and collaboration on a range of existential issues. The greatest chance for which, ironically, may have been in Israel's exercising self-control after Hamas' attack, putting the spotlight on Hamas -- and then proceeding to redeem, with other Arab states normalization agreements and in that context, find a way to solve the Palestinian issue (easier said than done, but not impossible). That's simply not in Netanyahu's DNA.
But Hamas' intentional provocation was equally immoral -- and cannot be characterized as "legitimate resistance," If it's goal was not to attack legitimate military targets and infrastructure, but to kill and maim civilians in unspeakable ways, and use its own people as cannon fodder in order to attract the maximum amount of sympathy and support. A prominent Palestinian intellectual recently appeared on a major network to compare Hamas leaders to Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. I seem to recall both of those figures' contributions to humanity were modeling non-violent opposition to systematic and unjust oppression. While not as obscene as some of the things that have come out of some Israeli ministers' mouths, this is still distorted, hate speech.
As long as Palestinians and Israelis, and the general public, can't manage to see the games into which they are being drawn, broaden their perspectives, and hold their own leaders accountable, many, many more people will suffer.
Much of the commentary on the Arab-Israeli conflict is a combination of historical (and legal) illiteracy, a condescendingly paternalistic attitude toward Arabs by refusing to credit what they actually say among themselves and a salve to our consciences by giving ourselves a feeling of agency - even if this particular conflict is far from the worst one that is ongoing.
In the past, the “Jews” of antisemitic thought defined the absolute worst of what the West was not. Today, the same “Jew”, reincarnated often as Israel, is used to define the absolute worst of what the West is.
Sartre was onto something years before the concepts of deconstruction and discourse escaped their faculty lounge settings. It is worth consideration in remembering the bad faith of such discourse. In its essence, the antisemite understands that evidence and logic are not on their side, they just don’t care for such things because, for them, antisemitism is a world view and as such is a belief system impervious to contradiction.
The only salvation would be to teach the next generation before their minds are corrupted. But, as that has not happened in the past two millennia, what are the chances realistically of that happening now. Yet, that fight needs to continue for the sake of humanity.
“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”
Susan, you put your heart on the line here, and I appreciate your bravery and honesty. You are very right to deconstruct this media mess, one that I think has been made far worse by the amplification of social media and the continual sewage overflow of disinformation. I was horrified by the anti-semitism on display everywhere after Oct. 7 and could not stomach seeing Hamas cast as justified resisters. Meanwhile, I think it’s quite possible to condemn Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza and to support Palestinians without condemning all Jews. If I go on now, I’ll get myself into a froth about how something so complicated can be reduced to clueless or hateful slogans - and why that trend in bad-faith communication doesn’t worry us more. Except I think it does worry you, and I applaud you for taking this on. Deconstruct away, please 😉
Excellent column. The media and protester descriptions of Israel as genocidal and apartheid are insults and so far from truth that the moment I see it in a sign or promoted in an article, the protester or venue entirely loses credibility. What is incredible is those names, including the notion of ethnic cleansing, are more appropriate applied to Israel's immediate combat enemies. There are 2 million Arabs living in Israel, they constitute a large majority, and they don't emigrate or flee from Israel. Contrast that to the Jews who suffered in various Arab and Muslim countries and then fled to Israel to escape oppression. As for ethnic cleansing, most Arab and Muslim nations made life so miserable for Jews they effectively ethnically cleaned their nations of Jews. Not so Israel, which enjoys a population of 20% Arab and growing. As for the war, Israel sends its fighters in the guide of IDF wearing uniforms and clearly identified as combatants, Hamas removes their bandanas and outfits and hides among civilians, flees with them to safe zones forcing IDF to go into safe zones. These awful signs of misery and destruction suffered by Gazans is the fault of Hamas. Israel may be dropping the bombs, but Hamas is doing the targeting and signaling normally civilian safety spaces like hospitals and schools as targets. Gazan civilian suffering is real and awful, Hamas is to blame. They can surrender, they can release the hostages, but painting Israel and Jews as pariahs is their goal, and the UN and majority of nations are going along with this horror, making Israel feel even more threatened and isolated.
These comments are so thoughtful I can’t believe I’m reading them without some snotty person sliding and calling me a smarmy baby killer for liking them.
Thank you and well done for this nuanced piece which really resonates with me. I'd be much happier if I saw peace signs at the protests but they seem incredibly rare and the antisemitic rhetoric is accelerating scarily. Sending best wishes and hopeful thoughts from the UK.
