Crap and Conspiracies

hi all

just a little plea that we all stop cyberbashing and harassing and defaming etc

just saw amy’s blog where she reveals that someone called her workplace in relations to her blogging

Candy shared that her work place was unjustly contacted

i recall seeing Native Warrior vlog about how someone had called his workplace – the call was tracked to a phone booth in Arizona

im sure there are many more that i am unaware of

holy crud – knock it off folks.  Not cool at all.  If their work is directly related to something they have done that is wrong and u feel u must boycott them or advocate against their doing that particular job – back it up with proof and engage in it civilly as in CIVIL disobedience.  Don’t be slandering, libeling, harassing, and bsing all over the place

Re: v/blogging and commenting a difference of opinion – pls pls pls do – i actually like that kinda stuff.  Its good for me to see other pov

stop the bashing –

i publicly state that i do no support the attacks that Carl S. launched against Honbrit. Olois, Barb, Mendoza.  They were wrong and unjust.

i publicly state that i do not support the attacks Ridor has launched against ___________ (you name it – he has hit just about everyone ; )

i publicly state that i do not support Barry’s attack on CAD, Deafhood, DBC, and AFA

if anyone has been attacking the NAD – i do not support it.  I love the NAD and while i believe we have a right to challenge and question – that does not give us a right to bash, bully and lie

i publicly state that i do not support the various folks who have attacked Ella (Barry, Russell, and etc etc)

Im sure there have been many other attacks and attackers that i have missed.

oh and the conspiracy theory that is emerging – u know the one that says the word “audism” and folks who use the word as well as the Deafhood word are the root of all evil and taking over the world and coming to a town near you soon soon soon (are you getting sleepy?  soon u will be wearing a hood and chanting death to people who talk cuz we can’t) – wow!

lawdy – didnt none of u see the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad talking conspiracy crap?  (and also pls notice the WALK OUT at the U.N. and our president’s shout out against such crap)

That stuff is just bonky and the conspiracy card usually gets called out when the accusers are actually guilty of plotting themselves so they suspect it in others – projection baby projection.

I once saw an amazing advocate, scholar, and author – Deborah Lipstadt -present at our temple.  She had just finished the libel lawsuit against her in the UK.  She is a US author who has written MANY important books about the Holocaust.  One was about Holocaust deniers.  Yep there are MANY MANY MANY of them out there in the world – one is even the president of Iran – who says the Holocaust never happened – yep no gas chambers, no tattoos, no actual footage from the camps, no actual survivors testimonies – its all exaggerated, its fabricated, its all false – they say (even though the Nazis were super anal about documenting all this stuff and we got TONS of proof, facts, and truths folks) still some folks say NOT TRUE.

So Dr. Lipstadt wrote this excellent book and then she got sued by a crazy nutty professor in England who himself is a Holocaust denier and thus mentioned in her book.

In the UK their libel laws are: “guilty until proven innocent” – yikes

so Lipstadt has to move to the UK to stand trial.  its a long one but her University (Emory)  – being a champion for academic truths and not falsehoods and for social justice supports her – u can see their awesome website about the whole trial at http://www.hdot.org/

She gets an awesome British lawyer (who also represented Princess Di against the paparazzi).  She wins – why because the proved that the bloke was a Holocaust denier and that aint cool

many survivors attended her trial.  One told her afterward – “Now you will be recorded in the book of life”

in Judaism Tikkun Olam is a biggy and Lipstadt lives it

But anyways – back to her presentation at our shul.  it was a full house and this is a HUGE temple.

Sadly one man stood up during Q and A time to say “Well, because the Jews killed Jesus don’t you think that the Holocaust was just an effort to right that injustice” or something to that effect

there was a chill and a groan and an shudder that rocked through the sacred space.  Some older men (perhaps survivors) stood up and the crowd moved in around this man but Dr. Lipstadt said, “tell me, sir, what did 1.5 million Jewish children, who were killed in the Shoah, ever do to Jesus.”

end of that discussion

She also shared how people would talk of the GREAT JEWISH CONSPIRACY for world dominantion – to which she replied “As if.  Tell me WHEN have you ever seen more than 2 Jews ever agree on anything.  When you do – let me know.  I’d be more inclined to call it a miracle rather than a conspiracy”

Laughter rippled through the crowd with many nodding heads and a few mouthed “its true”

Now ill tell ya one more story – im not sure how or if it relates but its in me mind cuz of the Iranian president and cuz it has to do with DOING GOOD instead of SPREADING LIES AND HATE

We should only hate oppressive systems – not the oppressor and not the victims of the oppression and not the bystanders.

As Angie Suss Paul – a remarkable local Hearing survivor, always used to tell my students “hatred is simply a waste of time.”

If she could believe this and live this and preach this – she a survivor who’s mother was ripped from her hands, who’s brother and father were killed – WE CAN PLAY NICE IN THE BLOGSPHERE.

so for my last story.  a few years ago i gave a presentation about the importance of conducting, collecting and sharing Deaf visual histories.  I showed several excerpts of Deaf survivors and witnesses (from the Shoah, from sterilization, and from the Rwandian gencoide).  A few hours later I bumped into a former student of mine.  He said he saw my presentation and while he was sad about what had happened to the survivors, he felt it would be important for Jewish people to move on and not dwell on the past.  We don’t need to keep seeing this stuff.  It’s over.  It happened a LONG time ago.

I was immediately saddened to see this comment.  I replied, “you are from India originally, yes?”  He replied, “yes, i was born there and moved when i was older.”  I said, what is on the flag of India?”  He described the colors and the Spinning Wheel in the middle.  I asked, “why is that there?”  He described with pride how Gandhi had organized the liberation of India from British rule largely by boycotting British goods and services and thus people had to make their own clothing etc and that is why the spinning wheel is there to remind us of our history and the oppression and out liberation.

I said that is beautiful and wonderful.  But that happened a long long long time ago didnt it?  Why haven’t you moved on yet?

He said, “well….” then nothing

silence

we stood in that silence for a long time.

“Is it not equally important that Jewish people and ALL of us NEVER forget the Holocaust.”  he said, “yes, yes, true.”

Lately i have been asking myself why do i abhor lies and falsehoods so much – because it seems to be they beget deception, misunderstanding, conflict, attacks, harassment, slander, libel, bullying, defamation – and as we know all to well (and as we shall NEVER FORGET) they beget much much worse.

I would readily welcome someone telling me why they dont agree with me or don’t like something im doing or don’t like an organization im involved with as long as they told truths – meaning facts about me, what i’m doing, or what the organization im involved with is doing.  If it is based on lies and falsehoods – it is NOT an invitation to dialogue it is an attack.

In the past few weeks ive had some very challenging and GOOD conversations in the blogsphere – GASP.  it is possible.  It is possible to agree to disagree but first we gotta figure out what we r really talking about.  to put the truth and facts on the table and DISCUSS that – not all this other junk that is always getting tossed around.

These good and difficult conversations have been afforded to me because folks have been willing to listen, to come back after they’ve been very mad and stomped off with an “i’m outta here” chant, to see what im saying, to question, to refine, to reconsider, to challenge me and i think love has been present and that is mighty nice.  It ain’t always there but we be aiming for it.

so to anyone and everyone if i have ever harmed ya – let me know.  i only ask that you come bearing facts and truth and a measure of love and i promise i will do ya the same.

Rally cry to remember the better angels of our nature.

Peace

Patti