Comments on: Using rape to justify racism

By: Itsme

Itsme — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:45:52 +0000

It’s also sad and perplexing to note that Israel has one of the highest rates per capita for sex slavery with the majority of victims being under 16. According to Amnesty International and the US Trafficking report, Israel’s Ultra Conservatives are the main customer – especially of African virgins 10-15 years old. Rape groups ironically note the strict religious beliefs as to why they target children. UC women are not permitted to have sex approximately 2 weeks per month and condom use is not allowed. Because of fear of AIDS, UC men buy virgins and children to reduce the Men’s chance of contracting AIDS — even though it means raping a child and possibly giving AIDS to her. Also rape rates in Israel (30.6%) continue to climb and are currently above the US (26%) and 2nd to South Africa (43%). Although prison sentences are strong in Israel, there is still a “blame the victim” attitude that fuels the problem and makes conviction difficult. There is also a belief that Ultra Conservatives are somehow more law abiding, even though Israel’s own crime statistics for rape do not support that. UC Men also have a high rape rate against Palestinian women. Because rape is a crime of violence and domination, it would be interesting to find out how much of the rapes committed by UC Men is related to their religious beliefs – which tend to see women and non-conservative Jews as inferior and “loose”- verses rape being used as political/martial domination. Or if it is simply an environment which creates and nurtures a larger number of men with severe psychological problems because of lack of modern detection, counseling and treatment and refusal to acknowledge the problem.

By: Rudy Haugeneder, Canada

Rudy Haugeneder, Canada — Sun, 27 May 2012 06:04:49 +0000

The story is a good warning about how quickly civilized people, including Jews, can become brutal and savage brutes.

By: Or K, Israeli Jewish

Or K, Israeli Jewish — Sat, 26 May 2012 13:33:16 +0000

If u ask me, it’s a Jewish honor to let refugees live here.

By: Rowan Berkeley

Rowan Berkeley — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:04:38 +0000

You mean that over time, for example, the genes of women who cannot remember that the natal ward is two blocks over and one block back from the main hospital building will die out?

By: David

David — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:18:01 +0000

@ Rowan Berkeley regarding your post on ‘selfish genes’. Selection is not driven by the volition of genes. The classic explanation goes like this: take a tree as an example, the structural features of a tree trunk are quite complex. With advanced engineering knowledge you could show that the tree trunk displays optimal organization for load bearing, stability, etc…Now no one argues the tree understands the principles of structural engineering? Selfishness is selected through external pressure, not internal control. The cell does not need to will its selfishness into existence. Imagine a group of individuals with variable genes content (i.e they are not all the same). If some of these genes prove advantageous, under selection pressure, then those individuals (and importantly those genes) proliferate. No conscious control is required. This has been demonstrated computationally and experimentally.

Now with that said, the principles are often misrepresented (as you have exemplified) and/or appropriated for political purposes, as you duly have noted.

Acknowledging the function of low-level operations of life does not mean the principles of selfishness need to inform our morality or social organization. We have the capacity to overcome this.

Cheers

By: Piotr Berman

Piotr Berman — Sun, 20 May 2012 13:48:34 +0000

“Finally, I’d ask myself what do other countries with similar problems do? How is there population reacting?”

House the refugees where it is cheap, i.e. in an economically depressed area, and have some discussions in the press in case of either rape or pogrom. Organize anti-immigrant political parties. This is more or less common theme. Then we have different possibilities.

A. Sensible parties keep the radicals out of the government and try various small ways to make the situation better. For example, classes for refugees to teach them the national language and skills needed in the economy. Economic activisation programs for the distressed areas. There is no silver bullet but there are various things that can be done.

B. Radical parties are in the government together with the sensible parties. We have some combination of sensible policies, official incitements and pogroms (small or rare, situation does not get out of hand).

C. Radical parties rule. Oh my. Policies have to be prepared for the refugees from that country.

By: klang

klang — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:43:06 +0000

If I were a Sudanese refugee and believed everything in 972 mag, Israel would be the last place I would go. I would rather risk it with the bedouins in the Sinai. Especially since Goebbels is hasbara minister, it means that Israel is going to exterminate all non-whites. The Sudanese in Israel must be clamoring to leave. Where is the flotilla to help them escape Israel?

By: max

max — Sun, 20 May 2012 11:25:10 +0000

@aristeides, I admire the clarity of your argument: having no data, you simply conclude that since Africans are black, Israelis are not, then had they been illegal they’d be easy to pick up and deported.
How clever!
I must be a real nerd… asking myself why has none of the 972 ‘voices’ claimed the legality point, where to the infiltrators from the open Egypt-Israel border go to register, how many of them are there (as if there are 100,000 and 30,000 of them are registered, it may not make sense to stop people and ask for registration), how many of them may have no papers at all, what would the police do if they caught an unregistered petty thief, and where to would they deport such people?
You see, so many question just to make sure that I have ground to claim that others are liars.
Finally, I’d ask myself what do other countries with similar problems do? How is there population reacting?
.
Is yours what’s called Liberal Clarity of Reasoning or Clarity of Liberal Reasoning?

By: LifePeace

LifePeace — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:57:30 +0000

Dear Yossi,

I don’t want to patronise, but I notice that you are a tzabar, writing in English (or at least on an English language site), designed to be read by Jews born in Galut. I happen to agree wholeheartedly with your main point here. But can I suggest if you would like to make friends and influence people (which is presumably the point of public writing), then starting with a long and elaborate way of saying Israeli right-wingers are just like the Nazis is probably the most sure-fire way of putting off any potential supporters of your positions. I am as left as they come and can’t stand any of the politicians you talk about, but would never endorse such a comparison. Galus Jews are a little more sensitive to throwing round the Amalek/Hitler comparison/parallel.

By: Anne-Sophie

Anne-Sophie — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:35:55 +0000

Thank you for this article! Now 4 years that I am involved with asylum seekers assistance, and you hit the nail on this issue! The recent escalation of hatred and racism is really a sign that the authorities are cowardly doing nothing to take responsibility of the immigration challenges that unfolded in recent years. Such a shame!! Not sure where all of this is going, but the generic opinion is losing even more compassion towards Africans, now (not to say that the compassion that was there in the first place was not so vibrant!).