http://fleshisgrass.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/ali-abunimah-defending-the-right-to-compare-israelis-to-nazis/ The record. Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:22:24 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 http://fleshisgrass.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/ali-abunimah-defending-the-right-to-compare-israelis-to-nazis/#comment-7750 Matt Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:28:47 +0000 http://fleshisgrass.wordpress.com/?p=2351#comment-7750 I think there's also 2 ways in which the use of the Nazi analogy (distinct from other demonizing analogies) is problematic. First, it's an appropriation -a claim to ownership- of the Jewish experience. It makes a lot of sense that Jews should have some leeway to describe antisemitism (and Nazi antisemitism as a particular case) that others should not be able to coopt. Second, there are times when it's consciously chosen as a way of picking at an open wound in the Jewish psyche. These depend on where you sit in relation to the Jewish community - whether you are Jewish is an important part of the context that affects the meaning and interpretation. In other words, even if there is a double standard, that doesn't mean it's hypocritical. (A similar case might be the use of the n-word among whites and blacks.) I think there’s also 2 ways in which the use of the Nazi analogy (distinct from other demonizing analogies) is problematic. First, it’s an appropriation -a claim to ownership- of the Jewish experience. It makes a lot of sense that Jews should have some leeway to describe antisemitism (and Nazi antisemitism as a particular case) that others should not be able to coopt. Second, there are times when it’s consciously chosen as a way of picking at an open wound in the Jewish psyche. These depend on where you sit in relation to the Jewish community – whether you are Jewish is an important part of the context that affects the meaning and interpretation. In other words, even if there is a double standard, that doesn’t mean it’s hypocritical. (A similar case might be the use of the n-word among whites and blacks.)

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