"She also refers to the IDF training dogs for operations as an example of the cruelty of involving animals in a conflict, while making no mention of the numerous times that Palestinians have sent donkeys and horses to their certain deaths by using them as suicide bombers."
Not to mention that literally every other major military on the planet trains dogs for operations.
Let's face it Rabbi Slifkin. For the Israel-haters, anything that Israelis do is a "Zionist enterprise". So sure, environmentalism is a colonial Zionist enterprise. You can be sure that sports, literature, mathematics, eating a hamburger, and taking out the garbage are "Zionist enterprises" if done by Jews in Israel.
Great piece. Unfortunately, environmentalists have been predominantly far-leftist, anti-scientific, ahistorical, anti-human activists already from the 60s. There's a massive literature showing this. For example, see Steven Pinker's "Enlightenment Now"
Not entirely true. I actually am doing rigorous air pollution research right now. I decry the junk science that gets overpublicized. And the anti-environment movement is just as much into junk science. (I was countering climate change deniers earlier today.)
And over Passover I horrified some lefty Jews by telling them rather forcefully that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the popular herbicide RoundUp, not only has been proven NOT to cause cancer in humans, but is safer than the alternatives, some of which were the components of the notorious Agent Orange.
Unfortunately much of the political spectrum in the US, including two of the three major Presidential candidates, are seriously into junk science. :(
That's because it's produced by a corporation which by definition (postulate?) is inherently evil.
Also because it's not natural (unlike healing energy crystals blessed by epileptic monks). Any anything which is 101% natural is by definition (postulate?) inherently evil.
So much insanity on parade these days in academia and politics. I am grateful for responsible researchers who take the time to accurately expose the falsehoods.
I'm reminded of the description, in S. I. Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action, of how the Third Reich classified everything, including animals, as Aryan (good) or non-Aryan (bad, and possibly Jewish-dominated).
Hayakawa continues to relate that this fixation led the Nazis to reject certain principles of physics as "Jewish"--a choice that would have consequences beyond their wildest dreams.
I feel obligated to point out that it's not as if actual colonialism doesn't have its defenders. Maybe if we Jews joined in those defenses a bit we wouldn't constantly feel obligated to be on the defensive from the charge. The Americas and Australia are vastly improved over what they would have been absent colonialism. Ditto lots of parts of Africa and Asia, albeit in a different way. (The latter don't have as large "settler" populations.) It takes a real oikophobe to engage in these stupid, inaccurate, and pointless- of not dangerous- "land acknowledgments" so popular in Canada and spreading elsewhere. We should be able to stand up and say, "Hell yes, we colonized this land, and we dare you to try to be so insane as to tell us it wasn't a good idea!"
Obviously some had it worse than others. (Who was in charge made a big difference, both during colonialism and after it.) But again, looking at it today, there are very few Europeans left in Africa and Asia.
My ancestors had all left Europe for the settler colonial state called the United States by the middle of the 19th century. I qualify for no European passport. Am I European?
There it is! Completely irrelevant to my point, as it happens, but of course the knee has to jerk.
I'm gonna dignify that with a response. I'll just shake my head over how ostensible men of science can be so easily seduced into the pseudoscience of today.
"Zionism promised to regenerate the Jewish people by working the land and returning to the pattern of agricultural life that the Jews had in biblical times but in the present day Jews are not taking care of the land" is a reasonable argument IMHO but I do not think this author is making it.
Thanks for writing this. Provided some much needed comedic relief.
"This goes to illustrate that “Zionism, like all settler colonialisms, has a Promised Land and sees itself reenacting a Biblical story” (Veracini 2015, 270). The reenactment of the biblical story encompasses not only imaginaries of human natives and their natural landscapes (Braverman 2020; Braverman forthcoming)"
Oooh-ah, 'literature.' Nothing like a bunch of self-citations to really drive the point home. 'Zionists are a bunch of vildeh chayes (Braverman 2020) who eat like ferds (Braverman 2021)'
Great sense of humor! (amidst this very upsetting topic). Of course you and other readers realize that meshuggene Irus Braverman is a native-born Israeli.
Consistency has never been a strong point of those lost in the Hegelian fog. By the time you've reached your upteenth synthesis you've managed to absorb lots of idiocy into a single theory, neatly packaged and satisfyingly incoherent.
One of the defining features of the crackpot is the ability to know nonsense and to be 100% sure of it. But the opposite of nonsense may also be nonsense (e.g. flat earth vs hollow earth) and hence there is an ironic consistency in believing two stupid irreconcilable things at the same time.
So if you've got a crackpot definition of Jewish identity you can sport a kipa styled with terrorist colors.
Those wicked Zionists, planting trees, protecting animals and wildlife all in the name of Colonialism.
How dare they protect the land, its flora, fauna, and people while denying the rights of the Palestinian people to use the land as they see fit
Lol
"She also refers to the IDF training dogs for operations as an example of the cruelty of involving animals in a conflict, while making no mention of the numerous times that Palestinians have sent donkeys and horses to their certain deaths by using them as suicide bombers."
Not to mention that literally every other major military on the planet trains dogs for operations.
Let's face it Rabbi Slifkin. For the Israel-haters, anything that Israelis do is a "Zionist enterprise". So sure, environmentalism is a colonial Zionist enterprise. You can be sure that sports, literature, mathematics, eating a hamburger, and taking out the garbage are "Zionist enterprises" if done by Jews in Israel.
