2y ago

RFK Jr. denies comments on ‘ethnically targeted’ Covid-19 were anti-Semitic

www.politico.com RFK Jr. denies comments on ‘ethnically targeted’ Covid-19 were anti-Semitic

The longshot presidential candidate suggested that the virus could have been engineered to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people.

Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denied allegations of racism and anti-Semitism Saturday after he reportedly suggested Covid-19 could have been genetically engineered to reduce risks to Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people.

Politics @beehaw.org

trashhalo @beehaw.org

2y ago

RFK Jr. denies comments on ‘ethnically targeted’ Covid-19 were anti-Semitic

www.politico.com /news/2023/07/15/rfk-jr-covid-19-ethnically-targeted-00106478

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Racist tries to explain why they’re not racist by doubling down on racism
- Bigoted, unless you think Judaism is a race of people.
  Edit: Race, ethnicity, heritage and immigration among U.S. Jews
  
  It’s both a religion and a race.
  
  Oh, so the artist Drake is the same race as Bernie Sanders. Interesting conclusion. Do you think they see themselves as the same race?
  
  Why does this matter?
  
  Why does what matter?
  
  Why does it matter whether it's racism or bigotry? What difference does it make?
  
  Two different terms. A bigot is a person who is generally intolerant and hateful toward people they consider different (in terms of race, religion, sexuality, or in other ways). A racist is a specific type of bigot—one who’s bigoted based on race. The word racism often also refers to a system of oppression (systemic racism) of people of color, and the word racist can refer to a person who upholds or participates in such a system.
  Thus in this case Bigot would be the correct usage.
  
  Yes, I know. I just don't know what difference it makes in this case. Does it excuse anything RFK Jr. says? Does it make it worse one way or the other? Because otherwise, I don't see how this is relevant.
  
  I had too many college professors drill into my head that you always want to use the correct terms when speaking. To not do so allows for incorrect assumptions to be made.
  
  What incorrect assumptions are to be made here? Is it an incorrect assumption that RFK Jr. was being antisemitic? Because that seems to be the issue here.
  
  I'll give you my perspective as a jew. I can't speak for either Drake or Bernie but I see them both as members of the Jewish race. People can be multiethnic.
  
  So in your opinion, you can change your race to Jewish if you join the religion? Interesting perspective. I've generally viewed race as more rigid but that is a different take. If that is the case my race is American.
  
  I’ve generally viewed race as more rigid
  Now having reached the third or fourth comment of yours I've seen in this discussion, I'm very sure this is an accurate statement. It's good that you are able to be forthright about the importance you place on a rigid view of race.
  Edit: Well I just want to admit how wrong I was. Aside from these comments which certainly have sounded like a string of leading questions from a right-winger looking for opportunities for bigoted dogwhistles, you don't actually seem to be one. Which makes the hill you've decided to die on here all the more confusing.
  
  Race to me isn't as important as the person you are. If I was in Europe I'd likely fall right of center but in the United States, I fall left of center if that helps. Pretty much in the middle. Socially Liberal, Fiscally Conservative. Both major political parties in the United States have no place for me.
  
  You're looking at race in an American way, not a scientific way. Drake and Bernie would share a enough DNA that if you just looked on paper you would be able to see they have a shared genetic history at one point. Drake is partially Ashkenazi Jew like Bernie is.
  
  The scientific way would be to admit we are all humans and race is made up as a means to create divisions.
  
  There are common alleles in ethnically Jewish people. These alleles cross not only countries, but also regions around the world.
  I don’t know if they consider one another the same race. Whether they do or not doesn’t matter to me.
  Also, TIL Drake is Jewish.
  Edit: You can learn more about the allele here.
  
  I've viewed the Jewish people as an ethnic culture but not a race of people. I have friends who are atheists and still Jewish who follow the customs, they just don't follow the religion. Any race can be Jewish, join the culture, and participate in it. I have a lot of friends from various races (military veteran) but never would I think I could just join another race.
  As I said above, I put more value in being part of the American cohort than being part of a race. I could go on about what it is to be an American, but that's for another time.
  
  Do you think because drake is black and sanders isn’t that they can’t have the same ancestries? Because that’s hilarious and I’d love to hear more stuff like that please.
  
  Petty.
  
  As a Jew, I'd go with "bigoted" over "racist" to describe antisemites.
  That being said, white supremacists see Jews like me as a different "race." Despite my very white skin and Polish/Russian ancestry, a white supremacist wouldn't say that my race is white/Caucasian. Instead, they'd say that my race is "Jewish." So an antisemite could, in a way, be employing racism against Jews by their own definitions.

39 comments