#terminalpolitics

[kick-a-long]

@terminalpolitics this you:

Since you know so much about what is or isn’t legitimate criticism of Israel, can you help me out?

What about this:

Sorry, I meant these:

Those were just off the top of my head, but I’m so confused. Are they antisemitism or not? I can really only rely on your superior judgement as a friend of truth and peace. 🙏🏻 🕊️

Dear @antisemitism-eu

I made a short chat post about how charges of antisemitism are used to deflect criticism of the state of Israel (top image). You edited the text (bottom image) to add:

“Saying that Israel should be wiped out is ‘criticism’ of Israel.”

I’m glad you didn’t attempt to accuse me of antisemitism for my post –that probably would have been too great a stretch– but you did invent a strawman in an attempt to undermine the argument that: Defenders of the policies of the state of Israel will use charges of antisemitism to silence dissenters.

Helpfully, you’ve given another example of what I’m talking about.

My post was clearly about the state of Israel and its treatment of Palestinians – which is objectively inhumane and unjust. There was no antisemitism to attack in that, but you still wanted to defend the state of Israel from even this modest criticism. And to do so, you tried in your example to once more conflate criticism of the policy of Israel’s government with general antisemitism.

As no one here had actually said “Israel should be wiped out,” I can’t say whether the statement was motivated by antisemitism or not – we would need to see a real example of it, instead of one that you invented.

But, for the sake of explaining, let me point out that the statement “Israel should be wiped out” is not inherently antisemitic – though it is the position of many antisemites. That’s because the nation of Israel is not interchangeable with “Jewish people.” It is possible to call for abolishing the state of Israel without having said anything about Judaism at all.

Now, if during apartheid someone had said “South Africa should be wiped out” people would generally think they were talking about the evil South African government – after all it would be silly to try to end apartheid by killing all South Africans including the oppressed. So, sometimes “Israel” is shorthand for “The government of Israel” – and not necessarily for “the Jews.” Just as when people call for the destruction of the United States, they are talking about the Imperialist entity and not the human beings who happen to live in it.

Of course, some Palestinians will call for “Israel to be wiped out” but that might have less to do with antisemitism and more to do with the fact that the state of Israel is illegally occupying their land and engaging in brutally repressive tactics against them. We aren’t surprised when a family whose child is “accidentally” atomized by an American drone has some pretty angry feelings about the United States – so why should we suddenly be able to understand anger toward one’s military occupiers?

I started my original post by saying that “oppressors depict themselves as victims” and that is true with Israel. If you look at the conflict between the state of Israel and Palestinians, you will see an enormous imbalance of power. Israel has one of the most powerful militaries in the world and may even have nuclear weapons. It also have the assured backing of the United States.

And yet, apologists for Israel’s government will act like they are being bullied by people who say they want to boycott, divest from, and sanction the state – a totally nonviolent form of protest. Saying “stop supporting an apartheid state” is not as aggressive as being an apartheid state. In the case of the treatment of Palestinians, Israel is not the victim.

Fighting against antisemitism is very important. We are all called to fight against antisemitism. However, trying to defend the policies of the state of Israel by invoking antisemitism muddies the water and diminishes the power of other activists to speak out against antisemitism.

It is the antisemite who has traditionally blamed all Jewish people for the crimes of the Israeli government – and the occupation and repression of the palestinians is a crime. Attempting to defend Israel by saying “All criticisms of the policies of Israel are inherently antisemitic” plays into this antisemitic canard.

Many Jewish men and women, because of their faith and because of the persecution they have witnessed and experienced, are moved to speak out against the behavior of the government of Israel – It makes no sense to imply that once they disagree with Israeli policy that they have become antisemites.

I think the work that your blog does is important and necessary, but the next time you see a post that clearly and gently mocks “the state of Israel” I would hope that you don’t feel the need to run defense for an oppressive government.

[opificem]

Literally the biggest waves of strikes in the UK (1926/1984) were led or started by miners and mine workers but go off I guess

[jonpertwee]

terminalpolitics replied to your post “What the fuck is Bluetooth???? No on has very explained it to me and I...”

Bluetooth is a type of wireless signal that lets things communicate over a very short distance. If you have a wireless mouse or keyboard it probably uses Bluetooth to talk to your computer. Phone headsets use it too. Does that help or did you need specifics?

Thanks. So it connects things? Okay, a signal. What is a phone headset? I’ve seen people use those and I don’t know how they work. How do they pick up? Also, my Nook has a bluetooth option. Why is that necessary? What would “talk” to it?

[himejoshikomaeda]

terminalpolitics two days ago: burn all leftist books terminalpolitics today: it’s child abuse to spend hannukah with your kids

[casanova-lives]

Spot on.

Do you have a job, if not communism will get you employed through forced labour.

Yes, we can and should criticize the use of forced labor in socialist territories (even the Divine and Holy Revolutionary Catalonia and Ukrainian Free Territories used it) but this criticism will lead us to the conclusion that all capitalist countries don’t just impose forced labor, but does it at a greater magnitude and for the benefit of a very few who rake in the profits. “But countries like the UK banned forced labour” within their borders yes. Thankfully with the power of imperialism and neo-colonialism they can do it to brown and black people thousands of miles away.

