> > I would agree that to refer to Jews as a race is indeed problematic. But > > think it is important in our academic and activist work to link anti-Semit > > and racism as the oppressive ideologies that they are, regardless of who i > > the victim of this kind of hate. > > I think you're making my point, Steve, by *wanting* to adopt the > language of the bigots. Why should Jews stand for the equation of > racism and anti-Semitism just because the Other is socially constructed? There's a distinction between wanting to adopt the language of the bigots, and wanting to counter the rhetoric and ideology that oppresses Jews just like it oppresses others. Have you made that distinction? I'm not sure I'm equating anti-Semitism with racism--linking, the word I used, is more appropriate. But I wonder what your motives are for implanting that word into this discussion. > Would women accept an equation of anti-feminism and racism? Would > the elderly accept an equation of agism and racism? I think, especially > among thoughtful people, we can point out similarities in construction > and effect without having to invoke the political charge of "racism." I can't speak for _all_ women, or _all_ elderly. But I do know that people don't fit into socially-prescribed cubbyholes. Some women of color find it very easy to link their feminism with fighting racism. Some Jewish women find the convergence of anti-Semitism and misogyny all too apparent with a term like JAP (Jewish American Princess). Some elderly people of color would surely recognize the similarities between being discriminated against because of age and being discriminated against because of their color, and would surely use that knowledge to empower themselves in the fight against oppression. In Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz's "10 Hotspots for Anti-Semitism," she specifically asks whether anti-Semitism is "a form of racism? You can argue this from many perspectives . . . What's important to recognize are the implications of the argument. If you maintain that racism and anti-Semitism are entirely separate, are you prioritizing, ranking anti-Semitism as a less serious issue than racism of any sort? If you argue that they're the same, are you excusing Jews from fighting racism against others on the grounds that fighting anti-Semitism is enough? The real question of course is not into what box, what category, do we fit anti-Semitism, but--since we know the struggles against racism and anti-Semitism are close linked--how do we fight and who are our allies?" The charge of equating anti-Semitism with racism evidences what you make manifest in your last sentence--that anti-Semitism is serious enough to be dealt with on its own terms. In a way, this does a little of both of what Melanie is talking about. It keeps racism and anti-Semitism separate, and it excuses Jews from fighting racism on the grounds that fighting anti-Semitism is enough. The need to link racism and anti-Semitism becomes all the more apparent in the way the media portrays Black-Jewish relations. As Melanie writes, "Popular media foster and exaggerate Black-Jewish conflict, a displacement in which Jews get blamed for American racism and poverty, and Blacks get blamed for American anti-Semitism. When Jewish and Black concerns are polarized in this way, Jewish concerns will always seem a little selfish, for the framework highlights Jewish privilege, power, immunity from racism relative to Black people, and also obscures Black strength . . . and significant common ground: the threat of garden variety white racism." I'm curious what others think of this latter statement, particularly in the way in which media portrays anti-Semitism and racism. Steve Carr Dept. of Radio-TV-Film UT-Austin