Your analysis of the media is correct. However, you make one mistake. It is not “Natanyahu’s war”. The majority of us Israelis understand that this is an existential war. If you listen to Israeli media, you will realize that when the Hamasniks called those left- leaning victims of October 7th, when the Hamas called them “settlers”, even they profoundly understood that we are all “settlers”. True, it is not easy to be a Jew, especially when they are even calling you, an American, a Brit, an Australian—- calling you a
“settler”.
The answer is to understand what it really means to be a Jew. Take classes from a Torah perspective. Learn about Shabbat. Learn what our true job in this world. Own the word “Jew”
I'm happy to read that, if the rhetoric of protest against the war was not so entangled with Hamas-excusing, Israel-hating, and Biden-blaming, you'd be happy to march alongside those calling for peace.
Curious what you think about the article below on the anti-Bibi protest. I liked it because it showed the difference between Israel and Israelis on the one hand and Netanyahu on the other. And how naturally reluctant people are to protest their government in power, no matter how much you revile them, after your country has been attacked so brutally.
Alarmed by the rise of fascism in Israel, [Holocaust historian] Blatman went on to say: “As a historian whose field is the Holocaust and Nazism, it’s hard for me to say this, but there are neo-Nazi ministers in the government today. You don’t see that anywhere else – not in Hungary, not in Poland – ministers who, ideologically, are pure racists.”
Susan, I apologize if you felt my interrogation of your subjectivity was an attack; it was in fact an authentic response and not intended to be an ad hominem. For your reference I love the religion of Judaism and went to a Jewish primary school! I attended Shul and wore a yarmulke and celebrated Yom Kippur etc…I have many close Jewish friends and I do understand that Zionism is an ideology that many Jews subscribe to. I’m doing my level best to maintain friendships at this time in the face of blood, brains and viscera by the ton! The murder of thousands of children and women! The piles of dead being bulldozed in the abattoir we now call Gaza. As atrocious as October 7th was, it pales in comparison to what is happening now and the assertion that Israel’s response to 7/10 is commensurate with the slaughter in Gaza is only possible when you look at the Palestinians as “other”. For such an educated academic who has contributed so much to the field of critical studies and feminisms, you obviously missed engaging with Edward Said’s writing on Orientalism and Palestine. I wonder if he were alive today, would you engage with him as interlocutor and try to justify what is happening? Or would you like to debate Noam Chomsky or Judith Butler? Have you listened to any of the talks of Norman Finkelstein or read his ‘Gaza’? I’m following your page Susan and am interested and intrigued by some of your writing. I think it’s important not to engage with the echo chamber phenomenon and instead expose oneself to discourse you don’t necessarily agree with.
Anyway, I would like to think of any responses you may have to me as that of interlocutor. Shalom!
I've watched in awe how the media war has distorted reality. The unease I feel at the turmoil in the world now, only increased by the very narrow slit through which people everywhere have chosen to look at what's happening, without context and one-sided, Hamas has managed to infect the minds of a whole world. It's been so clear for me how the decency of the Jewish authorities to not parade the dead online, to not make a feast of the pain of others has made them the enemy, and even so I found myself alone in this belief and sometimes wondered if I was the one in the wrong. Every time you write about this I'm comforted that I'm not mad. Thank you!
Glad I’m not the only one who sees the complicity of the media in warmongering in an area of the world we do not understand, nor do we attempt to do so. I don’t speak of this war- for the very reasons you’ve mentioned. As an atheist, I find all wars to be based on religion, and unfortunately history itself proves the fact. The parallels between djt and bibi are overwhelming, two racist xenophobic a$$holes trying to stay out of prison are destroying the ability to discuss anything with anyone. And the world just loves being entertained rather than educating themselves individually about the history of the world that has brought us to this place of games, frauds, and scams. The media’s complicity in featuring the obscene is reprehensible.
Thanks for writing.
I felt the power and importance of this piece with every sentence. Given the insane atmosphere of bias and ignorance, I felt the bravery of saying what Bordo said. I was proud. I don't think it will necessarily change any minds, but at least she spoke. It's interesting -- there are a lot of new Substacks appearing, but one of the special things about hers is that she can go lighter (media, memoir, etc) but also be extremely intellectual and politically astute. I mean, she breaks it down for you! The sequence! The false equivalencies! The Mainstream media's complicity. I can tell there is a lot of research, background and fact-checking that goes into these pieces. We need these kind of thinkers desperately now, especially when bigotry is driving us Jews underground. She's going to need support to hang in; she's only human.
