“The great German socialist thinker August Bebel famously said that antisemitism is “the socialism of fools,” since antisemites tend to scapegoat cabals of “Jewish bankers” for the problems of an entire economic system. To tweak Bebel’s observation a bit, this kind of rhetoric about all Israelis being “settlers” whose presence in their country is illegitimate represents the anti-Zionism of fools.”
What the fuck is this liberal zionist bullshit.
Ben Burgis has been on my shitlist for a long time now.
He’s been comfortable courting the audience of The Serfs (really??) and I have a strong distrust of anyone who is unwilling to commit to an ideological line - think the people who openly call themselves socialist.
He’s been relegated to the dustbin of my mind so this is my best attempt to retrieve deleted files and nobody should take this as gospel but I vaguely recall him doing that civility-policing of the left, in adopting a comprador position by conflating what socialism actually is to appeal to a broad audience by talking about shit like how universal healthcare is socialism or like how the current system is “socialism for the rich” or how the USSR wasnt actually socialism etc. etc.
I recall that he has worked to sheepdog the left too.
I’m not surprised that he has taken a shitty line on Israel’s genocide tbh.
(Disclaimer that I may be remembering things about him incorrectly or incompletely and it’s based on what I have heard from him a fair while ago so I am not able to pinpoint when or where he said anything of the above, so apply all due skepticism to my take on Burgis and treat this as if its rumour and not hard truths.)
Considering what he’s said in this thing he linked in the article and that other article under this titled “Palestinians are not a Monolith.” I would be surprised if what you said wasn’t accurate.
Holy fucj anyone who uses the word monolith regarding Palestine needs to be put out the airlock
I’m not sure I get what you’re objecting to. Do you disagree with the assertion that Palestinians are not a monolith? Do you think it’s more accurate to say they are a monolith?
(here’s the article being referred to: https://jacobin.com/2023/10/solidarity-palestine-israeli-occupation-gaza-human-rights/)
It is not the fact that is true, but the way it is used as an argumentative tactic by colonialism enthusiasts