On the one hand....

[ysobelle]

I set out tonight to get some ribbon, and work on a motif for my sign with Bev. We also thought it'd be nice to see Erin, who, with a broken arm, is almost housebound, and going out of her mind with boredom. So we hopped in the car and drove up to Norristown. And that's when it all started to go wrong....


Well, not wrong, really. We had a fabulous time at Ruby Tuesday's. But of course, by then, Michael's was closed, so no ribbon. But hey, there's a Lowes! So I dragged them both in to see the tabletop I was thinking of getting. Oh, but look! They have cedar! I can get the tabletop I wanted! So suddenly it's 10pm, Erin's broken arm is throbbing because her Percoset's worn off, and I have a trunk full of wood, carriage bolts, and spray paint. Then it's back to Erin's for ice cream and conversation until her eyes start to glaze over from the pain meds she took as soon as we walked in the door. Now it's after 2am. I have no ribbon. But I do have a tabletop.


And in other news?

Why the fuck do I even try? People are always going to believe what they want to believe about Jews. Whether they say, "Israel is killing civilians!" or "Jews are the cause of all the fucking wars in the world!" it's all the same thing. Anti-Semitism rises and falls in fashionable waves, but it never goes away. I'll keep shouting, but sometimes I just feel like a whisper in a noisy crowd.

Comments

[surlywench.livejournal.com]

antihopeantihope (10:56:08 PM): I won't talk to other jews, likely
antihopeantihope (10:56:17 PM): they dno't seem to like people that aren't jews
antihopeantihope (10:56:27 PM): even if they're family

I've never known anyone in your family other than you, so please don't say that I've degraded your family. I've said nothing about them.

Please explain how you reconcile the above statement about those who are Jewish with the one below it about N's family WHO ARE JEWISH and by default included in the first, generalized, prejudiced statement.

On second thought...please don't bother. I'm fairly certain whatever circular, twisted logic you'd use would cause my comp to go up in flames.

[antihope.livejournal.com]

The statement is because I talk to very few Jewish people. This statement could be incorect entirely as I don't normally ask what a person's religion is, since religion isn't something I'm interested in. Maybe there aren't many around. The ones I _should_ have access too (ie, family) abandoned the gentile side on the basis of religion.

It is prejudiced based on personal experience. And, just becuase I have ideas set in my head about how I've been treated by a group of people doesn't stop me from befriending them.

Sorry, like i said.. i've also never talked to N's family. Which doesn't make my statement incorrect. They are included in the group of Jewish people I've never talked to.

And the *won't* in that statment wasn't saying I was not interested, it was more along the lines of the oppertunity wasn't likely to present itself. In the list of people I don't commonly come across: hindu, muslim, most african religions, south american religions - basically any religion that isn't in the majority in this country - Christian/Catholic.

[pikachette.livejournal.com]

"The statement is because I talk to very few Jewish people. This statement could be incorect entirely as I don't normally ask what a person's religion is, since religion isn't something I'm interested in."

If you 'don't normally ask', then how the hell would you *know* you don't 'talk to very few Jewish people'? You must be basing your statement on *something*, so what is it? A person's surname? Their appearance?

I'm just dying to know. Really.

And this: "The ones I _should_ have access too (ie, family) abandoned the gentile side on the basis of religion."

Okay, on that basis, I should hate all Southern Baptist people from Virginia. My late mother in law was one. She was *horrible* to me (other members of her family, too, fwiw)...said some things to my late husband that were unforgivable.

So, following your logic about your grandmother, I *should* hate *all* Southern Baptists from Virginia, even those whom I don't know.

Can't you even begin to comprehend how *stupid* that is?

And your comment to Nikki that basically goes 'I like you, but not the Jewish you' is just beyond boggling in that you don't understand how bigoted that is. Substitute 'Black' or 'Mexican' or 'Asian' or 'gay' and *maybe* you'll see.

But probably not, because, y'know...that would actually involve using the grey matter between your ears as something else than what holds your bike helmet on your head.

[antihope.livejournal.com]

The difference I see between disliking people of a religion because of their actions has more to do with, imho, the *reason* for their actions. I dislike the Jewish side of my family because their interpretation - of the religion - is that if your child marries a gentile, that child is as good as dead. Therefore, the religious part is the part I dislike - knowing that had they chosen another religion, they probably wouldn't have made the same choices. It is not the same as said people being rotten people. I definately would dislike (Jehova's witnesses? I forget - the family that beat their 12 year old daughter to death by whipping her thrice fourty minus three or something times). It was a biblical punishment. It definately would skew my feelings towards that religion, too. And, I feel similiarly to the Pennsylvania-Dutch side, but I think my great-grandmother's actions were more to do with her scizophrenia than her religion.

) A person's skin color, parents, sexual orientation, eye color, birthplace are things that a person are born with. A religion is a choice. How many people say things "love the man, hate the sin". I don't like _any_ religion. Judaism just happens to be a religion, and by default, I'm not comfortable with people that believe in pixies in the sky, any more than I'd be comfortable knowing that people believe that Cinderella was their second-cousin. I also dislike Lawyers as a general rule, which doesn't mean I dislike _all_ lawyers, but they've made a choice to live a lifestyle I don't agree with (except for public defenders, and the like). I also dislke people that drive SUV's - especially the ones that chose to talk on their cell phones while driving them.

Either you can't differentiate between a person's choice, and things they cannot change or you just don't understand that I can. I try to not dislike religion, but I do. Tho, I really think I should pity people that believe in that stuff, as they seem mentally ill to me.

And, I still like Nikki. I've known her for years. She just tends to take some things too personally like I'm trying to attack *her*. When, really, it's just one aspect of her life. She's great in other ways. Loves animals dearly, can sew up a storm, be the life of a party. I think she's a great person, and I'm sorry she gets so offended over this kind of stuff. =(