Appreciate your piece Susan, I have been a middle east analyst (and former diplomat) or more than 30 years, and there's not much in the region I haven't seen. What you said about peoples being held hostage by corrupt regimes is spot on.
There is strong consensus that Al Qaeda's goal with 9/11, was to draw the US and its allies into quicksand. The US obliged, not with a massive criminal investigation, but an ideological crusade, and a series of wars that killed hundreds of thousands (conservatively), harmed US institutions and reputation, and threw the region into further chaos (of which the current war is arguably a symptom). Extremists applied strategy in numerous other attacks since -- including, notably, Benghazi, which has also been the subject of uninformed conspiracy theories and partisan opportunism, as the real culprits and their motives were left unexamined. Several countries, not least of which Libya, were turned upside down in the process.
Hamas is not a purely Palestinian entity. It's been built up over years by several other states in the region, with training, weapons and massive funds -- and also, cynically by Netanyahu's government, which underestimated the threat, and is operating in its own interests, not those of Israel.
Too few experts have pointed out that Hamas' 10/7 atrocities were no random savagery, but carefully planned to provoke a disproportionate response, that it (Hamas) knew (or more generously, could have easily predicted) would take many thousands of Palestinian lives.
The nature of Netanyahu and his extremist government's response to the Hamas attack is both immoral and self-harming (to the broader Jewish community as well.
What Israel (and the broader Arab world) needed most before 10/7 was a broader peace, as a pathway to prosperity and collaboration on a range of existential issues. The greatest chance for which, ironically, may have been in Israel's exercising self-control after Hamas' attack, putting the spotlight on Hamas -- and then proceeding to redeem, with other Arab states normalization agreements and in that context, find a way to solve the Palestinian issue (easier said than done, but not impossible). That's simply not in Netanyahu's DNA.
But Hamas' intentional provocation was equally immoral -- and cannot be characterized as "legitimate resistance," If it's goal was not to attack legitimate military targets and infrastructure, but to kill and maim civilians in unspeakable ways, and use its own people as cannon fodder in order to attract the maximum amount of sympathy and support. A prominent Palestinian intellectual recently appeared on a major network to compare Hamas leaders to Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. I seem to recall both of those figures' contributions to humanity were modeling non-violent opposition to systematic and unjust oppression. While not as obscene as some of the things that have come out of some Israeli ministers' mouths, this is still distorted, hate speech.
As long as Palestinians and Israelis, and the general public, can't manage to see the games into which they are being drawn, broaden their perspectives, and hold their own leaders accountable, many, many more people will suffer.
Much of the commentary on the Arab-Israeli conflict is a combination of historical (and legal) illiteracy, a condescendingly paternalistic attitude toward Arabs by refusing to credit what they actually say among themselves and a salve to our consciences by giving ourselves a feeling of agency - even if this particular conflict is far from the worst one that is ongoing.
In the past, the “Jews” of antisemitic thought defined the absolute worst of what the West was not. Today, the same “Jew”, reincarnated often as Israel, is used to define the absolute worst of what the West is.
Sartre was onto something years before the concepts of deconstruction and discourse escaped their faculty lounge settings. It is worth consideration in remembering the bad faith of such discourse. In its essence, the antisemite understands that evidence and logic are not on their side, they just don’t care for such things because, for them, antisemitism is a world view and as such is a belief system impervious to contradiction.
The only salvation would be to teach the next generation before their minds are corrupted. But, as that has not happened in the past two millennia, what are the chances realistically of that happening now. Yet, that fight needs to continue for the sake of humanity.
