Trump and his supporters are quite frank in telling us who they are. We ignore them at our peril.
31
I'm a goy who prefers the company of Jews to that of antisemitics: a culture that stresses learning and history makes for far better company than one which fosters cold rote-learned hate.
30
Donald Trump is a revolting human being. One would think that he would speak out forcefully against the anti-semitic nut cases simply because it's the right thing to do but also because his supposably beloved daughter Ivanka and her family are Jewish.
Trump is a low- life and I can only pray that the American People finally reject him.
Trump is a low- life and I can only pray that the American People finally reject him.
35
I don`t Tweet but even last night Ann Coulter bunched all Asians together "Mandarin" , Joy Reid corrected her instantly to be proper and call them Asian Americans.
It was not out of ignorance on Coulter`s part it is daring to be uncivilized.
Even after eight years of Obama`s Presidency people like Trump`s ugly side have surfaced.
It was not out of ignorance on Coulter`s part it is daring to be uncivilized.
Even after eight years of Obama`s Presidency people like Trump`s ugly side have surfaced.
18
Let's face it the human race is prone to prejudice, bigotry, and racism, it is how people fundamentally differentiate themselves from the "other." Though there seems to be a direct correlation between small mindedness and the degree of prejudice. This makes sense because small minded people are more likely to overcompensate for feelings of inferiority or inadequacy.
Can prejudice be eliminated or even contained? We have civil rights laws but you can't legislate how someone should think. Since the beginning of time it is inherent for humans to assert their place in society. Make no mistake, this is no small matter. People have gone to war and killed for far less.
A guy named Darwin wrote something about natural selection, something that had to do with survival of the fittest. I'm pretty sure nobody has found a better explanation of basic human nature.
It seems inevitable that civilization will die off because people are either unwilling or incapable to be civil. It is easier to divide than unite. What a waste of ones life - hating others just because they are not just like us.
Can prejudice be eliminated or even contained? We have civil rights laws but you can't legislate how someone should think. Since the beginning of time it is inherent for humans to assert their place in society. Make no mistake, this is no small matter. People have gone to war and killed for far less.
A guy named Darwin wrote something about natural selection, something that had to do with survival of the fittest. I'm pretty sure nobody has found a better explanation of basic human nature.
It seems inevitable that civilization will die off because people are either unwilling or incapable to be civil. It is easier to divide than unite. What a waste of ones life - hating others just because they are not just like us.
7
Great commentary for exposing Trump the fascist. Our great nation is going to the dark side and thanks to the Republican Party for creating the hate, anger and fear mongering over the past eight years to manipulate the people to win the elections. They took advantage of the color of our elected President and spread conspiracy messages thru their propaganda channels. Unfortunately the propaganda was funded by the Wall Street crook money machine. Now the party is swallowing the well deserved poison pill. It is a shame that a fascist,free loader tax dodger is getting the party nomination and he is the symbol of everything wrong in our great nation. He manipulates people throwing lines on trade, deal etc. Alas, people don't see the true color of this pathological liar and the division he is creating to destroy our nation.
12
Anyone opposed to Trump is sneered at. In this sense, Trump is an equal opportunity insult-er. This man who claims to be "Great!" is actually a lousy business person (4 bankruptcies), inherited his wealth, and a sexual predator (his own words). The only reason he is the GOP candidate is that he had 16 opponents. In the general election, he will have one. Let's see how he does against Hillary, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie attacking him every hour.
9
The lack of repudiation by crazy Donald, is effectively complicity. He has given aid, comfort, and support to the worst elements of our society. Even if he followed the law and Consitution as president, his election would unleash those who feel vindicated in their hate. They would believe all America supports their views.,Defeating Trump is now more than just keeping him from the Presidency, it's about denying the extremist legitimacy.
12
Trump has already denounced the judge hearing the case against his defunct University as "that Mexican." It is only a matter of time before he rails against any other ethnicity that is convenient.
12
I don't really think it matters whether or not Trump wins. The fact that he and his politics have been embraced by the media and many Americans is a fact. We have crossed a line in this country from which we will never easily return. The politics of greed-- go away all you others-- this is my country, my land, etcetera. Let me defame your otherness to claim my "birthright." It is all ideological smoke and mirrors, the political manipulation of the masses. We dumbed down our schools, allowed "home schooling" (just a stupid concept for the left or right) and we took away jobs and money from the middle classes. Power lies in fewer and fewer hands today. Real economic opportunities seem effervescent. So why not fight over turf and who was here first. This is not a country which values cooperation today. It is on the verge of fascism. NSA is ready to control and inform. I won't support Trump. I hope he doesn't win, but the damage to our nation and our political system has already been done. We know who is responsible. Those of us over 50 have seen it unfold. It is no accident that we find ourselves in this moment. But it is not ending with one election.
18
During the rise of Hitler in Germany during the early 1930's, the good people in the government thought it was OK for Hitler to be elected chancellor. They thought they could control him after he was elected. We have a similar situation. The normal Republicans think they will control Trump after he is elected. No chance. He is unexcelled as a marketer.
30
I had lunch today with a pro-Bernie man in his 70s (and Jewish) who says he can never vote for Hillary. Our young college-student waiter, also for Bernie, added that he would never vote for Hillary. When I implored them both not to contribute to Trump's election by taking that position, neither was persuaded, wanting to "stick to principles." I have been a Bernie supporter from Day One - and I will vote for Hillary. Wake up, America, please, I plead desperately!! We must stop this evil man.
47
There is a difference in being open minded and willing to consider the opposing ideas of others and enter into a dialogue, and opposing those who try to force their ideas on others by using the political, judicial and legal institutions to do so. These people sometimes complain bitterly when these processes are used to prevent discrimination and to give marginalized people new rights and correct wrongs. Conservative activism denies rights to those whose alternative lifestyles they oppose on what they call moral grounds. They lobby state legislatures to suppress voting rights and then insist that their doctrines be forced on others who have other or no religions beliefs. Liberals, on the other hand can advocate and use the legislative process to correct such things as income inequality and minimum wages which conservative will oppose for purely selfish reasons.
7
There is no real fascism in America and as to prejudice and discrimination it is an ugly universal in every society, in every community, and often every human interaction. Donald Trump will become President of the United States. He will be a champion of American egalitarianism. A less fearful America with more balance and pride will be the result of his Presidency.
4
It's very important for us to remember that all of those "acceptable Republicans" who have surrendered to Trump are endorsing the obscene hate speech that he and his storm troopers are engaging in.
35
Trump accommodates and nurtures any racist or sexist supporter who is willing to support him. He has shown that he is a dangerous human being who vilifies the historically oppressed and inflames the fears of those who are suffering in these economic times. His snide insinuations about Vincent Foster's death were inhumane and ugly. As an Irish Catholic American, I implore all who care about our wonderfully diverse nation to stand up to and reject his inhumane vulgarities before they become the normalized.
22
Yours is one of the most important pieces in years. I live in a very liberal part of the country and many of my friends say it is impossible that Trump would be elected. I fear the complacency. For decades there has been a simmering layer of prejudice among the white, christian "majority" who felt their dominance and control of society was slipping away. Trumps actions are telling them that it is not slipping away, but it is gone, and he is the one to give it back. They may just find a way to give him that chance.
24
America was built on hate. Hate is as American as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and every moment since. It was enshrined in our Constitution with slavery and the genocide of Indians; the exploitation of Asians, and the assault on every new immigrant group to land upon our shores. Religion, color, gender, national origins, and every other means by which people can be divided from one another is as American as apple pie.
This is nothing different about America from other nations. Trump is not the first American to exploit the hate that runs deep within our national consciousness.
Perhaps what does separate us most from other nations and distinguishes Trump from other would be despots is the degree to which we and he wrap ourselves in the virtues of freedom, liberty, justice, and equality. And the only thing that really separates Trump from other Republicans is he doesn't bother using Code words to disguise his pandering to hate as the rest of them have done since Goldwater, Nixon, and Reagan took over the Party of Lincoln.
No, at long last thanks to Trump the hate that lies within our nation and has driven the Republican Party for a generation is now fully out of the closet for all to see. For Republicans there is no more pretending they care about balanced budgets, less government, free enterprise, states rights and all of that. When you sign on to support Trump there is no more pretending that you have signed on for anything but for the hate.
This is nothing different about America from other nations. Trump is not the first American to exploit the hate that runs deep within our national consciousness.
Perhaps what does separate us most from other nations and distinguishes Trump from other would be despots is the degree to which we and he wrap ourselves in the virtues of freedom, liberty, justice, and equality. And the only thing that really separates Trump from other Republicans is he doesn't bother using Code words to disguise his pandering to hate as the rest of them have done since Goldwater, Nixon, and Reagan took over the Party of Lincoln.
No, at long last thanks to Trump the hate that lies within our nation and has driven the Republican Party for a generation is now fully out of the closet for all to see. For Republicans there is no more pretending they care about balanced budgets, less government, free enterprise, states rights and all of that. When you sign on to support Trump there is no more pretending that you have signed on for anything but for the hate.
20
I thank Jonathan Weisman for authoring this article and thank the Times for printing it.
This rabid hatred must be exposed. Fascism and anti-semitism can take root in the United States and must be rooted out, as must all forms of racial, ethnic or religious prejudice.
This rabid hatred must be exposed. Fascism and anti-semitism can take root in the United States and must be rooted out, as must all forms of racial, ethnic or religious prejudice.
64
DT. Such a YUGE ego for such a small-minded man to try to feed.
26
Mr. Trump is a very smart man; smart enough to know right from wrong and smart enough to know that there is a large group of people that are using him as a vehicle for the expression of hate. While Mr. Trump may have been at the heart of the birther movement, it is his credentials as a "true" American I would be concerned about. A man who cowards in the face of hate and embraces it, surely cannot be the same type of man who valiantly fought in countless wars to defend against it.
36
Trump is driven by severe narcissism and that blurs the difference between right and wrong, between reality and fantasy. Like many powerful yet fundamentally insecure people, he is driven by a relentless search for personal glory. It is this same personality disorder that makes him so dangerous as a potential leader. It is in fact the same type of personality disorder that afflicted both Hitler and Mussolini.
11
Surely the Bernie Sanders supporters, regardless of their dislike of Hillary, won't join these anti-Semites in voting for Trump directly or by staying home.
35
There are a lot of Americans that have their priories confused these days.
The far right has had over 7 years to point to President Obama making their case about the black, brown, yellow and red people taking over to say nothing about women numbers increasing.
These people are paranoid and will vote against their own best interest in a split second.
And once they learn they voted the wrong way they will blame the Democrats.
The far right has had over 7 years to point to President Obama making their case about the black, brown, yellow and red people taking over to say nothing about women numbers increasing.
These people are paranoid and will vote against their own best interest in a split second.
And once they learn they voted the wrong way they will blame the Democrats.
9
Powerful piece. Thanks. I'm not Jewish, but members of my extended family are, and also Latino. What the Trump idiots don't get (or perhaps they get it and are terrified) is that in today's increasingly inter-married culture, an insult to one group turns into an insult to another. So while I may be a WASP, these anti-Semitic taunts affect me, and keep me awake at night thinking of my grand kids getting off a train at a concentration camp. Oh, and what might happen to some of my hispanic son-in-law's family who are among the 11 million, working hard, serving in the military and working their tails off. I do wish I vote more than once against Trump and the GOP....before they take my ability to vote away.
102
I admire you greatly for confronting head-on the know-nothing bullies whose hateful worldviews Mr. Trump endorses, encourages, and amplifies. God help us all if Trump and his rabble somehow succeed in their quest to seize control of the Presidency.
47
I am horrified that anyone would have to endure the mountain of hate that my Jewish brothers and sisters are enduring, especially through this election cycle, from and in support of Mr. Trump. My generation learned about and remembers the OFFICIAL hate driven anti-semitism of Nazi Germany which subsequent American generations since seem not to have learned about or understood or rejected. As a Christian I am appalled to see this kind of hatefulness firmly on the rise in the United States, and the rise of Donald Trump that his ugly messages of hate continue to generate. Younger voters, please educate yourselves on world history. Trump and Trump followers are playing with fire.
60
“Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet? Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?" (Amos) Don't blame Donald Trump, it is just the evil of the Internet.
6
Your quotes from Amos flatly contradict your bizarre defense of Trump.
23
In reply to Allen, I do blame Trump. And I will vote for all Democrats on the November ballot. Yes, we have some Representatives and Senators of both parties who are greedy, ignorant abominations, but in the long run it is a majority of Democrats in House and Senate that will gradually turn this ship of state in the direction of serving the interest of all Americans.
7
An apology for a hate-monger is an endorsement of a hate-monger. There are no excuses to be made for Trump, none.
8
Bravo!
I'm not Jewish, but during the 1920's my Dad was denied entrance to a prestigious law school because 'as an Irish Catholic he wouldn't be comfortable here'.
Haters can never be controlled or limited, hasn't the world had enough lessons for this?
I'm not Jewish, but during the 1920's my Dad was denied entrance to a prestigious law school because 'as an Irish Catholic he wouldn't be comfortable here'.
Haters can never be controlled or limited, hasn't the world had enough lessons for this?
49
Mr. Weismann, I am terribly sorry that anyone at all has to endure this kind of treatment. Parents everywhere: raise your kids to respect their fellow human beings! The future of our country and of our world depends upon our future civility toward one another.
41
America would seriously embarrass itself by electing Trump. Think about it - a game show host. I hated Nixon; but he was a legal scholar, a congressman, and Vice President. He may have been a lying dog, but he makes Trump look like a deranged flea.
56
The New York Times' suspicious "opinion" clearly insinuates that Mr. Trump has something to do with these so-called "Nazi" tweets. Your newspaper's steady, precipitous decline as a impartial news media organization now appears beyond reversal. I cannot but have to pronounce: The New York Times, you all but have completely lost my respect as a reader.
