I think you're right here and elsewhere to talk about "the pleasures of Jew hate". So much of the discussion of Jew hate talks about deep underlying issues that it ignores the basic fact that hating Jews can be pleasurable.
Actually, while I have a lot of problems with the Social Justice Theory approach to injustice, it strikes me that the same problem is found there too. It's so focused on systemic/structural issues and a Foucauldian view of society as a matrix of power relationships that it ignores the basic fact that people are racist, misogynist, homophobic (etc.) because those things can be pleasurable, at least to some people.
Thanks, Daniel. Yes, I try to use the term "pleasures of Jew hate" as much as I can because in my opinion it is an accurate description of reality. As mortal human beings, we are all struggling and stressed in various ways--and asserting superiority over Jews and watching them struggle to defend themselves and "prove" their innocence seems to be pleasurable to some people. Israel hate seems to provide some relief from the stresses and uncertainties of life. I have observed people who assert proudly, with self-importance, "criticism of Israel is not antisemitism and [name of a Jewish person] agrees with me"--and they seem to me to be experiencing the pleasure of patronizing moral superiority when they say that. Essentially, I think some people are imagining a demon called "Israel" and projecting their dark passions upon this demon as a way to avoid dealing with their own problems. The difference between Freud and Frankl is sometimes described as pleasure principle vs. search for meaning. I believe that Jew hate is driven by a twisted pleasure principle. Instead of seeking the pleasure of moral superiority by imagining an Israel that does not exist, we should search for meaning and stick to what is real and knowable in our lives. If one wants to create an imaginary monster, this is what fiction is for; just don't call it Israel. Criticism of Israel (which my loved ones do in abundance) should be reserved for people with real knowledge of Israel and real emotional attachment to peace.
I think you're right here and elsewhere to talk about "the pleasures of Jew hate". So much of the discussion of Jew hate talks about deep underlying issues that it ignores the basic fact that hating Jews can be pleasurable.
Actually, while I have a lot of problems with the Social Justice Theory approach to injustice, it strikes me that the same problem is found there too. It's so focused on systemic/structural issues and a Foucauldian view of society as a matrix of power relationships that it ignores the basic fact that people are racist, misogynist, homophobic (etc.) because those things can be pleasurable, at least to some people.
Thanks, Daniel. Yes, I try to use the term "pleasures of Jew hate" as much as I can because in my opinion it is an accurate description of reality. As mortal human beings, we are all struggling and stressed in various ways--and asserting superiority over Jews and watching them struggle to defend themselves and "prove" their innocence seems to be pleasurable to some people. Israel hate seems to provide some relief from the stresses and uncertainties of life. I have observed people who assert proudly, with self-importance, "criticism of Israel is not antisemitism and [name of a Jewish person] agrees with me"--and they seem to me to be experiencing the pleasure of patronizing moral superiority when they say that. Essentially, I think some people are imagining a demon called "Israel" and projecting their dark passions upon this demon as a way to avoid dealing with their own problems. The difference between Freud and Frankl is sometimes described as pleasure principle vs. search for meaning. I believe that Jew hate is driven by a twisted pleasure principle. Instead of seeking the pleasure of moral superiority by imagining an Israel that does not exist, we should search for meaning and stick to what is real and knowable in our lives. If one wants to create an imaginary monster, this is what fiction is for; just don't call it Israel. Criticism of Israel (which my loved ones do in abundance) should be reserved for people with real knowledge of Israel and real emotional attachment to peace.