[determinate-negation]

this is terminalpolitics

[sivavakkiyar]

this terminalpolitics dude has to be troll, just let it go

[progressivemillennial]

What are some other good political blogs to follow/ people who blog about politics? I’m new to this

Hi friend! Sorry for the delayed reply. Welcome to tumblr belatedly!

I am not the best blogging community member because I show up, post, but don’t do much following. However, I would start with @terminalpolitics and @germicidal-quarian. @soldiers-of-war posts a lot of powerful photos from wars around the world. @dermoosealini gives politics updates and sci-fi pictures to the masses and has great interchanges with other tumblrs.

I do spend copious time during the week listening to news podcasts, so I will post about that soon. Stay tuned!

[itsalburton]

Interview

@terminalpolitics I have no idea what my political affiliation is other than “On the Left” and I really do not fall into any category (Liberal-leaning, Democrat, Democratic Socialist, Green, Socialist, Communist) because I don’t match all the qualities/beliefs, but I can tell you that there’s been a push left since 2012 and not just because of general Republican/Conservative nonsense and right extremists (Tea Party, NRA, 1776-ers, Neo-Nazi “Alt-Right���).

Yes, I do kind of fit the conservative conspiracy theory getting popularized: I went to college and got onto Tumblr, learned more about the shit happening in the world than what TV News said, learned about the histories of America and Europe---and I have to know that because it’s a graduation requirement for a High School Social Studies teacher---and began to identify as “Leftist”. Fox News and Alex Jones would break into a feverish sweat because I’m the thing they warn older white people and Nazis about.

Then again, college is supposed to inform you of more than just the typical rhetoric you’re taught in public school and academics in general is supposed to give you a greater perspective of the world than what’s in your local community. Through class studying and personal searching, I did find out about all the things history tends to sweep under the rug and because I’ve had to read about those histories, I can see the past repeating and I am an active believer in the old wisdom of “those who don’t learn of the past are doomed to repeat it”.

[terminalpolitics]

For the last two years…

I’ve written @terminalpolitics as an explicitly Leftist political blog. When going through my archive, I noticed that some posts written months or even years apart could be assembled to tell a short story: the core of my political message.

The above posts weren’t intended to link-up, but they are all bits and bobs from the same perspective – the only perspective that I have. If this shows the simplicity of my thinking, I don’t mind, because it also shows that I’ve been consistent over the years.

I’m just about done here. I hope you’ve enjoyed the content and those who are interested can take a look at my own #archive tag for the posts I thought were my best.

Take care, comrades.

[jonpertwee]

terminalpolitics replied to your photoset

Such a good show. I need to find a place online to watch it again.

It’s all here.

[determinate-negation]

There is an undeniable aspect of ethnocentrism in thinking it's bad to raise ones children in ones own religion and culture

i mean yeah tbhi start making challah french toast for my future kids and terminalpolitics snipes me from 1000 ft away

[casanova-lives]

I love you so much.

Please please please, Someone please edit the antifa flags to say “Anti-Reading Action”

[hillaryisaboss]

@terminalpolitics made a stupid post in the "Hillary Clinton" tag ;( My response: I blame the 10 million 3rd party voters. Trump only won the swing states by 80,000. There was more than enough of those 10 million 3rd party voters in the swing states to make the difference. We warned you. But you became Nader all over again. Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it!! Also -- Bernie lost the popular vote in the primaries because he sucked with minority voters. Had nothing to do with the DNC. If Bernie couldn't even win the primary, he wasn't going to win the general election. Bernie was treated with kid gloves during the primaries. The GOP was propping him up to hurt Hillary [divide your enemy is politics 101] and Hillary didn't want to alienate his supporters. But had Bernie made it to the general, the right-wing machine that went after Hillary for her e-mails/Benghazi and Obama for his birth certificate, would have most certainly destroyed Jewish Socialist Bernie Sanders that wanted to raise taxes on everyone to pay for free college. Middle America never would have supported that, either. But keep playing Monday night quarterback.

[progressivemillennial]

100 Followers

You know, when I started up on the Tumblr, I thought I’d spend most of my time researching and writing long essays about timely topics, and I initially wrote a lot of those, but they never got any notes. I felt like I was wasting my time: why write for a non-existent audience?

Since then, I’ve made adjustments to my approach and am really grateful that whether I share a meme or an article or do some original work, there are people here who notice and sometimes even share my own creations with others. There is no more gratifying feeling than seeing my own writing reblogged by a mutual.

And speaking of mutuals, I want to thank @germicidal-quarian for all your reblogs. You post some really dope material every day, and I’m grateful for all of your likes and reblogs. You are probably singlehandedly responsible for attracting half of my followers.

I’d also like to thank @terminalpolitics not only for your likes and reblogs but for your inspiration. I learn a lot from your content and your example, and I feel honored that my favorite blogger occasionally likes and reblogs me.

To everyone else who follows me and shares me, it truly means a lot to me. I now have as many followers here as I do on my Facebook page, which mostly consists of friends and family. I wouldn’t write without your attention and support, so thank you.

[terminalpolitics]

I find it a little disturbing...

That a wide swathe of Leftist Tumblr would find me less "problematic" if I posted: "I have embraced Christ as my lord and savior and I encourage all people to raise God-fearing and devout children."