17
um... this is opinion, not news, and it describes the oppression you defend.
48
More than suspicion. Trump has not denounced these people. That is a bad move on his part, and implies support for them.
60
First they came for the Mexicans, and I did not speak out -
Because I am not a Mexican
Then they came for the Chinese, and I did not speak out -
Because I am not Chinese
Then they came for the Muslims, and I did not speak out -
Because I am not a Muslim
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -
Because I am not a Jew
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me
Hate and fear mongering demagogue who proudly scapegoats groups (Mexicans, Chinese, Muslims) to provide easy answers (a Wall, a Tariff and calls to CEOs, a Ban) to real but complex problems (illegal immigration, trade, terrorism) to inflame the angry mob (vast majority are white) will always need new groups to scapegoat to feed the mob.
We have seen this before. It never ends well.
Because I am not a Mexican
Then they came for the Chinese, and I did not speak out -
Because I am not Chinese
Then they came for the Muslims, and I did not speak out -
Because I am not a Muslim
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -
Because I am not a Jew
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me
Hate and fear mongering demagogue who proudly scapegoats groups (Mexicans, Chinese, Muslims) to provide easy answers (a Wall, a Tariff and calls to CEOs, a Ban) to real but complex problems (illegal immigration, trade, terrorism) to inflame the angry mob (vast majority are white) will always need new groups to scapegoat to feed the mob.
We have seen this before. It never ends well.
85
This is shameful, dishonest reporting by any standard.
11
Ah dear Lord I'm missing Obama so deeply, already.
69
His hatred will bring about his early demise. No evil deed truly ever goes unpunished.
10
This nation is about to reap what it has sown. The Obama recovery from the Bush multi-Catastrophe's is about to end.
22
Trump did not see these tweets
7
So what? He's repeatedly refused to say boo against this sort of thing, even when the racists explicitly tie their racism to supporting him.
40
"The sleep of reason produces monsters." --Francisco Goya
30
"like many American Jews I have been lulled into complacency"
Indeed, but don't be too hard on yourself. One wants to believe that maybe the world have learned something from history.
Trump is evidence that the answer is no.
Indeed, but don't be too hard on yourself. One wants to believe that maybe the world have learned something from history.
Trump is evidence that the answer is no.
41
I believe that Trumps appearance at the AIPAC conference as he mentioned several times 1) that he didn't need their money that 2) he was aware of their ethnic foibles, people should have opened their eyes to his ignorance and stupidity!
19
Now that Donald Trump has shown himself to be a bully and a coward, terrified of debating Bernie Sanders, it's time for Hillary Clinton to reverse herself and agree to debate Sanders one more time.
Think about the positive publicity for Clinton and the Democrats! Trump the coward, afraid of Uncle Bernie, and Hillary, debating him on the tough issues yet again! And it wouldn't hurt Bernie, either. It gets him needed exposure, it gets her doing what she does best: Thinking on her feet and showing just how deep her knowledge is.
And, it reverses a VERY bad trend for Clinton: Being on the outside of the Trump/Sanders debate circus started by Jimmy Fallon. Now Trump will be on the outside as BOTH Sanders and Clinton can hammer him as both bully AND (now), a proven coward, afraid of Uncle Bernie, with a raft of new excuses why he won't debate him.
It's time Hillary Clinton abandoned the "advisers on how to lose" that permeate the Democratic Party, who sing the same, worn-out failed tunes that have been losing in off-year elections since 1994. The Presidency is hers to lose, and she's working hard at doing just that.
Think about the positive publicity for Clinton and the Democrats! Trump the coward, afraid of Uncle Bernie, and Hillary, debating him on the tough issues yet again! And it wouldn't hurt Bernie, either. It gets him needed exposure, it gets her doing what she does best: Thinking on her feet and showing just how deep her knowledge is.
And, it reverses a VERY bad trend for Clinton: Being on the outside of the Trump/Sanders debate circus started by Jimmy Fallon. Now Trump will be on the outside as BOTH Sanders and Clinton can hammer him as both bully AND (now), a proven coward, afraid of Uncle Bernie, with a raft of new excuses why he won't debate him.
It's time Hillary Clinton abandoned the "advisers on how to lose" that permeate the Democratic Party, who sing the same, worn-out failed tunes that have been losing in off-year elections since 1994. The Presidency is hers to lose, and she's working hard at doing just that.
13
With you on a Clinton/Sanders debate. It was Jimmy Kimmel, I believe, not Fallon.
5
When I read articles like this I wonder why anyone but a white male christian would support and vote for Trump. He has said exactly how he feels about all the rest and what he will do to them.
19
You are quite right, such hate needed airing. A person can 'know' something, yet not really be aware of it. People need reminders; they need to see. Knowing there are people like this is one thing; seeing their ugly hate make plain is another.
18
Well come to the new era of "asthecization of politics" of Benjimin in twenty first century version. The Twitter, YouTube and Facebook are the media of this asthecization and Trump is the sign master to blow the dog whistle to start the process. Our political Pandits will go on discussing the policy positions and flip-flops of Trump assuming it is a normal election cycle where Trump is playing a different astheticization game. Wake up America and the Clintoon Camp to counter this game. German communists and other parties missed this astheticization of politics and world had fallen to Nazi era and wars that killed 60 million people. This time human civilization will be in danger.
5
The rise of Donald Trump, has given the more ignorant and bigoted among us, a renewed voice and confidence to exhibit their particular form of hate. With Trump, they feel they have someone who will champion their cause. Should Trump win the in general election, just picture where this country will be four years from now.
Instead of the progress would could/should make toward equal rights for all, 2020 will look more like 1920.
Instead of the progress would could/should make toward equal rights for all, 2020 will look more like 1920.
16
Just a specific example of the broader context of Daniel Kahneman's work (see: "Thinking, Fast and Slow"). Primitive brains evolved to flee saber toothed tigers, not so much to think carefully, clearly, and objectively. Hate and anger are rooted in the deep fear that is no longer the adaptive survival mechanism it once was. Only universal, intensive training provides any hope for subjugating the lizard brain to the discipline of the cortex.
9
Anti-Semitism along with racism has never gone away and likely never will. The entire concept of sovereign nations is based on a shared culture, values, religion, and language. We pledge allegiance, we root for our athletes, we control our borders, and we make war and peace in the interest of our sovereign.
The great society, attempted to bring equality to all Americans, while giving deferments to mostly middle class whites, killed hundreds of thousands of “gooks” or were they human beings, in the name of freedom and democracy.
Battles rage between Jews, Christians and Muslims across the globe. While they rage Jews, Christians and Muslims across the globe become more religious, more dug in, less humane.
We are a tribal people, all of us; we are at the top of a very violent food chain where the natural order is based on eat or be eaten. Blaming that on Donald Trump is absurd. It’s always there, it will always be there. We have been at constant war since the end of World War 2. Death and destruction is a path we continue on unabated. Tribalism is a path we are still on unabated no matter our gender, sexual preference, religion or race. Pacifism has been rejected by the left and the right, we are tribal warriors. I don’t see a peace candidate on either side. Do you?
The great society, attempted to bring equality to all Americans, while giving deferments to mostly middle class whites, killed hundreds of thousands of “gooks” or were they human beings, in the name of freedom and democracy.
Battles rage between Jews, Christians and Muslims across the globe. While they rage Jews, Christians and Muslims across the globe become more religious, more dug in, less humane.
We are a tribal people, all of us; we are at the top of a very violent food chain where the natural order is based on eat or be eaten. Blaming that on Donald Trump is absurd. It’s always there, it will always be there. We have been at constant war since the end of World War 2. Death and destruction is a path we continue on unabated. Tribalism is a path we are still on unabated no matter our gender, sexual preference, religion or race. Pacifism has been rejected by the left and the right, we are tribal warriors. I don’t see a peace candidate on either side. Do you?
6
When people do not have meaningful work...
When people look to a future and see no path...
When the haves flaunt their wealth...
The people will lash out...some group will be made a scapegoat.
When people look to a future and see no path...
When the haves flaunt their wealth...
The people will lash out...some group will be made a scapegoat.
8
I am reminded of Niemoller's speech - "First they came for the gypsys and I did not speak because I was not a gypsy. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the homosexuals and I did not speak because I wasn't a homosexual. Then they came for the socialists and I did not speak because I wasn't a socialist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.
19
much of the problem is that it's being accepted. I saw Hugh Hewitt the other night saying Oh he doesn't really mean it. It's all a joke. He puts it out there and then pulls it back. It's a joke and the american people are in on the joke.
Others say he'll never do the things he says and doesn't really mean it.
They are legitimizing his hatred with these comments.
Others say he'll never do the things he says and doesn't really mean it.
They are legitimizing his hatred with these comments.
29
Yes, I agree with Maya Angelou's intelligent take on it. People tell you and show you who they are - listen to them and believe them. DT is for one thing - feeding his ridiculous ego. Such a big thing for such a small man to try to feed.
23
Perhaps these America Firsters should learn some actual American history.
When the very first Jews came to the colonies in the 1600s, Peter Stuyvesant (the Dutch leader of New York or New Amsterdam, I suppose) didn't want them and attempted to return them to Holland. The Dutch authorities disagreed and told Stuyvesant that he would indeed be accepting those Jews cause the Dutch thought they would be good for the colony.
And, then there's the famous story of George Washington. Do you think that he was a good American? Uh, yeah. Maybe the best of all. When Washington, DC was developed and the government moved there, George Washington went out of his way to visit the only synagogue in DC. He told the congregation that they were welcome in the United States of America. George Washington is greatly revered by the American Jewish community. He was then, and he always has been.
Moreover, many of the Founders were Free Masons, including George Washington. The Masons helped save many Jews facing the onslaught of Hitler in Europe. They played a major role in the founding of the USA and the development of democracy in France. In every single Mason lodge, it is a requirement that all three great books are present, the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Koran.
So, those anti-Semitic so-called Firsters don't really have a clue what the heck really happened in America first. They know nothing about history. All they know is hatred mostly based on their own lack of self-esteem.
When the very first Jews came to the colonies in the 1600s, Peter Stuyvesant (the Dutch leader of New York or New Amsterdam, I suppose) didn't want them and attempted to return them to Holland. The Dutch authorities disagreed and told Stuyvesant that he would indeed be accepting those Jews cause the Dutch thought they would be good for the colony.
And, then there's the famous story of George Washington. Do you think that he was a good American? Uh, yeah. Maybe the best of all. When Washington, DC was developed and the government moved there, George Washington went out of his way to visit the only synagogue in DC. He told the congregation that they were welcome in the United States of America. George Washington is greatly revered by the American Jewish community. He was then, and he always has been.
Moreover, many of the Founders were Free Masons, including George Washington. The Masons helped save many Jews facing the onslaught of Hitler in Europe. They played a major role in the founding of the USA and the development of democracy in France. In every single Mason lodge, it is a requirement that all three great books are present, the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Koran.
So, those anti-Semitic so-called Firsters don't really have a clue what the heck really happened in America first. They know nothing about history. All they know is hatred mostly based on their own lack of self-esteem.
26
And there are serial killers, and sadists, and child molesters, and believe it or not, I once worked for an old Jewish man, whom I cared for deeply mind you, who told me straight up that all the Palestinians in Israel "should be rounded up and shot". Hell is other people. But that aside, Unlike many writing in here I suspect, I've actually met and talked to a fair number of Trump supporters, and I don't remember hearing so much as a xenophobic aside, let alone the sort of Der Sturmer gutter talk relayed here as representational of the class. If people think Trump is like Hitler, then they haven't read the latter's truly ghastly writings and speeches. An American Berlusconi? Now that's a different sort of assessment.
4
>
Hitler, especially the Hitler prior to the Stalingrad debacle, could easily obtain 43% of the vote in this country.
"Through all of history and pre-history it has been accepted that there is something wrong with the human animal. Health may be the natural condition of other species, but in humans it is sickness that is normal. To be chronically unwell is part of what it means to be human."
John N. Gray
“We must imagine Sisyphus as happy”
Camus
Hitler, especially the Hitler prior to the Stalingrad debacle, could easily obtain 43% of the vote in this country.
"Through all of history and pre-history it has been accepted that there is something wrong with the human animal. Health may be the natural condition of other species, but in humans it is sickness that is normal. To be chronically unwell is part of what it means to be human."
John N. Gray
“We must imagine Sisyphus as happy”
Camus
2
DT hides behind his stolen wealth and henchmen lawyers. What a poor excuse for a human being.
18
It becomes increasingly difficult for me to hold my liberal position that everyone has a right to say what they want and think. I no longer have patience or tolerance for family, friends, acquaintances, strangers on the street, or babies wearing Trump t shirts who support this man. I don't want to hear their rationalizations, and justifications for supporting him, they know in their hearts what he's peddling.
But what is most frightening is how many Americans are so excited, so energized much like the fanatical tea partyists that America is going to put our racial, religious, and 'others' in their place.
Welcome to American Hate 2016, same as it always was, but now unleashed by decades of deliberate politics and given a even greater pedestal than George Wallace's in the 60's.
Proud to be a progressive to stand against this tsunami in American life
But what is most frightening is how many Americans are so excited, so energized much like the fanatical tea partyists that America is going to put our racial, religious, and 'others' in their place.
Welcome to American Hate 2016, same as it always was, but now unleashed by decades of deliberate politics and given a even greater pedestal than George Wallace's in the 60's.
Proud to be a progressive to stand against this tsunami in American life
42
Thank you Jonathan Weisman for your superb dispatch on the ' return ' of Anti-Semitism. The pain of anti-semitism felt by Jews all over the diaspaora world will never go away. Even the fact that Donald Trump's beloved daughter, Ivanka Trump Kushner, converted to Orthodox Judaism isn't enough to quell the anti-semitic beast from slouching again toward Bethlehem to quote Yeats's "The Second Coming". Nazi Tweets about "Trump God Emperor" stink of the anti-semitism that swept Weimar from 1919 intil 1933 and brought the Dritte Reich into catastrophic reality for 12 years of execution of Jews and all untermenschen determined by the "Aryans", phony perfect people. The vitiolic and disgusting tweets and social media messages are the thin edge of the anti-semitic wedge that Donald Trump's followers - iognorant, bigoted, loud - are swinging on.
