Tuesday, July 13, 2010
At Normblog, by Eve Garrard: Table Talk
'Bloody Jews,' he said. 'Bloody Jews, bugger the Jews, I've no sympathy for them.'
I gazed at him, aghast. Where had this suddenly come from?
The encounter I'm here describing took place very recently, in the course of a large academic dinner at a University in another city, not my own one. It was a pleasant occasion, and the people at my table were innocuously and comfortably talking about sociological issues connected with the economic crisis, all completely harmless and (relatively) uncontentious. And then I heard the academic on my right hand side say to the person opposite him, 'Bloody Jews.'
When he saw my appalled stare, he said impatiently, 'Oh well, I'm sorry, but really...!'
'I'm glad you're sorry,' I replied politely, collecting myself together for a fight. But then he asked, 'Are you Jewish?' When I nodded, this academic - whom I'd met for the first time that day - put his arm around me and said, 'I'm sorry, but really Israel is terrible, the massacres, Plan Dalet, the ethnic cleansing, they're like the Nazis, they're the same as the Nazis...'
The encircling arm was offensive enough in its own right, but the Nazi reference was conclusive - it's so manifestly false, and when addressed to a Jew, it's designed to wound; no one makes that equivalence without malicious prejudice. And this, after all, was an academic talking, a professor, someone trained to resist casual stereotypes and easy equivalences...
Read the rest. It could happen here, of course, but it's hard not to register that these stories seem to be Britain day by day.
I feel she should expose the guy, if not publicly then in a letter to the academy.
That said, I've heard stuff like this here in the US - but it's probably much more common in Britain.
I don't think Britain has ever confronted either its own antisemitism let alone British attitudes toward Israel. Instead, it's become a center of antizionist propaganda - but then it has been for decades.
I too believe Eve Gerrard should name him. I also think anyone else who heard this should name him.
I am very sorry Eve Gerrard had to put up with his behaviour, not just the originally words. But even as a non-Jew I find this offensive. I am sure Eve Gerrard is trying to spare some people's feelings out of truly decent motives, but this was a public occasion at the university in question, and thus a matter of public interest. So I would respectfully ask that Eve reconsider.
Had he apologised, then there would be a better case for not making it public. But while he's unrepentant, the university and public should be allowed to know. The latter, after all, do pay for our universities. Personally I don't want an unrepentant, mouthy anti-semite supported by my taxes.
Although I'm sure Eve doesn't mean this, it shames British academia more if he is protected than if he is named.