“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”
- Jean-Paul Sartre
Susan, you put your heart on the line here, and I appreciate your bravery and honesty. You are very right to deconstruct this media mess, one that I think has been made far worse by the amplification of social media and the continual sewage overflow of disinformation. I was horrified by the anti-semitism on display everywhere after Oct. 7 and could not stomach seeing Hamas cast as justified resisters. Meanwhile, I think it’s quite possible to condemn Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza and to support Palestinians without condemning all Jews. If I go on now, I’ll get myself into a froth about how something so complicated can be reduced to clueless or hateful slogans - and why that trend in bad-faith communication doesn’t worry us more. Except I think it does worry you, and I applaud you for taking this on. Deconstruct away, please 😉
Excellent column. The media and protester descriptions of Israel as genocidal and apartheid are insults and so far from truth that the moment I see it in a sign or promoted in an article, the protester or venue entirely loses credibility. What is incredible is those names, including the notion of ethnic cleansing, are more appropriate applied to Israel's immediate combat enemies. There are 2 million Arabs living in Israel, they constitute a large majority, and they don't emigrate or flee from Israel. Contrast that to the Jews who suffered in various Arab and Muslim countries and then fled to Israel to escape oppression. As for ethnic cleansing, most Arab and Muslim nations made life so miserable for Jews they effectively ethnically cleaned their nations of Jews. Not so Israel, which enjoys a population of 20% Arab and growing. As for the war, Israel sends its fighters in the guide of IDF wearing uniforms and clearly identified as combatants, Hamas removes their bandanas and outfits and hides among civilians, flees with them to safe zones forcing IDF to go into safe zones. These awful signs of misery and destruction suffered by Gazans is the fault of Hamas. Israel may be dropping the bombs, but Hamas is doing the targeting and signaling normally civilian safety spaces like hospitals and schools as targets. Gazan civilian suffering is real and awful, Hamas is to blame. They can surrender, they can release the hostages, but painting Israel and Jews as pariahs is their goal, and the UN and majority of nations are going along with this horror, making Israel feel even more threatened and isolated.
These comments are so thoughtful I can’t believe I’m reading them without some snotty person sliding and calling me a smarmy baby killer for liking them.
Thank you. Your narrative and clarity has certainly helped me this afternoon in Melbourne, Australia.
Thank you and well done for this nuanced piece which really resonates with me. I'd be much happier if I saw peace signs at the protests but they seem incredibly rare and the antisemitic rhetoric is accelerating scarily. Sending best wishes and hopeful thoughts from the UK.
Your analysis of the media is correct. However, you make one mistake. It is not “Natanyahu’s war”. The majority of us Israelis understand that this is an existential war. If you listen to Israeli media, you will realize that when the Hamasniks called those left- leaning victims of October 7th, when the Hamas called them “settlers”, even they profoundly understood that we are all “settlers”. True, it is not easy to be a Jew, especially when they are even calling you, an American, a Brit, an Australian—- calling you a
“settler”.
The answer is to understand what it really means to be a Jew. Take classes from a Torah perspective. Learn about Shabbat. Learn what our true job in this world. Own the word “Jew”
in all of its essence.
I'm happy to read that, if the rhetoric of protest against the war was not so entangled with Hamas-excusing, Israel-hating, and Biden-blaming, you'd be happy to march alongside those calling for peace.
Hi Susan,
Curious what you think about the article below on the anti-Bibi protest. I liked it because it showed the difference between Israel and Israelis on the one hand and Netanyahu on the other. And how naturally reluctant people are to protest their government in power, no matter how much you revile them, after your country has been attacked so brutally.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/03/31/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news
There is no need for me to apologize to you for your behavior, Richard.
Alarmed by the rise of fascism in Israel, [Holocaust historian] Blatman went on to say: “As a historian whose field is the Holocaust and Nazism, it’s hard for me to say this, but there are neo-Nazi ministers in the government today. You don’t see that anywhere else – not in Hungary, not in Poland – ministers who, ideologically, are pure racists.”
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230214-fascism-is-already-there-in-israel-says-jewish-professor-of-the-holocaust/
Susan, I apologize if you felt my interrogation of your subjectivity was an attack; it was in fact an authentic response and not intended to be an ad hominem. For your reference I love the religion of Judaism and went to a Jewish primary school! I attended Shul and wore a yarmulke and celebrated Yom Kippur etc…I have many close Jewish friends and I do understand that Zionism is an ideology that many Jews subscribe to. I’m doing my level best to maintain friendships at this time in the face of blood, brains and viscera by the ton! The murder of thousands of children and women! The piles of dead being bulldozed in the abattoir we now call Gaza. As atrocious as October 7th was, it pales in comparison to what is happening now and the assertion that Israel’s response to 7/10 is commensurate with the slaughter in Gaza is only possible when you look at the Palestinians as “other”. For such an educated academic who has contributed so much to the field of critical studies and feminisms, you obviously missed engaging with Edward Said’s writing on Orientalism and Palestine. I wonder if he were alive today, would you engage with him as interlocutor and try to justify what is happening? Or would you like to debate Noam Chomsky or Judith Butler? Have you listened to any of the talks of Norman Finkelstein or read his ‘Gaza’? I’m following your page Susan and am interested and intrigued by some of your writing. I think it’s important not to engage with the echo chamber phenomenon and instead expose oneself to discourse you don’t necessarily agree with.
Anyway, I would like to think of any responses you may have to me as that of interlocutor. Shalom!