21
Your comments are on the mark. I've just returned from Germany and a long visit to the Dachau museum and memorial at the concentration camp. The well-documented history of the period after WWI and the rise of the Nazis in the mid 1930s provides many examples of statements and actions by the fascists of the period as they consolidated power in post-Weimar Germany. Trump and his henchmen and supporters sound and say exactly the same. America should be very worried indeed.
25
I wonder if some Germans felt about the advent of the Nazi government like some of the Bernie supporters, who regard their Hillary-hatred as a badge of honor, feel about the advent of a neo-fascist Trump government: "well, things have to get really worse before they get better".
22
Trump gave his "nativism" signal from the day he started his campaign. Those who believe otherwise may want to go back and review some of his speeches. He plays the so called "strong supporter of Jews" card to get campaign contributions and get elected. It is no wonder that David Duck and KKK strongly endorse him and, many of Trump's personal guards who attacked demonstrators were members of KKK! Is it a coincidence that he uses coded words such as " America First"? People like Sheldon Adelson who are willing to pour in millions of dollars to his campaign are going to be sorely disappointed (God forbid if he is elected). Those who do not pay attention, may end up regretting it. Be careful, this is how Hitler started. Finally, those Berni supporters who say they will vote for Trump will be well advised to think again because their decision may just help create an America that they could not have envisioned. It is time for Berni to get out and for every peace loving American to rally around Hillary and defeat this monster in the making.
22
Trump's dilemma in denouncing his vile supporters is that they make up such a large percentage of his base.
21
The first rule of the Internet is: Don't feed the trolls.
Twitter is a not a newspaper. It is a company that has every right to deny service to whoever they want.
Block and ignore. That's how you deal with trolls. Not engage and spread their message in the name of journalism. Doing that is how we ended up with Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee in the first place.
Twitter is a not a newspaper. It is a company that has every right to deny service to whoever they want.
Block and ignore. That's how you deal with trolls. Not engage and spread their message in the name of journalism. Doing that is how we ended up with Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee in the first place.
18
Chortled with mistrust when politicians made great fanfare over their changing and removing the language in American jurisprudence that had de facto and de jure institutionalized racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination. Laughed with distrust over politicians’ assurances that America had entered a new era with racism and discrimination being left in the past. Gasp with incredulity when confronting the belief that human nature and a life-time of conditioning can be miraculously reversed with the mere stroke of the pen. Fume in frustration as the pessimism is constantly proven to be well founded. Seethe with contempt over this doppelgänger of the American character being given a voice and a face and turning this campaign cycle into a bête noir.
7
While a mongrel of substantially German and Austrian ancestry, I have often been mistaken as Jewish, and have been "privileged" to receive misguided anti-Semitic vitriol as a result on occasion. (I also still get fund solicitations from Hillel at my two universities, to which I have occasionally responded with a check, as it happens.)
Anti-Semitism is alive and well in our country and the world, indeed it is on the rise. I suspect it played no small role in the recent London mayoral elections, and it is an undercurrent in certain elements of the radical left in this country which exhibit a hatred for Israel that, if not explicitly anti-Semitic, is close enough (and yes, I know that Arabs are Semites too, but anti-Semitism, as we understand it, is exclusively directed at Jews.)
We need to be vigilant against anti-Semitism, for reasons all intelligent people understand. The Jews are the canaries in the coal mine for all of us, really. If they can be safely and comfortably annihilated, any of us can be. Anti-Semitism, as we have seen throughout Western history, is a huge first step in that direction.
Goy I may be. Stand with the Jews, I always will. As in my life, they have so often stood with me.
Anti-Semitism is alive and well in our country and the world, indeed it is on the rise. I suspect it played no small role in the recent London mayoral elections, and it is an undercurrent in certain elements of the radical left in this country which exhibit a hatred for Israel that, if not explicitly anti-Semitic, is close enough (and yes, I know that Arabs are Semites too, but anti-Semitism, as we understand it, is exclusively directed at Jews.)
We need to be vigilant against anti-Semitism, for reasons all intelligent people understand. The Jews are the canaries in the coal mine for all of us, really. If they can be safely and comfortably annihilated, any of us can be. Anti-Semitism, as we have seen throughout Western history, is a huge first step in that direction.
Goy I may be. Stand with the Jews, I always will. As in my life, they have so often stood with me.
33
Awful that anyone is ever attacked because of religion, race, or creed. We need to have civil conversations about real issues. Ironically, finding a scapegoat to point at for all of ones problems brings only bad to the group and back to the individual.
I am sincerely sorry that this is happening to you and all those of the Jewish faith. I'm a bit embarrassed about our country when I read of such things.
I am sincerely sorry that this is happening to you and all those of the Jewish faith. I'm a bit embarrassed about our country when I read of such things.
12
A few people on this thread seem to be confused about the First Amendment.
It says government may not interfere in your right to free speech.
It does not say Twitter cannot block your tweets. Similarly, the NYT has a right to screen our posts on its comment strings - and does - and to reject those it deems not fit to print.
There is some grey area - e.g., the question of whether an enclosed shopping mall is equivalent to a community downtown and thus cannot oust demonstrators or leafleters has been litigated, as has the question of political speech in the workplace.
It says government may not interfere in your right to free speech.
It does not say Twitter cannot block your tweets. Similarly, the NYT has a right to screen our posts on its comment strings - and does - and to reject those it deems not fit to print.
There is some grey area - e.g., the question of whether an enclosed shopping mall is equivalent to a community downtown and thus cannot oust demonstrators or leafleters has been litigated, as has the question of political speech in the workplace.
7
One thing is for sure: reading the handful of comments here from the pro Trump crowd makes me grateful for my Second Amendment rights.
4
The acceptance for raw racist remarks has become the norm for Trump supporters. I am frequently told on sites like Yabberz and news sites I'm and ignorant illegal going to be deported back to Mexico and to stop freeloading. I'm an architect who was born here with Spanish and Puerto Rican parents. It doesn't seem to matter, it's open season.
Sites like the NYT and WP are frequently accused of supporting liberal or republican sides with vicious vitriol when they are only doing their job.
Sites like the NYT and WP are frequently accused of supporting liberal or republican sides with vicious vitriol when they are only doing their job.
7
I do not doubt that there are some anti-Semites among Trump supporters just as there are likely more among Hillary supporters. However I question whether most people writing antisemitic stuff under a Trump identification are actual Trump supporters. More likely they are liberal opponents playing dirty tricks. This is an old political game and I think that the writer of this article has fallen for it hook, line and sinker.
I wrote a comment similar to this yesterday and it was not published. I hope it gets through this time.
I wrote a comment similar to this yesterday and it was not published. I hope it gets through this time.
5
So . . . Mr. Adelson urges support for Mr. Trump and Mr. Fleischer has come to terms. What, pray tell, is the appropriate response when the potential energy unleashed by Mr. Trump threatens to become kinetic? Mr. Fleischer? Anything? Shall we devise our escape plans or simply look the other way? I am requesting a full face gas mask for my 64th birthday. I don't mind being arrested. I would prefer to forego the pepper spray.
4
Ari Fleischer may suggest that Donald Trump shouldn't be held accountable for the actions of his followers. But Trump should be held accountable for his silence and his choice to not demand his supporters stop the abuse.
36
Jonathan, I'm so sorry for you becoming a target as you described in the article. I believe that the casual acceptance of such jokes in Europe in the late 1880's are at least part of how the Holocaust started. And I often say that especially when I hear a bigoted joke.
The other part may have to do with the cult of the paternalistic family(Authoritarian Father model vs.
what George Lakoff and Howard Dean tried to promote, or the Nurturing Parent).
And of course the German economy was in shambles after WW I, when the Nazis came to power.
Americans have long had a subconscious fascination and admiration for the Nazis even as they consciously use Hitler as a yardstick for evil. It's a dangerous unconscious strain in the US zeitgeist.
Especially when Germany has so much good to offer!
The other part may have to do with the cult of the paternalistic family(Authoritarian Father model vs.
what George Lakoff and Howard Dean tried to promote, or the Nurturing Parent).
And of course the German economy was in shambles after WW I, when the Nazis came to power.
Americans have long had a subconscious fascination and admiration for the Nazis even as they consciously use Hitler as a yardstick for evil. It's a dangerous unconscious strain in the US zeitgeist.
Especially when Germany has so much good to offer!
2
Seth Meyers:
"This should be a serious moment of introspection for Republicans. How did they get to a point where they're handing their nomination to a race-baiting, xenophobic serial liar who peddles conspiracy theories and thinks the National Enquirer is a real newspaper? The answer: This is no accident. It is not a fluke. The Republican Party is the party of Donald Trump and has been for years."
"This should be a serious moment of introspection for Republicans. How did they get to a point where they're handing their nomination to a race-baiting, xenophobic serial liar who peddles conspiracy theories and thinks the National Enquirer is a real newspaper? The answer: This is no accident. It is not a fluke. The Republican Party is the party of Donald Trump and has been for years."
27
Yeap, Trump does nothing to stop anti-semitism. Not to belittle your pain, but Jews are in good company. Mexicans, Arabs, Chinese, women... all of them are being attacked by Trump's rethiric ans his hordes.
It is a truly depressing thought that this country may follow such a man.
It is a truly depressing thought that this country may follow such a man.
20
I stand with you Mr. Weisman.
14
If you haven't read The Ominous Parallels by Lenard Peikoff, you do not know how Don Trump could destroy this country. Make no mistake, this man is an oppertunist, and his ego will hurt all of us in ways you haven't imagined.
10
You are a brave man, Mr. Weisman ... Shudder to think that a second Holocaust is on the way if Trump is elected ... Don't worry though, we'll find a way to shut him down!
3
Edit:
First some background, lest someone pounce: Weisman is my brethren and I am no fan of Trump.
I find Weisman's piece simplistic, exploitive and revealing.
What is perceived as Trump's racist affect derives from several sources, all innocent, unintentional, or at worst, incidental.
The first source is generational and vernacular. The best example of this is Trump's use of the superfluous "the," as in "I am winning the evangelicals." The "the" makes it sound like he is reducing evangelicals to some inferior, weirdo sect. (Something the Left does with regularity, btw.)
The second source is the distortion of Trump's policies. The policies are rooted in reason but are falsely ascribed to racism by leftists driven by stupidity, ignorance or calculated intolerance.
The third source is Trump's speech—inchoate, hyperbolic, abbreviated, stream of consciousness. The listener fills in the blanks, finishes the thought.
TrumpSpeech is like a Rorschach test. What people hear tells us more about them than Trump.
Finally, the racist, anti-Semitic morons who glom onto Trump, erroneously assuming he is one of them, make the same mistake the Left is making. They are the flip sides of the same coin of intolerance.
First some background, lest someone pounce: Weisman is my brethren and I am no fan of Trump.
I find Weisman's piece simplistic, exploitive and revealing.
What is perceived as Trump's racist affect derives from several sources, all innocent, unintentional, or at worst, incidental.
The first source is generational and vernacular. The best example of this is Trump's use of the superfluous "the," as in "I am winning the evangelicals." The "the" makes it sound like he is reducing evangelicals to some inferior, weirdo sect. (Something the Left does with regularity, btw.)
The second source is the distortion of Trump's policies. The policies are rooted in reason but are falsely ascribed to racism by leftists driven by stupidity, ignorance or calculated intolerance.
The third source is Trump's speech—inchoate, hyperbolic, abbreviated, stream of consciousness. The listener fills in the blanks, finishes the thought.
TrumpSpeech is like a Rorschach test. What people hear tells us more about them than Trump.
Finally, the racist, anti-Semitic morons who glom onto Trump, erroneously assuming he is one of them, make the same mistake the Left is making. They are the flip sides of the same coin of intolerance.
7
Pro tip for would-be leaders: reason ignorance=bad policy.
Those of us who oppose Trump and find the actions of his supporters such as those described here despicable, would do well to loudly condemn the violence perpetrated by anti-Trump protesters lately. We can't effectively condemn hate on one side, while by our silence, condoning violence on the other.
16
The US constitution and the 'system' which drives it, the anonymous and not so anonymous unaccountable 'experts' make sure the 'democratically' elected representative of the people whoever they are or will be align to the script. Which is why both Trumps and Sanders supporters are so virulent they have discovered they including Trump and Sanders really have in essence little or no say in anything. They want another script but short of destroying the 'system' they have no hope. This US election is a simple practice run.
3
Until the media stops Trump by calling him what he really is, he will continue. They help him by remaining silent. He encourages white supremacists, racists, misogynists and then declares he never said such a thing and the media let him go.
He brings up Vince Foster saying I don't want to do this but many people are talking about it. It's an obvious lie but he's allowed to lie and not be called on it.
The republicans are turning into a white supremacist party while they gleefully follow Trump (Frumpf) into the gutter.
He brings up Vince Foster saying I don't want to do this but many people are talking about it. It's an obvious lie but he's allowed to lie and not be called on it.
The republicans are turning into a white supremacist party while they gleefully follow Trump (Frumpf) into the gutter.
23
It's not probable that a Hitler-like figure could emerge in America. That said, the conditions within the populace support it.
The Founders were wise in creating executive, legislative, and judicial branches - and the allowing that to replicate at the state level.
Indeed, the greater danger is at the state level, where too many like-minded fascists in all three branches could come together. North Carolina is a good, recent example.
But at the federal level? I just don't think Trump could pull that off.
The Founders were wise in creating executive, legislative, and judicial branches - and the allowing that to replicate at the state level.