Great piece. Unfortunately, environmentalists have been predominantly far-leftist, anti-scientific, ahistorical, anti-human activists already from the 60s. There's a massive literature showing this. For example, see Steven Pinker's "Enlightenment Now"
Not entirely true. I actually am doing rigorous air pollution research right now. I decry the junk science that gets overpublicized. And the anti-environment movement is just as much into junk science. (I was countering climate change deniers earlier today.)
And over Passover I horrified some lefty Jews by telling them rather forcefully that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the popular herbicide RoundUp, not only has been proven NOT to cause cancer in humans, but is safer than the alternatives, some of which were the components of the notorious Agent Orange.
Unfortunately much of the political spectrum in the US, including two of the three major Presidential candidates, are seriously into junk science. :(
That's because it's produced by a corporation which by definition (postulate?) is inherently evil.
Also because it's not natural (unlike healing energy crystals blessed by epileptic monks). Any anything which is 101% natural is by definition (postulate?) inherently evil.
So much insanity on parade these days in academia and politics. I am grateful for responsible researchers who take the time to accurately expose the falsehoods.
I'm reminded of the description, in S. I. Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action, of how the Third Reich classified everything, including animals, as Aryan (good) or non-Aryan (bad, and possibly Jewish-dominated).
Hayakawa continues to relate that this fixation led the Nazis to reject certain principles of physics as "Jewish"--a choice that would have consequences beyond their wildest dreams.
Spot on.
The Nazis has their academics prove that jesus was Aryan. But the Pally's claim he was Palestinian.
The Soviets also marxed up their sciences too.
And today's far leftists invented the whole notion of non-binary and trans.
Well done!
I feel obligated to point out that it's not as if actual colonialism doesn't have its defenders. Maybe if we Jews joined in those defenses a bit we wouldn't constantly feel obligated to be on the defensive from the charge. The Americas and Australia are vastly improved over what they would have been absent colonialism. Ditto lots of parts of Africa and Asia, albeit in a different way. (The latter don't have as large "settler" populations.) It takes a real oikophobe to engage in these stupid, inaccurate, and pointless- of not dangerous- "land acknowledgments" so popular in Canada and spreading elsewhere. We should be able to stand up and say, "Hell yes, we colonized this land, and we dare you to try to be so insane as to tell us it wasn't a good idea!"
It's fashionable to hate one's own civilization despite the obvious benefits that western civ has provided to humanity as a whole.
"oikophobe" - great word! Hadn't heard it before
Invented by the late lamented Roger Scruton. A philosopher friend of mine just wrote a whole book on the topic.
Many countries in Africa were better off under colonial rule than they are today.
Obviously some had it worse than others. (Who was in charge made a big difference, both during colonialism and after it.) But again, looking at it today, there are very few Europeans left in Africa and Asia.
My ancestors had all left Europe for the settler colonial state called the United States by the middle of the 19th century. I qualify for no European passport. Am I European?
Racially, sure. You ain't an American Indian.
And that matters only to racists.
There it is! Completely irrelevant to my point, as it happens, but of course the knee has to jerk.
I'm gonna dignify that with a response. I'll just shake my head over how ostensible men of science can be so easily seduced into the pseudoscience of today.
Well written and researched! You should respond to Braverman.
"Zionism promised to regenerate the Jewish people by working the land and returning to the pattern of agricultural life that the Jews had in biblical times but in the present day Jews are not taking care of the land" is a reasonable argument IMHO but I do not think this author is making it.
Thanks for monitoring these publications and being well-versed in the academic literature in order to provide an accurate and appropriate response.
Thanks for writing this. Provided some much needed comedic relief.
"This goes to illustrate that “Zionism, like all settler colonialisms, has a Promised Land and sees itself reenacting a Biblical story” (Veracini 2015, 270). The reenactment of the biblical story encompasses not only imaginaries of human natives and their natural landscapes (Braverman 2020; Braverman forthcoming)"
Oooh-ah, 'literature.' Nothing like a bunch of self-citations to really drive the point home. 'Zionists are a bunch of vildeh chayes (Braverman 2020) who eat like ferds (Braverman 2021)'
====
By the way, Wikipedia has a handy list of conspiracy theories. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel-related_animal_conspiracy_theories
These criticisms are coming from residents of actual settler colonialist states.
There's no antisemitism like Jewish antisemitism. Or maybe Irus Braverman is just mentally unbalanced. I'm actually betting on that . . .
Stranger than fiction!
What a shame
Very good
And no mention of Haredim
Funny you should mention them. The Zionists, contrary to popular belief, actually had a major role in conserving the almost-extinct Haredim ;)
Great sense of humor! (amidst this very upsetting topic). Of course you and other readers realize that meshuggene Irus Braverman is a native-born Israeli.
So Prof. Braverman voluntarily moved to the largest settler-colonial state in the world!
Consistency has never been a strong point of those lost in the Hegelian fog. By the time you've reached your upteenth synthesis you've managed to absorb lots of idiocy into a single theory, neatly packaged and satisfyingly incoherent.
One of the defining features of the crackpot is the ability to know nonsense and to be 100% sure of it. But the opposite of nonsense may also be nonsense (e.g. flat earth vs hollow earth) and hence there is an ironic consistency in believing two stupid irreconcilable things at the same time.
So if you've got a crackpot definition of Jewish identity you can sport a kipa styled with terrorist colors.
Reminds me of the "queers for Palestine" movement.