Indeed, the greater danger is at the state level, where too many like-minded fascists in all three branches could come together. North Carolina is a good, recent example.
But at the federal level? I just don't think Trump could pull that off.
4
Hate is planted by the unevoled, poorly educated but then is watered and cared for by its intended target and then advertised to the masses as a successful crop giving credit to the skill and ability of its green thumbed planters. One has to wonder at which point the middle man figures out the success stops when they cease being the farm hands.
3
After reading this column with mounting horror, my reaction is not that this level of hatred and ignorance exists, but that so many of Bernie Sanders supporters are planning to vote alongside the ignorance. Add to that, some are planning to vote for Dr. Jill Stein, all the while insisting that they cannot, in good conscience, vote for Hillary Clinton. This despite the already proven consequences of eletion math.
We are in so much trouble here.
We are in so much trouble here.
16
As long as bigotry lives on, so will bigotry against Jews. And Mexicans, and Muslims, and whomever else is in the minority and potentially vulnerable. Unfortunately it comes naturally to us to form groups and exclude outsiders, often accompanied by vilification. Every generation's children need to be taught to recognize and abhor bigotry. Many are not, and even those who are sometimes practice it. Exposing bigotry where is occurs and learning from it is helpful. Exposing and shaming its perpetrators also is worthwhile, forcing them to put their names behind their tough-sounding hatred. We need some good hackers to identify those who hide behind their hashtags.
6
Shockingly there are people on these threads who invalidate the author's experience of being harrassed, threatened and taunted by antisemitic hateful people who are pro Trump. Denial of this nature is part of antisemitism and contributes to the festering swelling stink of hatred that has come spilling out of Americans. Trump feeds on this spew like a hyena feeding on old rotten carcasses. I pray that most Americans see the light, that we bring common sense and decency to the discussion every time we encounter such hideous darkness.
15
Any American Jew who thinks that antisemitism is a harmless vestige of history is suffering from extreme delusion. Antisemitism and other forms of bigotry are as American as apple pie. By living in urban areas, which do not reflect the true sociology of this country, Jews are shielded from the realty of how millions of Americans actually feel about us. The bigots have not disappeared but merely adopted a low profile...until now. Donald Trump (who I do not believe is an anti-Semite) has abetted a resurgence of good old fashioned hatred, the kind that has flourished in Europe for centuries and the kind that used to be socially acceptable in the United States.
But there may be good news. When bigotry existed openly in America in the past, white Europeans massively dominated our population. Thus no longer us the case. Ethnic and religious minorities are now significant segments of the population and will increasingly demonstrate their presence at the voting booth. And this is what scares the Trumpists and Republicans in general. Trump may be the current figurehead but the avalanche of support for him by most Republicans (including most of his primary campaign opponents) reflects the political and social divide that will be with us for quite some time.
But there may be good news. When bigotry existed openly in America in the past, white Europeans massively dominated our population. Thus no longer us the case. Ethnic and religious minorities are now significant segments of the population and will increasingly demonstrate their presence at the voting booth. And this is what scares the Trumpists and Republicans in general. Trump may be the current figurehead but the avalanche of support for him by most Republicans (including most of his primary campaign opponents) reflects the political and social divide that will be with us for quite some time.
18
Trump's operational methodology is bullying. When he perceives that someone disagrees with him, he preemptively says very harsh or personally hurtful things about that person, designed to make his opponents fear to antagonize him. So, when he was being criticized for his poor treatment of women, he called Bill Clinton a rapist and Hillary Clinton an "enabler." When Governor Susan Martinez of New Mexico didn't attend his rally, he announced to the crowd that she was doing a bad job as governor. He constantly mocks people for their personal appearance. He intimidates, cows, and humiliates people in order to bend them to his will. Unfortunately, this technique often works in everyday life, as people try to please the bully, in order to avoid the bully's painful words.
However, in the leader of the free world, bullying is extremely dangerous and potentially catastrophic behavior.
However, in the leader of the free world, bullying is extremely dangerous and potentially catastrophic behavior.
18
I find it at once appalling and disturbing that this depth of hate exists in the hearts and minds of our fellow citizens. The anti-Semitic vituperations, grotesque caricatures, and senseless resurrection of Nazi-inspired hate speech that has emerged must be squashed, and to do so would require Twitter to take a determined, hard-fisted stance in addressing and expunging cyber violators. Twitter facilitates the proliferation of this kind of hate speech, serves as a ready platform for anonymous abuse, a serve-all engine fueling this discourse of small-minded bigotry. The unsettling question of anti-Semitism ought to be forcefully broached to Trump during the next debate.
13
You said it well and I'm glad you did. You are stating what many of us think and fear. I grew up in 1960's N.Y. while playing in the homes of Jewish friends with parents who told stories of their holocaust survival. I am cautious of anti-Semitism as well. Trump's history of tolerance with the ethnic masses while making money is one thing but I can't help but wonder what that might look like when it is the power of the U.S. presidency being brokered. Many who lost their lives in Nazi Germany were also evangelical Christians hiding Jewish friends. I see the warning signs in Trump's hyped rhetoric. It's become very popular to voice social injustices but has become increasingly unpopular to declare a moral compass. "Weisman" resonates far more than laughable Hasidic garb - it is your not-so-distant Jewish history, heritage and survival. Many of us feel fascist winds blowing too but don't like the alternative either. What is this gal with a compass to do?
6
Each day, after reading the news, I become more frightened because Trump’s chances of winning the election seem to becoming better and better. I am haunted by De Gaulle’s remark that “the people get the government they deserve.” With the hatred, idiocy, empty promises, buddy-buddy PR and vacuous bully pulpit rhetoric, Trump has reached and struck the true chord of America. It is resounding loud and clear and long.
The Ku Klux Klan, that American born and bred bastion of hate, called itself “The Invisible Empire.” That and all the other hate groups and its individual citizens are indeed invisible because of the internet.
I received mail like this and, with an attorney and a supeona, was able to locate the person involved via their IP address. I am now suing them for as much as I can and a “mea culpa” full-page advertisement in the local paper where they will be admitting to their actions in public.
These people are cowards who hide behind anonymity. Flush them out like the vermin they are. Let everyone know who these people are by raising the rock so the light of day strikes them dead. If we treat them as a bunch of “johns” revealed in the public eye, maybe they will keep their comments to themselves and less people will be attracted to this Pied Piper of Hate.
The Ku Klux Klan, that American born and bred bastion of hate, called itself “The Invisible Empire.” That and all the other hate groups and its individual citizens are indeed invisible because of the internet.
I received mail like this and, with an attorney and a supeona, was able to locate the person involved via their IP address. I am now suing them for as much as I can and a “mea culpa” full-page advertisement in the local paper where they will be admitting to their actions in public.
These people are cowards who hide behind anonymity. Flush them out like the vermin they are. Let everyone know who these people are by raising the rock so the light of day strikes them dead. If we treat them as a bunch of “johns” revealed in the public eye, maybe they will keep their comments to themselves and less people will be attracted to this Pied Piper of Hate.
10
So I would normally be one of those that acknowledged that these things exist, but would tend to downplay it due to my desire to believe that we are, however slowly, moving forward.
Then I started replying to comments using my facebook profile, which just happens to have the German translation of my last name - Weiss, because I thought it was more interesting than plain old "White".
Something interesting happened. I started getting comments referring to my "Jewish" heritage, but only when I went to a politically charged conversation.
I decided to do a social experiment. I started commenting on different political sites with multiple accounts, different names. All comments were politically neutral. What I observed was pretty disturbing. If your last name is identifiable and attachable to a racial profile, you will get hate. This is even true of "white" surnames.
Add to this the almost constant knee-jerk reactions when you disagree with someone politically, and it becomes amazing that things aren't much, much worse. My politically neutral comments instantly put me in the corner of opposition, no matter who I was talking to.
If I said, to a Sanders supporter "Maybe we should take a look at the real numbers of how he plans on making this happen, and I'm a Trump supporter, racist and islamaphobic, etc.
Mention to a Trump supporter that he has gotten out of hand with his comments, and I'm a Hillbot, or socialist. Everyone uses the hate of others as justification to hate.
Then I started replying to comments using my facebook profile, which just happens to have the German translation of my last name - Weiss, because I thought it was more interesting than plain old "White".
Something interesting happened. I started getting comments referring to my "Jewish" heritage, but only when I went to a politically charged conversation.
I decided to do a social experiment. I started commenting on different political sites with multiple accounts, different names. All comments were politically neutral. What I observed was pretty disturbing. If your last name is identifiable and attachable to a racial profile, you will get hate. This is even true of "white" surnames.
Add to this the almost constant knee-jerk reactions when you disagree with someone politically, and it becomes amazing that things aren't much, much worse. My politically neutral comments instantly put me in the corner of opposition, no matter who I was talking to.
If I said, to a Sanders supporter "Maybe we should take a look at the real numbers of how he plans on making this happen, and I'm a Trump supporter, racist and islamaphobic, etc.
Mention to a Trump supporter that he has gotten out of hand with his comments, and I'm a Hillbot, or socialist. Everyone uses the hate of others as justification to hate.
3
That Trump will likely be the GOP candidate for President and could even be our next President gives me heightened heartburn.
That American Nazis, or people of like outlook, are this hate-all-Jews garbage’s sources would suggest a estimated 95+% probability, if political campaigns never used provocateurs against opposing office-seekers.
Drawing a straight line linking up the self-identifying name CyberTrump with @DonaldTrumpLA, and TrumpGodEmperor may be on the right track, but it looks too good to be real. Be careful.
Trump is very close to first daughter, Ivanka, who even works for him. Her conversion to Judaism should caution dot-connecters overly keen to charge down an anti-Jewish path to find the villain. If Trump were so close to a practicing Jew, would real Nazis give Trump a free pass and rally to his side?
Nailing down this hate message’s source(s) should be relatively easy and straight forward. Why not give them a look?
If Trump has no link with real Nazis or provocateurs masquerading as Nazis, blowing up such a bogus conspiracy by provocateurs, most likely from you-know-whose crowd, would make Trump more sympathetic to those teetering on whether to vote for him.
That American Nazis, or people of like outlook, are this hate-all-Jews garbage’s sources would suggest a estimated 95+% probability, if political campaigns never used provocateurs against opposing office-seekers.
Drawing a straight line linking up the self-identifying name CyberTrump with @DonaldTrumpLA, and TrumpGodEmperor may be on the right track, but it looks too good to be real. Be careful.
Trump is very close to first daughter, Ivanka, who even works for him. Her conversion to Judaism should caution dot-connecters overly keen to charge down an anti-Jewish path to find the villain. If Trump were so close to a practicing Jew, would real Nazis give Trump a free pass and rally to his side?
Nailing down this hate message’s source(s) should be relatively easy and straight forward. Why not give them a look?
If Trump has no link with real Nazis or provocateurs masquerading as Nazis, blowing up such a bogus conspiracy by provocateurs, most likely from you-know-whose crowd, would make Trump more sympathetic to those teetering on whether to vote for him.
1
The problem is that Trump says nothing, his silence is agreement.
Think about it, if he did say something disagreeing with this group, it would turn on him. Trump's ego hits on anyone who says or does something he does not like and he does not want to get into a Twitter brawl (and more) with them. So he is held back by his cowardly ego. They are using that to their advantage!
Think about it, if he did say something disagreeing with this group, it would turn on him. Trump's ego hits on anyone who says or does something he does not like and he does not want to get into a Twitter brawl (and more) with them. So he is held back by his cowardly ego. They are using that to their advantage!
1
Sad to say but hatred, ethnic hatred, is as old and as universal as our species. Be it homo sapien vs neanderthal, tutsi vs hutu or christian vs jew, the song is ancient and the lyrics repeat themselves. On a psychological level, it is the same equation: vile and deep self-hatred projected onto others. I know of no cure other than early, loving care in the family of origin. Be that as it may, everyone has to take necessary steps of self-protection and, as a species, we need to speak out and condemn the darker elements of the human psyche.
4
As a Jewish person I will say this...any Jew who votes for Trump is blind to reality. And to do so based on the belief that he will be good for the economy supports the claim that all we care about is $$$. After all, we are "good negotiators".
11
Anti-everyoneism is at the end of the path that leads away from democracy.
So who is fooling who? Does President Trump want to lead us away from democracy as his followers wish? Or is he just using their support to become President for his own sake? It might be best if we never find out, if we leave their virulent voices unheard, his head uncrowned. A great democracy can tolerate the intolerant but should not enshrine them.
So who is fooling who? Does President Trump want to lead us away from democracy as his followers wish? Or is he just using their support to become President for his own sake? It might be best if we never find out, if we leave their virulent voices unheard, his head uncrowned. A great democracy can tolerate the intolerant but should not enshrine them.
11
As a halfbreed jew who tends to downplay anti semitism, and sees it largely fueled by the conduct of Israel, this was an important wake up call for me.
Thank You.
Thank You.
14
I am not Jewish, but I have tremendous respect for many of the people who share that religion. So anti-semitism is not dead, and the ascent of the bigot is bringing these haters out. And the bigot is not disavowing this. Yep, disgusting.
I don't like bigotry. But I DO want to close the borders, export criminals, and stop international engagements that yield huge profits for corporations and misery for exploited, underpaid, or would-be American workers. I have two mixed race children, have traveled the world extensively, am an Army veteran, and have a Ph.D. I really don't like being lumped in with the bigot's crew, and this is a most unfortunate aspect of this other-wise worthwhile piece. It's the economy, stupid.
I don't like bigotry. But I DO want to close the borders, export criminals, and stop international engagements that yield huge profits for corporations and misery for exploited, underpaid, or would-be American workers. I have two mixed race children, have traveled the world extensively, am an Army veteran, and have a Ph.D. I really don't like being lumped in with the bigot's crew, and this is a most unfortunate aspect of this other-wise worthwhile piece. It's the economy, stupid.
4
You really think the country would be better off under a leader who inspires such hate? Those who think it's not -just- the economy are not stupid. And those who think our economy will be stronger under that leader might possibly not understand how economics works.
3
It's very scary that these factions have found a candidate to rally around, someone who says out loud what these people think. It's like when Slobadan Milosevic made his famous speech outside of Pristina Kosovo back in the 90s. Some one said out loud what the maniacs were thinking and the flood gates opened. Trump is their talisman.
7
The racists are sadly mistaken if they think that enlightened people will not band together and defend to their dying breath the rule of law and the creation of a global civilization where all people are able to live justly and humanely.
We will fight. I will fight. They will never win.
We will fight. I will fight. They will never win.
12
I once noticed that a "friend" was pointedly avoiding me, and made a couple of overtures to determine what was wrong, to no avail. Another friend eventually told me it was because Friend #1 disliked Jews, and had found that I was Jewish because of something she overheard me say. Finally, I figured it out. She heard me tell someone to "be a mensch - perform a mitzvah", and leapt to a conclusion that was untrue. No, I'm not Jewish, but they have the best words! I made no further attempt to get back in her good graces - there was no grace there.
29
I say shut down Twitter! It has caused untold harm to groups and individuals. It has been giving people a so-called license to get away with outrageous, disgusting racial discrimination and anti semitism. If this isn't a case for proving the harmful effects of Twitter I don't know what is. Mr. Weisman, I am so sorry this happened to you and your colleagues. I was shocked beyond words. But I send you heartfelt thank you for writing this piece. It is a very important essay. Everyone should send a donation to the Jewish charity or museum of their choice and label it, In Honor of Jonathan Weisman and all Jewish journalists.
10
Turn up the volume. I've been saying it for years, listen. Listen to all, good and bad, and everyone within earshot should listen. If what you hear doesn't effect your personal knowledge, your reason, or the intellect you've developed with maturity you probably don't deserve a vote, for anything. Reasonable, intelligent people will understand what candidates are saying and what's going on in their minds and hearts. Knowledge is the best moral tool we have. It is the backbone of judgment. Listen. Think. Vote.
9
I simply do not understand why Trump seemingly gets a free pass, on every comment he hurls at the world, from coded attacks on African Americans, Jews, and Hispanics to lies and ignorant statements made to provoke.
Where is the moral fiber of those who hate everything he stands for? Why have our standards been cast away for the thrill of he unexpected, no matter how false?
This column is one of the very few to expose in great detail the danger Trump poses for America. The press helped fuel the rise of this neofascist--now is time to do the right thing and denounce him.
Before it's too late.
Where is the moral fiber of those who hate everything he stands for? Why have our standards been cast away for the thrill of he unexpected, no matter how false?
This column is one of the very few to expose in great detail the danger Trump poses for America. The press helped fuel the rise of this neofascist--now is time to do the right thing and denounce him.
Before it's too late.
29
This article also shows how bad are the Republicans who are now changing their tune and supporting Donald Trump. What decent human being could endorse this evoker of massive hate? It does not really matter whether Trump himself is anti-Semitic, it is what he evokes and empowers that matters so much more.
The Republican Party has been the party devoted to greed for a long time. It is not such a big step for Republicans to look the other way as their party becomes even more the main political vehicle for racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, environmental damage, income inequality and so on. If you do not want to care for people, but only yourself and your “friends,” it is not such a big step to look the other way and pretend that evil forces are not finding a powerful voice and may even run this country.
Americans cannot afford to have Trump as President and unleash evil forces mostly in abeyance until now. That is why we need to nominate and elect someone who really cares for people and so will not compromise on the core values of America. That person is not Hillary Clinton. It is Bernie Sanders.
The Republican Party has been the party devoted to greed for a long time. It is not such a big step for Republicans to look the other way as their party becomes even more the main political vehicle for racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, environmental damage, income inequality and so on. If you do not want to care for people, but only yourself and your “friends,” it is not such a big step to look the other way and pretend that evil forces are not finding a powerful voice and may even run this country.
Americans cannot afford to have Trump as President and unleash evil forces mostly in abeyance until now. That is why we need to nominate and elect someone who really cares for people and so will not compromise on the core values of America. That person is not Hillary Clinton. It is Bernie Sanders.
16
Thank you for your courage, Jonathan. We are with you.
22
Tell your critics/haters to pick up a copy of William L. Schirer's acclaimed book, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." It's all there in black and white, and it's coming to America faster than anyone realizes.
24
Why would that dissuade them? They have no problem with Nazis.
3
I appreciate this article and regrettably must agree that there is still anti-Semitism. I think anti-Semitism is fundamentally due to vestigial tribalism, the fear that any outsider might be a threat. But why especially use Jews as a scapegoat? I have concluded that the culprits are otherwise well-meaning Christians throughout history, especially believers of my Catholic church.
As with many fears, Christian anti-Semitism has little logic. It is often rooted in the notion that "the Jews killed Jesus". Well, yeah, as a Catholic school kid in Rhode Island, I could read that some Jews were complicit, but Romans actually did the deed, and all that was two millennia ago. I wonder if Jesus had been slain by a wandering band of Chinese, would some Christians now be anti-Sinoans instead of anti-Semites?
But, I see hope. In 12 years of attending Rhode Island Catholic schools, I never heard so much as one anti-Semitic remark from my teachers. There was subtle anti-Semitism in the community, but less so than anti-Polish attitudes. Jews were respected (if envied) and accepted members of the community (as were people of Polish heritage).
One of my favorite movies has the punch line, “Jews know two things: Chinese food and suffering”. We can all hope that the day will come when Jews know only Chinese food.
As with many fears, Christian anti-Semitism has little logic. It is often rooted in the notion that "the Jews killed Jesus". Well, yeah, as a Catholic school kid in Rhode Island, I could read that some Jews were complicit, but Romans actually did the deed, and all that was two millennia ago. I wonder if Jesus had been slain by a wandering band of Chinese, would some Christians now be anti-Sinoans instead of anti-Semites?
But, I see hope. In 12 years of attending Rhode Island Catholic schools, I never heard so much as one anti-Semitic remark from my teachers. There was subtle anti-Semitism in the community, but less so than anti-Polish attitudes. Jews were respected (if envied) and accepted members of the community (as were people of Polish heritage).
One of my favorite movies has the punch line, “Jews know two things: Chinese food and suffering”. We can all hope that the day will come when Jews know only Chinese food.
6
Trump is a friend of Israel
2
And many of his supporters are not. There. Two true statements.
5
But too many of his supporters are not.
2
Despite it all, Mr. Trump will still win!
2
Remember the famous words of Martin Niemoller. Once this filth starts, none of us are safe, Muslim, Jew, Catholic, Hispanic, gay...anyone. Trump must be blamed for introducing vicious stereotypes into main stream political rhetoric. Only by rejecting him can we have any hope of driving this hate back under the rocks from which it has emerged.
21
One thing that the Trump candidacy is showing us is the deep reservoir of bigotry that exists in the country, coddled by a GOP that has coddled and nurtured it since launching its "southern strategy" of the Nixon years. Trump is nothing more than the inevitably logical extension of a phenomenon of otherization that the GOP has tried to mask with its "the American people" mantra of five decades of fear, resentment and loathing.
Anything to win.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
Anything to win.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
28
I will rue the day if Trump is elected President. It will open the doors to bigotry. Are there that many naïve, desperate, ignorant people who have also bought in to the GOP's twenty years of bashing the Clintons? The damage that that man will cause is incalculable. Look what that charming nice guy George W. ended up doing? I wonder if our nation could recover after a Trump regime!
29
In what universe was George W. Bush ever charming or a nice guy?
3
I am not certain that Trump is anti-Semitic, but I am certain that he means to appeal to all who are. It's the same thing, isn't it?
55
I had to read this three times. I wasn't sure if it was for real. As an old lady with a lovely life that includes Jews, Muslims, gays, African Americans, Hispanics, East Asians and white folks like me, I am stunned. Call me the Bubble Woman, who is just trying to understand the restroom fracas. I figured "it" was out there but not like this.
I guess I need to get busy. What do I do? This needs to faced head on.
I guess I need to get busy. What do I do? This needs to faced head on.
18
If we equate Twitter to anonymous phone calls spewing hate, we will see that police action is required.
6
Don't be naive. Who do you think the Demos depend on? Anti-White racists, anti-capitalist rioters, communists and anarchists. Demos have just appointed an anti-White, anti-Semitic racist, Cornel West, to their platform committee. When Trump appoints an anti-Black anit-Semite racist to the Republican platform committee, you can reasonably attack Trump. But don't hold your breath waiting. Meanwhile direct your concerns about anti-Semitism to the Democrats, whose ranks are replete with them (and, yes, some of them are Jewish).
8
It is remarkable that you can read this account of anti-Semitism by alleged Trump supporters and conclude that the focus should be on the Democrats. Impervious.
3
I'm a 61 year old Christian, although not religious and was born in the East New York section of Brooklyn. Pitkin Avenue and Ashford Street. One side of Pitkin Avenue was mixed white and black lower middle class families and the other side was a Jewish community. My mother and father taught me, as far back as I can remember that all were to be respected. That lesson stayed with me my entire life. I see the anti-Semitic attitudes elevating in this country and in Europe but remember my father's stories of liberating some death camps in Europe during his service with the 101st Air Borne in the second World War. That can never, ever take place again.
So know this. There are many people like me that deplore that type of ignorance and will stand with Jewish people to the end if that's what it takes. Jewish communities in this country must stand united with the rest of us who reject the Trump-bot fools who blame their misfortune on the Jews because no one ever taught them anything else in their entire miserable lives. You don't have to ever stand alone again. To those who remain ignorant I have two words for them, and those words are not Happy Birthday. So when you come for the Jewish people, be prepared to come for the rest of us as well.
So know this. There are many people like me that deplore that type of ignorance and will stand with Jewish people to the end if that's what it takes. Jewish communities in this country must stand united with the rest of us who reject the Trump-bot fools who blame their misfortune on the Jews because no one ever taught them anything else in their entire miserable lives. You don't have to ever stand alone again. To those who remain ignorant I have two words for them, and those words are not Happy Birthday. So when you come for the Jewish people, be prepared to come for the rest of us as well.
37
Curious if this is a whole lot different from the racism that has populated the Internet since President Obama was elected? Veiled, blatant, disgusting - yes, it started with the off site Senate leadership strategy meeting when our President was taking the botched oath of office that had to be redone the next day. It's awful now - it was awful then. As a nation, we have to do better. Vigilance is the price of freedom.
12
While I sympathize with the author, this reads suspiciously like another propaganda piece, unsubtly trying to demonize Trump by association. Trying to blanket cast all Trump supporters as Nazis will only convince those already blind enough to vote for the anointed queen, however justly challenged she may be. Most others are well aware that while some straight up racists may see their values most closely align with Trump's proposed policies, the bulk of his sympathizers are ex-Obama voters or mainstream Republicans for whom more NAFTA treaties are not an option, especially when negotiated behind our back, or who simply oppose immigration policies being decided by foreign nationals and Washington rather than the American people, a supposedly sovereign corpus. Given that only the fringes (Sanders & Trump) offer to actually listen to the people on those major issues, and that Trump is alone in totally rejecting any form of Amnesty, support for him from people fed up with special and/or economic interests trumping theirs, should not come as a surprise.
The only way for both mainstream parties to block Trump or Sanders would have been to acknowledge the people's rejection of the TTIP and TPP agreements, and address demands for actual border enforcement, but that would have entailed alienating the business interests funding both parties.
Unfortunately, the people you're dealing with do exist, but exaggerating their representativity of Trump supporters only weakens your point.
The only way for both mainstream parties to block Trump or Sanders would have been to acknowledge the people's rejection of the TTIP and TPP agreements, and address demands for actual border enforcement, but that would have entailed alienating the business interests funding both parties.
Unfortunately, the people you're dealing with do exist, but exaggerating their representativity of Trump supporters only weakens your point.
9
I am shocked at the number of Jewish people that support Trump.
It seems like all of Long Island is staunchly behind him.
They, like the naive 17 year old you mention, do not comprehend
what is being unleashed with this Trump mania.
Is Trump another Hitler?
NO.
But is America experiencing a rebirth of it's racist, xenophobic, anti-semitic,
nativist past?
ABSOLUTELY.
It seems like all of Long Island is staunchly behind him.
They, like the naive 17 year old you mention, do not comprehend
what is being unleashed with this Trump mania.
Is Trump another Hitler?
NO.
But is America experiencing a rebirth of it's racist, xenophobic, anti-semitic,
nativist past?
ABSOLUTELY.
36
I am a Trump supporter. I am a proud and observant Jewish second gen survivor. The two coexist. Should Trump be elected, there will be disruptions in our massively polarized society. Some people will point to the fact that Trump is of German descent (his grandfather lived in Kallstadt). For some that will be a positive, for others a cautionary truth.
But should he be elected there will be Jews in the White House; his most brilliant daughter Ivanka (a devout observant Jewess) and her beautiful children. Some will see that as progress and others may see it as a vast Jewish worldwide conspiracy.
We are programmed by post modern American society to despise racism, embrace multiculturalism and act with respect to people unlike ourselves. We are programmed by nature to sometimes act with rage and malice. Antisemites (I prefer the term anti-Jewish racists) have been nurtured for centuries by the Church who only in this generation absolved the Jews of Christy killing. They will always be around because blind hatred is so easy to foment and encourage.
Racism will always be with us. Let's hope it doesn't destroy us.
But should he be elected there will be Jews in the White House; his most brilliant daughter Ivanka (a devout observant Jewess) and her beautiful children. Some will see that as progress and others may see it as a vast Jewish worldwide conspiracy.
We are programmed by post modern American society to despise racism, embrace multiculturalism and act with respect to people unlike ourselves. We are programmed by nature to sometimes act with rage and malice. Antisemites (I prefer the term anti-Jewish racists) have been nurtured for centuries by the Church who only in this generation absolved the Jews of Christy killing. They will always be around because blind hatred is so easy to foment and encourage.
Racism will always be with us. Let's hope it doesn't destroy us.
7
Trump is not another Hitler.
Unfortunately, many of his most loyal
followers believe he is or will be.
Others, like many Germans in Weimar days,
don't know why he gives them that warm and
fuzzy feeling of safety, reassurance and power.
They just know they like it and if it allows them
to voice their dislike for blacks, minorities, immigrants
and Jews, all in the name of "saying what you think"
then all the better.
Unfortunately, many of his most loyal
followers believe he is or will be.
Others, like many Germans in Weimar days,
don't know why he gives them that warm and
fuzzy feeling of safety, reassurance and power.
They just know they like it and if it allows them
to voice their dislike for blacks, minorities, immigrants
and Jews, all in the name of "saying what you think"
then all the better.
16
the hatred that Trump stirred up could be seen in the very beginning of his campaign for the nomination. Many of us were aware of the violence to come. These are people who hate and have found their leader in the Donald. We must defeat him this November to save our nation.
21
Guess what? Many Georgians still talk about "Jewing down" a price, just as they talk about "people" and "black people." Plus ca change ....
13
What is truly scary isn't Donald Trump, but his supporter our own fellow Americans.
16
How does a journalist verify the persons tweeting are actually Trump supporters? Do they give their real names, addresses and phone numbers? Given all the opposition to Trump is it possible the people doing this are actually not Trump supporters and are just trying to make his supporters look bad?
8
You are missing the point, which is that Trump does not consistently and forcefully repudiate such views.
3
Yeah. Perhaps it is the work of aliens plotting to take over the world.
4
This isn't a surprise. Antisemitism has been endemic on the left for quite a while and endemic to socialism since it's birth. It has been a staple of the right here in America, and used to be casually discussed in polite society. Henry Ford was an avowed antisemite, as was Walt Disney and many others. This is because Jews are the screen onto which the contemporary society projects all its fears and self loathing. It has always been this way.
6
“I don’t hold black leaders responsible for some of the B.L.M. hate I’ve seen, or liberal leaders responsible for the Occupy messages,” Ari Fleischer
But Mr. Fleischer, do you publicly condemn those messages of hate when you see them? Black leaders and liberal leaders should be held responsible if they don't address messages of hate or menace with condemnation. Trump is especially culpable for his followers messages of hate since he is whipping it up at every rally and in every speech he gives.
But Mr. Fleischer, do you publicly condemn those messages of hate when you see them? Black leaders and liberal leaders should be held responsible if they don't address messages of hate or menace with condemnation. Trump is especially culpable for his followers messages of hate since he is whipping it up at every rally and in every speech he gives.
15
Growing up in the "borscht belt" in the 50's and 60's mostly insulated me from antisemitism. But growing older, I always knew the undercurrent was there.
I never understood why Jewish people have been hated and reviled throughout recorded history.
Joseph Heller had it right; "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you."
I never understood why Jewish people have been hated and reviled throughout recorded history.
Joseph Heller had it right; "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you."
8
Racism by Israeli Jews against Muslim Arabs in Israel exist in institutional policies, personal attitudes, the media, education, immigration rights, housing, social life and legal policies. Some elements within the Ashkenazi Israeli Jewish population have also been described as holding discriminatory attitudes towards fellow Jews of other backgrounds, including against Ethiopian Jews, Indian Jews, Mizrahi Jews, Sephardi Jews, etc. And, let’s not leave out the discriminatory elements against African Americans by American Jews encompassing all of the touch points listed above. So, this article is designed to do what, drum up sympathy for the plight of discrimination against Jews or is it propaganda? I am sorry but, mankind’s inhumanity and ascent toward self-destruction seems more relevant than this particular “pity us” document.
5
Wake up America, it's not just Trump. The GOP has pursued racism as political strategy for years. The 'southern strategy' was overtly anti-civil rights and anti-black. Ronald Reagan began his campaign in Nashoba County Mississippi, the site of the murder of three civil rights workers. His theme, states rights, a thinly veiled message of racism. You've got the Willie Horton scheme and countless others, all official GOP policy. The GOP move now to suppress the minority vote conveniently coincides with the election of Obama, not increases in voter fraud.
For all these years the media has let the GOP offer its shallow disavowals of racism while actively practicing it to gain votes. The media, fawning at the feet of potential sources let them get away with that nonsense. For years the GOP focused on the traditional target, African Americans. The pundits said nothing. But Trump knew that was too obvious for a 2016 campaign so he's attacked Mexicans and Muslim's. The dog whistle is sufficient to take care of the blacks.
And from the ranks of the legitimately disaffected come the anti-semites and other haters. The genie of racism is out of the bottle and our media is partly to blame. Maybe now we will finally see that systemic racism in our political system may be led by Trump, but goes much deeper than him. Hopefully we'll see the truth before it's too late.
For all these years the media has let the GOP offer its shallow disavowals of racism while actively practicing it to gain votes. The media, fawning at the feet of potential sources let them get away with that nonsense. For years the GOP focused on the traditional target, African Americans. The pundits said nothing. But Trump knew that was too obvious for a 2016 campaign so he's attacked Mexicans and Muslim's. The dog whistle is sufficient to take care of the blacks.
And from the ranks of the legitimately disaffected come the anti-semites and other haters. The genie of racism is out of the bottle and our media is partly to blame. Maybe now we will finally see that systemic racism in our political system may be led by Trump, but goes much deeper than him. Hopefully we'll see the truth before it's too late.
7
Trump enjoys using hate against opponents.
Organized hatred, random hatred, planned and spontaneous hatred.
It worked marvelously for him in the GOP.
The next question is whether there are enough hatred loving Americans to make him President...or if it was just a GOP thing.
Organized hatred, random hatred, planned and spontaneous hatred.
It worked marvelously for him in the GOP.
The next question is whether there are enough hatred loving Americans to make him President...or if it was just a GOP thing.
4
According to a senior IDF officer, conditions in Israel resemble those of Germany in the 1930s.
Are the US and Israel on the same path?
Are the US and Israel on the same path?
5
A simple observation in the spirit of carefully choosing our words. Jonathon Weisman's quote of Adam Gopnik, quoting Alexander Pope, is appropriate as a warning that at some point morality must be evident and clear if it is to present in our lives at all. Unfortunately, in our still color coded society “The pain of not seeing that black is black" can invoke a meaning obviously not intended, but never the less rooted in our unconscious bias. Rooting out these subtle triggers is painful, but necessary. Racism has its own momentum. We have to constantly become its equal and opposite force, especially through the words we choose.
1
If it weren't for hatred and money, where would Trump be?
Kagan was correct" America, as a nation, is staring into the depths of fascism, which Donald Trump would be only too happy to make our lot. I can only hope that we collectively have better character than to allow that.
Kagan was correct" America, as a nation, is staring into the depths of fascism, which Donald Trump would be only too happy to make our lot. I can only hope that we collectively have better character than to allow that.
7
I guess this is what we might have to get ready for. There is a lot of pent up racism, antisemitism, anti-other existing. How could any woman, any latino, any black, any jew vote for this bigot?
14
Good question. I will tell you this though: if I ever discover that any of my friends either supported or voted for this man, I will reassess my relationship with these people.
4
"There is a lot of pent up racism, antisemitism, anti-other existing"
You conveniently (or unwittingly) forget all the anti-TTIP, anti-TPP, anti-NAFTA, anti-Amnesty, anti-Wall St., and anti-whatever-else-is-being-forced-on-us crowd. They both have a point and an opinion, and they're being ignored by mainstream Democrats and Republicans, who rely on ongoing policies will little democratic interference (the status quo, basically) to keep them fat and giggly.
So while there may be racists and anti-Semites rallying around Trump, there are also a lot of people who want the issues important to them addressed. That part of his electorate is not so much on Trump, as it is on mainstream politicians ignoring, belittling, or dismissing them.
You conveniently (or unwittingly) forget all the anti-TTIP, anti-TPP, anti-NAFTA, anti-Amnesty, anti-Wall St., and anti-whatever-else-is-being-forced-on-us crowd. They both have a point and an opinion, and they're being ignored by mainstream Democrats and Republicans, who rely on ongoing policies will little democratic interference (the status quo, basically) to keep them fat and giggly.
So while there may be racists and anti-Semites rallying around Trump, there are also a lot of people who want the issues important to them addressed. That part of his electorate is not so much on Trump, as it is on mainstream politicians ignoring, belittling, or dismissing them.
1
Trump has chosen to make his throat and mouth a thoroughfare for the sewage of his brain and mind. He is fully aware of the people he leads, what they are made of. When I see him,I know him as the vile degenerate that he is. After he loses the election, he will not change, and I will not relegate his evil being to history, never. I know him and his followers.
18
Dear Mr. Weisman. You wrote an essay equating Trump with a Facist dictator. Part of the lets throw anything up on the wall and see what sticks school of journalism. You obviously hate the man and his politics. Your essay was repugnant to many who disagree with your extremist anti Trump politics. The essay awoke a number of internet trolls who have attacked you with tweets that are intended to outrage you and they have been successful. Now you try to imply that Trump supporters are the most despicable type of humans on earth. Therefore vote Sanders or Hillary. I am surprised that an editor of the Washington bureau of the NYT can be so shallow in your analysis of the support for the man. He attracts people from all parts of the political spectrum who are angry at the current state of presidential leadership. I am sure there are Sanders supporters who are just as loathsome in their climate change driven hatred for big business and wall street. Communists who are outraged that their shrill protests against everything American are not being acted on. Get over it. The only thing this essay proves is that internet trolls found your button and are quite good at pushing it.
8
To my mind the fact that anti-semitism is real and prevalent in the man running for President of the US – and that his campaign endorses hate and prejudice – is not the only major issue (but certainly not to be minimized) that must be dealt with but how, over the next 6 months, the message that Anon99b quoted “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” is solidly driven to all the good people in our great country so that they make the right choice. The conspiracy theories, misstatements, fear and religious and cultural prejudice - not to mention the total ineptitude in leading our nation - must be exposed for what they are every day for the next 180 days throughout the country and yes, the world. Good men – and women – can’t do nothing. It has happened before!
7
Hatred of any group permits hatred of others. When the "southern strategy" is not recognized and opposed as racist, when voters are prevented from voting. when immigrants are victimized by employers and law enforcement and politicians, when women are compelled to surrender control of their uteruses, when the poor are vilified and the rich exulted and rewarded with more riches, when anti-semiticism gathers a political following we are all in harms way. We must defend each other from the onslaught of racism, bigotry, misogyny and religious tyranny that Trump and Republicans have embraced in the mindless pursuit of absolute power.
11
Like all on this board, I am repulsed by the anti-Semitic behavior of a subgroup of those who have lined up behind Donald Trump. In our despair over what these folks stand for, we must not allow ourselves to believe we are powerless to stop them.
One thing we cannot do is look at both 2016 Presidential candidates, express disgust, shake our heads, and walk away as our protest. Republicans win low turnout elections. Walking away will simply give the 2016 election to Donald Trump and empower this kind of individual.
Maintaining a civil US society fit for the 21st century demands that we not only vote for the other major party candidate, but apprise others who have doubts about her, of this particular reason for doing so. These louts represent perhaps 15% of our society. The good guys are the majority and we can defeat these jerks the American way, at the ballot box. However, we must actually go there and do it.
One thing we cannot do is look at both 2016 Presidential candidates, express disgust, shake our heads, and walk away as our protest. Republicans win low turnout elections. Walking away will simply give the 2016 election to Donald Trump and empower this kind of individual.
Maintaining a civil US society fit for the 21st century demands that we not only vote for the other major party candidate, but apprise others who have doubts about her, of this particular reason for doing so. These louts represent perhaps 15% of our society. The good guys are the majority and we can defeat these jerks the American way, at the ballot box. However, we must actually go there and do it.
20
You do not argue with idiots. Unfortunately, Mr. Weisman did. That was his first mistake. Then, he followed up, another mistake. He should have ignored this nonsense, and that would have been the end of it.
6
My mother used to tell me to ignore bullies because eventually they would get tired of it and leave me alone. They didn't, at least not until I decided to defend myself.
2
No good Tweet goes unpunished. The attacks are despicable—but hopefully you've learned that expressing yourself on Twitter has very little upside, once that brief euphoric moment when you send, and a very profound downside. Thoughtful comment is not possible on Twitter—the sooner you and others, including the journalism trade, learn that, the sooner we can get off the highly distracting topic of who tweeted what and move on to something more useful.
12
I am sorry!
1
People scoffed just a few months ago when some said the Trump rallies reminded them of the rise of the Third Reich. A ridiculous comparison, total exaggeration they said. These people are dangerous. This hatred and bigotry has now been given legitimacy America. The bell cannot be unrung
6
Bernie's long overdue call for national health care is just the beginning. It is time as well to rethink the closing of mental institutions. Sick people need help and so does society.
5
We already closed most mental institutions and dispersed the former inmates, on the grounds that they presented no immediate danger to the public or themselves. The freed inmates are now called "homeless people," and many/most of them spend much of their time harassing people who are so bourgeois as to actually work for a living. Actually that description of "homeless people" also seems to apply to many of the anti-Trump demonstrators.
3
This author would have you believe that; wanting to protect and secure the border, deporting illegal invaders and pulling out of international entanglements that have killed thousands of Americans of all races and religions is a bad thing? That it makes Trump supporters fascist? This all because he has recieved some nasty tweets from a few of his supporters? When in reality the safest place at a Trump rally is inside with the Trump supporters instead of outside with the real fascist liberal troublemakers attacking police and destroying property. So it is obviously misleading to label Trump supporters as this writer does but he has an agenda and the truth is not part of it.
6
What we are seeing in gang mentality in a major American political party. Up is down.
A rich draft dodger can jeer vets and then "fix" his image by throwing his money at a charity for them. A slick talker photoshops a lifetime of philandering and ogling into a picture of manufactured dignity by disappearing his boaty mcboatload of marriages behind his Wall of condescension towards his female opponent who saw her one dysfunctional marriage through tough times. His cringe-talk about his daughter was/is sugar-coated creepiness of a creep.
The morality police in the GOP are now the ones who are "the converted" and submissive to Trump's amorality but still faking their pious superiority over other Americans. We are at the crossroads talking with the devil about about "greatness" that asks for nothing but our blindness and our hate to get there. Voter Beware.
A rich draft dodger can jeer vets and then "fix" his image by throwing his money at a charity for them. A slick talker photoshops a lifetime of philandering and ogling into a picture of manufactured dignity by disappearing his boaty mcboatload of marriages behind his Wall of condescension towards his female opponent who saw her one dysfunctional marriage through tough times. His cringe-talk about his daughter was/is sugar-coated creepiness of a creep.
The morality police in the GOP are now the ones who are "the converted" and submissive to Trump's amorality but still faking their pious superiority over other Americans. We are at the crossroads talking with the devil about about "greatness" that asks for nothing but our blindness and our hate to get there. Voter Beware.
5
Yet we're supposed to believe that Drumpf supporters are motivated by concerns over the economy and lost jobs and the direction of the country, rather than unadulterated racism and hate?
Sure they are.
Sure they are.
7
Er... Of course.
Look at NAFTA, it's effects, and who forced it on us. Look at its follow-ups: TTIP and TPP, and who supports it. Then look at who opposes more free trade agreements, and the downside that some of his alleged supporters taunt a reporter over his faith. What's more important, on the national scale? Getting back at a handfull of racist alleged Trump supporters, or preventing more trade agreements, which, to function, require US blue collars to accept Chinese and Third-world wages just to compete?
Look at NAFTA, it's effects, and who forced it on us. Look at its follow-ups: TTIP and TPP, and who supports it. Then look at who opposes more free trade agreements, and the downside that some of his alleged supporters taunt a reporter over his faith. What's more important, on the national scale? Getting back at a handfull of racist alleged Trump supporters, or preventing more trade agreements, which, to function, require US blue collars to accept Chinese and Third-world wages just to compete?
"Alleged" supporters? Look at where the tweets come from!
And it's not as if the right treated a sitting president like a dog due his race.
I am reminded of the people who thought a certain toothbrush-mustachioed Austrian had some great ideas to revitalize Germany but didn't take his race-baiting seriously.
Racism is at the heart of the Drumpf campaign. This is why the KKK, the Aryan Nation and White Supremacist groups support him so avidly. They didn't do that, even with prior GOP nominees.
There is a difference here.
And it's not as if the right treated a sitting president like a dog due his race.
I am reminded of the people who thought a certain toothbrush-mustachioed Austrian had some great ideas to revitalize Germany but didn't take his race-baiting seriously.
Racism is at the heart of the Drumpf campaign. This is why the KKK, the Aryan Nation and White Supremacist groups support him so avidly. They didn't do that, even with prior GOP nominees.
There is a difference here.
2
This article was written only to show hate to Trump. Otherwise you would have not included "many were Trump followers'. I would like to include that many are friends of Israel and also Trump followers. The same is true that many Obama voters are totally racist. A sad article meant to cause distrust and hate.
7
Any Democrat who chooses to stay home in November if their favorite candidate is not the nominee - this is what you'll be helping to elect.
15
When George W. Bush was elected and first started making pronouncements that would tilt the country toward a Christian theocracy, I said that we might be only 25 years away from a pogrom in this country. Irrespective of whether Trump wins, I now fear that my prediction may be both right and too conservative. There seems to be this fantasy that Trump will lose and disappear into some quiet place never to be again heard. That's absurd; he will not disappear. Trump loves and needs the media attention; and if he loses, he will continue to spew his hate-filled demagogic lies; and the media will publish them. He has brought out the worst of the ugly underbelly of America, and they are not going to quietly go away. They have a leader in Trump. And if he wins? All hell will break loose. It can't happen here? That's been said before.
37
All one has to do is notice Weisman's clueless admission that "I retweeted the choicest attacks ..." to know that he as a representative of his identity group (many of whom I suspect do not want to have anything to do with Weisman or his efforts on their behalf) is hard at work cultivating the special victim status that he and members of his superior to, harder working than the rest of us inferior "others" class have been engaged in the media for 3/4's of century in order to gain unearned deference and privilege. And never mind the denial of logic and the practical reality and math of the idiocy of "Mr. Trump apparently takes all comers." implication that he or anyone for that matter can control what other people say in the current out of control IT age. Then there is the inconsistent Zionist assignment of responsibility that involves largely "forgetting" the second Holocaust, of 6 million killed be the Soviets and East Europeans whose socialist pretentions apparently make them embarrassing ideological cousins of our democratic party. Yes, what Trump's rise really means is that Americans are sick and tired of, and refuse to be terrorized any longer with accusations of racism, anti Semitism, xenophobia, insensitivity, intolerance, disturbing, or an noun with an ism attached - whenever they have the audacity, or courage of oppose some policy favored by our not really very liberal "liberal" democratic or even republican party establishments.
9
What about when the accusations are true? Clearly a lot of Trump supporters are prejudice, racist, anti-Semitic and xenophobic, as evidenced by this one Twitter user's experience and other embarrassing acts of that nature at his rallies
I don't know any of these so-called Americans you refer to, who are sick and tired of common decency. Every American I know wants a civil society in which people treat each other with courtesy and kindness.
3
Call me naive, oblivious, dumb as a sack of hammers even, but I have never, ever, understood anti-Semitism.
When I was a teenager, I remember asking a Jewish friend of mine if it was possibly true that she/they didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah. To me it was like denying that grass is green. But it didn't offend, it merely fascinated me. Thankfully, I grew up--matured, even--and got over that stuff.
Since then, if I feel anything in about Jews in general, it's a feeling of safe, secure comfort knowing there are people on the planet who are taking care of business and making the world go around.
I recognize that it's quite the Liberal trend to have sympathy for Palestinians, and I have no problem with that. It hurts to witness the incredible determination that thrives on hatred from either perspective and resists any and all efforts to heal. Sadly, I don't see that changing ever; it's apparently more compelling to hang on to that grudge.
I strongly recommend that people dig out that old movie "Little Drummer Girl," and recognize the hopelessness.
But, I digress.... Truthfully, from the bottom of my heart, I simply do not get it. The strength, the energy, the determination, the brilliance...it's amazing, especially in light of history. And the food...ohhh...the food!
When I was a teenager, I remember asking a Jewish friend of mine if it was possibly true that she/they didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah. To me it was like denying that grass is green. But it didn't offend, it merely fascinated me. Thankfully, I grew up--matured, even--and got over that stuff.
Since then, if I feel anything in about Jews in general, it's a feeling of safe, secure comfort knowing there are people on the planet who are taking care of business and making the world go around.
I recognize that it's quite the Liberal trend to have sympathy for Palestinians, and I have no problem with that. It hurts to witness the incredible determination that thrives on hatred from either perspective and resists any and all efforts to heal. Sadly, I don't see that changing ever; it's apparently more compelling to hang on to that grudge.
I strongly recommend that people dig out that old movie "Little Drummer Girl," and recognize the hopelessness.
But, I digress.... Truthfully, from the bottom of my heart, I simply do not get it. The strength, the energy, the determination, the brilliance...it's amazing, especially in light of history. And the food...ohhh...the food!
4
I am not Jewish. I have a sister in law and a nephew who are. I like the members of her family. The are plain nice people. They are not mean or awful or trying to take over the world.
I have noticed a growing anti-semitism all around the world. If this continues, then WWII was fought in vain and this time no one will rescue us. Hitler is probably laughing his head off in hell. And for those who do not pay attention to the past, 5 million non-jewish people were also killed in Hitler's concentration camps in addition to the the 6 million jewish people who were killed.
No one will be safe. No one.
I have noticed a growing anti-semitism all around the world. If this continues, then WWII was fought in vain and this time no one will rescue us. Hitler is probably laughing his head off in hell. And for those who do not pay attention to the past, 5 million non-jewish people were also killed in Hitler's concentration camps in addition to the the 6 million jewish people who were killed.
No one will be safe. No one.
30
Trump's own daughter married a Jewish man.
Donald, do you know who your followers are?
Donald, do you know who your followers are?
4
I suspect it was similar, without the Internet aspects, when Hitler came to power. When the man at top stands for nothing and panders to the lowest denominators of his followers, when he starts so many statements with "I would never say THAT, but..." then you know you have a problem. I am sure many people who supported Hitler were what would be considered solid, good people - who stood by and stood for nothing while Hitler ascended to power. Now is the time for thinking Americans to make sure their vote counts - and that they stand for what is right and shining about America and American ideals.
19
The proliferation of a digital means to exercise free speech, giving everyone a voice that can express itself and be heard was one of the great aspects of the internet noted when it was in its infancy.
Rather than being edifying, in some ways it is more like turning over a rock.
The worst aspect one is left to ponder, due to people's anonymity, is the horrifying thought that some of these people could live next door to you and you would be none the wiser.
Having said that, one must remember that in a country of hundreds of millions of people there have always been and probably always be that portion of the populace that always has been ignorant and prejudiced and racist.The question is in what numbers they amount to. I'm guessing very small.
They just found a way to advertise their existence through mediums where their ability to express themselves is equal in measure to all the decent people in our country.
The fact that they can do so while under the cover of anonymity and in ostensible support of a candidate just makes them more self assured in being louder.
Rather than being edifying, in some ways it is more like turning over a rock.
The worst aspect one is left to ponder, due to people's anonymity, is the horrifying thought that some of these people could live next door to you and you would be none the wiser.
Having said that, one must remember that in a country of hundreds of millions of people there have always been and probably always be that portion of the populace that always has been ignorant and prejudiced and racist.The question is in what numbers they amount to. I'm guessing very small.
They just found a way to advertise their existence through mediums where their ability to express themselves is equal in measure to all the decent people in our country.
The fact that they can do so while under the cover of anonymity and in ostensible support of a candidate just makes them more self assured in being louder.
11
Incredible how this man amasses everything that is the worst in our society.As the guts o go after Mr. Clinton accusing is wife of channeling is tostosterone and forgets that he is the third wife which looks that needs to be a model to so be.The lack of auto critics is the same that you see in crazy people.The same that you see in people not paying there contracts and considering this behavior a good deal.Lets wait the direct confrontation and we will see this idiot falling apart.As I said before this Trump guy reminds me of Mussolini with hair and no substance.Amazing is the GOP allowing this kind of idiots to prevail.As a premium I think they will lose the Presidency and the Senate and hope the House.This campaign will get radicalized to a point that watching that ugly face will be unbearable.
7
It's essential that Trump be stopped. His SS-clown show just rumbles on, and has recently been fueled by Sanders and his naïve assumption that he can "debate" Trump in anything other than a media circus. A real, official, debate of the Kennedy-Nixon or Obama-Romney style will be difficult, but this is farcical.
However, stopping Trump won't stop the anti-Semitism or the anti-Black hatred in America. Long-term remedial education is needed. And a real debate on the nature of America is long overdue. With its wars and its relative affluence, America has dumbed-down and distracted a lot of people. Countries that live in peace and relative harmony have often taken centuries to work out internal differences. Internal wars have been part of that process. America has had one shooting Civil war. Can it sort itself into consenting states without another?
However, stopping Trump won't stop the anti-Semitism or the anti-Black hatred in America. Long-term remedial education is needed. And a real debate on the nature of America is long overdue. With its wars and its relative affluence, America has dumbed-down and distracted a lot of people. Countries that live in peace and relative harmony have often taken centuries to work out internal differences. Internal wars have been part of that process. America has had one shooting Civil war. Can it sort itself into consenting states without another?
16
The rise of Trump, who insults, taunts, divides, bullies and encourages violence, is alarming on several levels. Trump threatens the future of America and further world instability. Trump's rise is ineluctable evidence that America is sick. We have a large population that values Trump. And within that population are groups filled with hate who now feel free to voice and act on their hate. It is disgusting that a major political party has embraced him.
Sane Americans must defeat Trump, but we must also work to understand and remedy the conditions that led to so many people supporting him.
Sane Americans must defeat Trump, but we must also work to understand and remedy the conditions that led to so many people supporting him.
28
"Sane Americans must defeat Trump, but we must also work to understand and remedy the conditions that led to so many people supporting him."
Easy: make mainstream politicians, including our current president, address the illegitimacy of trade agreements negotiated behind our backs by both mainstream parties, undemocratic executive orders regarding illegal immigrants, and selective Immigration enforcement.
Liberals may not like it, but these topics concern Americans, notably Trump supporters. They may think any iteration of open borders is tenable, and a good thing, and that essentially giving jobs to Third-world countries at the expense of our working class is a good thing too. But what Liberals think doesn't matter in a democracy; what the majority thinks is what counts. By robbing power from the People and enforcing policies against their interests and their will on those topics, Obama has created Trump. Once again, actually enforce Democracy instead of special interest politics, and the People won't need to turn to Trump.
Easy: make mainstream politicians, including our current president, address the illegitimacy of trade agreements negotiated behind our backs by both mainstream parties, undemocratic executive orders regarding illegal immigrants, and selective Immigration enforcement.
Liberals may not like it, but these topics concern Americans, notably Trump supporters. They may think any iteration of open borders is tenable, and a good thing, and that essentially giving jobs to Third-world countries at the expense of our working class is a good thing too. But what Liberals think doesn't matter in a democracy; what the majority thinks is what counts. By robbing power from the People and enforcing policies against their interests and their will on those topics, Obama has created Trump. Once again, actually enforce Democracy instead of special interest politics, and the People won't need to turn to Trump.
2
The people who support Trump hate all minorities, including Jews. And they hate women. The sad thing is that a lot of the people who hate women are other women. I've said all along that Trump is the new Hitler and his followers are like Nazis. And Sanders is one of the rabble rousing Russian revolutionaries. Both men would destroy America..
I first learned about discrimination against Jews in our era when some Boston people moved to Savannah and were visiting in our home since they did business with my father. The yankees were appalled that our neighbors were Jewish because in their Boston neighborhood, no one could sell or rent to Jews.
It's 60 decades later and there is still hatred for anyone who is not white and Christian.
I first learned about discrimination against Jews in our era when some Boston people moved to Savannah and were visiting in our home since they did business with my father. The yankees were appalled that our neighbors were Jewish because in their Boston neighborhood, no one could sell or rent to Jews.
It's 60 decades later and there is still hatred for anyone who is not white and Christian.
19
Oops make that 60 years or 6 decades. I'm old but not that old.
1
Sorry you had to deal with that. But at least one of them appears to have made a sideways reference to Israel. I can see the Republican strategy goons scratching their heads on that one.
5
"We in the news business are taught to find and write up both sides of a story, with respect and equal time to all opinions."
Those in the news business have pursued this policy well past the point of false equivalence just to keep the bothsiderism train on the rails, papering over the increasing extremism of ONE of the two major parties for decades. The right has been exploiting this weakness--as witness your Ari Fleischer quote--and Trump is the ultimate and predictable outcome. Even now the process goes on because the media simply have no other template than bothsiderism for covering a presidential race, even when one candidate is a radical and unprincipled demagogue. Their role is not to expose the truth anymore if it ever was. Instead, like a spouse in an abusive relationship, the highest priority is to maintain the fiction that Everything Here Is Just Fine, even when the bruises can no longer be covered by long sleeves and the beatings are taking place in the street. News flash: it's not just fine, and only ONE party is threatening the essential fabric of our republic. They've spent decades and billions cultivating and mainstreaming the fears, hatreds and outright paranoid fantasies of their most radical supporters (Jade Helm, anyone?); they've built themselves an entire "news" network of their own to do it. The Normalization of Trump didn't start when he clinched the nomination; it began years ago.
Those in the news business have pursued this policy well past the point of false equivalence just to keep the bothsiderism train on the rails, papering over the increasing extremism of ONE of the two major parties for decades. The right has been exploiting this weakness--as witness your Ari Fleischer quote--and Trump is the ultimate and predictable outcome. Even now the process goes on because the media simply have no other template than bothsiderism for covering a presidential race, even when one candidate is a radical and unprincipled demagogue. Their role is not to expose the truth anymore if it ever was. Instead, like a spouse in an abusive relationship, the highest priority is to maintain the fiction that Everything Here Is Just Fine, even when the bruises can no longer be covered by long sleeves and the beatings are taking place in the street. News flash: it's not just fine, and only ONE party is threatening the essential fabric of our republic. They've spent decades and billions cultivating and mainstreaming the fears, hatreds and outright paranoid fantasies of their most radical supporters (Jade Helm, anyone?); they've built themselves an entire "news" network of their own to do it. The Normalization of Trump didn't start when he clinched the nomination; it began years ago.
38
Without knowing a word of English you can hear a reincarnated Hitler in Trump's tone of voice. Once in the White House he will never leave - America's very own Hitler. What many or most of his supporters are hoping for.
21
It seems that we might be electing Hitler again....isn't it time for Bernie to help eliminate this possibility....can't he see it ?
4
Or Hillary.
8
"The Donald," like all haters, wants to have it both ways. "Some of his best friends are Jewish but Jews as a whatever are an existential threat to good, old fashioned, American bigotry. These people love the anonymity of Twitter which allows them to express their dark fantasies and hatreds without having to sign their names to their garbage. "The Donald" has made hatred of everyone who isn't like him or not a member of his family into a respectable position, under the guise of resisting "political correctness." He ignores the fact that what he calls "political correctness," is also known as common decency.
14
mr trump is not responsible for those people. he should issue a statement that he denounces them. OK? we good?
"The truth is, I have become largely disconnected from Jewish life and faith over the years, and like many American Jews I have been lulled into complacency."
This complacent attitude is far more dangerous that the Nazis, who only could afflict us physically (as opposed to spiritually).
Our safety as Jews comes only from Hashem. There is nothing more important than breaking the fall associated with complacency; the day to break this fall and to begin climbing again is today.
This complacent attitude is far more dangerous that the Nazis, who only could afflict us physically (as opposed to spiritually).
Our safety as Jews comes only from Hashem. There is nothing more important than breaking the fall associated with complacency; the day to break this fall and to begin climbing again is today.
3
I watched the 1947 “Gentleman’s Agreement” last night--first time. A writer (Gregory Peck) for a “liberal” New York magazine is supposed to write a story on anti-semitism.
So Peck told people HE was Jewish to get their reactions. He was going to be undercover for 9 months but became so disgusted that he wrote the story 8 weeks in. An Elia Kazan film that would fit perfectly today.
The problem wasn’t the outright anti-semites...it was the “nice” people who didn’t speak up. I was shocked by the words used and wonder if this movie could even be made today.
If you haven’t seen it--watch it. If you have? Watch it again. It won Best Picture and deserved it. It pulled NO punches. I still wish he had gone for Celeste Holm! Peck’s young son was played by Dean Stockwell.
So Peck told people HE was Jewish to get their reactions. He was going to be undercover for 9 months but became so disgusted that he wrote the story 8 weeks in. An Elia Kazan film that would fit perfectly today.
The problem wasn’t the outright anti-semites...it was the “nice” people who didn’t speak up. I was shocked by the words used and wonder if this movie could even be made today.
If you haven’t seen it--watch it. If you have? Watch it again. It won Best Picture and deserved it. It pulled NO punches. I still wish he had gone for Celeste Holm! Peck’s young son was played by Dean Stockwell.
16
@Socrates
Commenters say that Trump himself isn’t anti-semite..REALLY??
His daughter keeps a kosher household and Trump hires a white nationalist?
http://forward.com/opinion/341323/the-outrageous-jewish-hypocrisy-of-iva...
Or calling out Jon Stewart?? http://www.timesofisrael.com/trumps-anti-semitic-jon-stewart-tweet/
Or the anti-semitic comments made at the Republican Jewish Coalition??
http://www.salon.com/2015/12/03/one_yuuuuuge_mistake_donald_trump_just_d...
Commenters say that Trump himself isn’t anti-semite..REALLY??
His daughter keeps a kosher household and Trump hires a white nationalist?
http://forward.com/opinion/341323/the-outrageous-jewish-hypocrisy-of-iva...
Or calling out Jon Stewart?? http://www.timesofisrael.com/trumps-anti-semitic-jon-stewart-tweet/
Or the anti-semitic comments made at the Republican Jewish Coalition??
http://www.salon.com/2015/12/03/one_yuuuuuge_mistake_donald_trump_just_d...
10
Yesterday, Bruni indicates that he is letting difficult conversations go because he doesn't want to feel uncomfortable. This article came out before Bruni's sorry admission - which only goes to make it all the more frightening. The NY Times needs to train its considerable resources on bringing this lunatic, and the party he now controls, to heal.
13
I can't help but notice that most of the people in the comments rightfully condemning this immense hatred are Jewish and there is a glaring disinterest from others. It makes me feel alone and scared about what lays ahead for us. Maybe this is how my ancestors felt when the Allies stood idly by knowing full well the camps were being filled up - "How could this happen?" - little did they know there was a hidden anti-semitism amongst all europeans. A passive support for their darkest, most bestial projections & desires inflicted upon a fashionable scapegoat of the time.
19
This is inaccurate. Many and probably most of the comments are from non-Jews, and the overwhelming majority deplore Trump's behavior and that of his followers. Anyone with even the faintest glimmer of perceptiveness knows he is a threat to the Constitution and the American way of life that he mendaciously pretends to champion. Don't tremble. Don't lament. Don't sulk. Instead, act. Shudders won't make him disappear. Opposing votes will.
4
It is not necessary to stick one's head directly into the gutter, in order to realize or show that it stinks.
Figuring out where the gutter and its contents come from, and where they are flowing towards: that would be investigative journalism.
Figuring out where the gutter and its contents come from, and where they are flowing towards: that would be investigative journalism.
10
It doesn't help to have Sam Harris, the late Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Richard Carriere, Jews all, posting their opinions that Jesus never existed, implying thereby that the Jews couldn't have killed him. They're courting trouble.
3
Disgusting. But many thanks for bringing this to light.
If its any comfort, its worse over here in Europe.
If its any comfort, its worse over here in Europe.
25
It has been my opinion for over fifty years that another holocaust could happen, even here in the United States. Genocide still exists in the world and we'd be foolish to think this country is immune. Anti-Jewish sentiment has been (barely) under the surface and it boils over when an opportunity presents itself. You can easily find it in abundance on the internet, and it is very ugly. Donald Trump is just facilitating a more public display of the hatred that has never been eradicated. It is, I believe, the responsibility of the majority to voice our vehement objection to the hateful and violent rhetoric of the minority and let them know: Not in THIS country.
My mother (of blessed memory) taught me that, as Jews, we need to speak out against racism and bigotry. If any group is being persecuted and the perpetrators are allowed to get away with it because the rest of us remain silent, we (Jews) can expect to be among the next victims.
My mother (of blessed memory) taught me that, as Jews, we need to speak out against racism and bigotry. If any group is being persecuted and the perpetrators are allowed to get away with it because the rest of us remain silent, we (Jews) can expect to be among the next victims.
13
Such poison emerges when people do not receive adequate explanations for their misfortunes. To understand Trump one must also look at the unending capitulations, betrayals, and sheer dishonesty of the two major parties.
7
It would be most appropriate to borrow a page from the Trump play book. If everyone outside of his cult referred to him as Adolph it would stick. It would force so many to see Trump as he is. His justification for his behavior is that he is entitled, as a businessman, to put everyone on the defensive. There are a great many of us still alive that witnessed what Hitler's cult of hate did to Germany and the world. Let's just call him Adolph.
15
Or Benito! Benito's infamous pout is right there on the current incarnation of a would-be dictator.
I see far far more anti Latino, anti Black, anti Muslim comments in the media and in commentary. Do not forget to mention the unsurpassed protection and privilege Jews in Israel receive from us Americans. Furthermore, it is no surprise to see anti Jewish acts increasing when AIPAC and thugs like Netanyahu and Lieberman insult our president and call him an enemy.
6
Maybe, just maybe, the great failure of the century will be the problem of liberal enforcement. Yet, maybe, enforcement is not enough to something that must be learned!
Any Jew flirting with supporting Trump and allowing himself to be seduced by his meaningless huckster declarations of support for Israel needs to read this.
The hate this man thinks he can harness, if he even cares about the hate of his followers, or cares about anything other than his own pathetic preening, is truly frightening.
The hate this man thinks he can harness, if he even cares about the hate of his followers, or cares about anything other than his own pathetic preening, is truly frightening.
14
I'm horrified and saddened that unfortunately isn't new. All I can say is, in the spirit of Martin Niemöller I will not stand silent.
10
Anyone votong for Trump in November should be considered a fellow traveller.
8
How about everyone on twitter, facebook, etc. has to put their real name on the handle? This is a civil rights issue when it is targeting minorities and also women and Congress should act by enacting legislation requiring everyone on social media to use their real name. Then these cowards will cower back into the shadows where they belong.
8
This is idiocy that does not belong any where near a newspaper. How on earth is Trump responsible for what crazy people do with his name. Do you actually believe these nut-balls care if Trump is elected? This is just playing into their hands - they are using the Trump name to spread hate - and now you are helping them. Shame.
14
On a lighter note Trump has propositioned Sanders that he will Feel the Berne for a price and Sanders has said Game On. This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship between The Dominator and the dominated.
2
It breaks my heart that this piece needed to be written, but I am so glad it has been. Americans need to wake up and see who Trump and his supporters really are.
26
Barbara, I am not a Trump supporter. Are you really saying that 46% of Americans are racists?
1
In the late 1980s, I was talking to an African-American man who said he had been at some even with Trump and couldn't believe how anti-Semitic he had been, adding, "I can only wonder what we would have been saying about African-Americans if I wasn't there."
17
I am appalled. Other than not voting for him which I wouldn't do for a million others reasons, what can one person do? This is the media's responsibility as much as it is "the people's." Why? Because corporate media has been deemed an individual by SCOTUS and because media has unabashedly given this person a platform, more publicity and more (hot) air time than anyone else and more than this person ever deserved. Money is speech. Money talks. Frankly, I feel a bit hopeless, helpless and in despair every time I read one more disgusting thing about this pathological narcissist.
19
All money can buy is OUR votes, child. WE who agree with you must pull out all stops to get voters who agree to cast their vote for Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other socially conscious democrats and independents. If one is in doubt simply vote for anyone but a republican/libertarian/tea party candidate. They're easy to spot - they will have outsize money to campaign because the same BIG democracy-destroying money masters as DT are paying for it.
15
Trump does not disavow these hate mongers for the same reason he did not disavow David Duke: he agrees with them; they are his mouthpieces, his surrogates; they are doing his dirty work for him. Hitler announced his antisemitism; it was clear from the outset (ie, Mein Kampf, 1925) what he believed and what he hoped to do. Trump thinly disguises his and maintains deniability now, but if elected, he too will proclaim his true feelings and intentions and then, for many (not just Jews, but Muslims, Mexicans, and any other group he cares to target), it will be too late.
22
While driving across Kansas 2 weeks ago on a cross-country trip, I heard a fundamentalist minister explaining that there is no Biblical principle that requires Christians to love their fellow human beings, because only people who are born-again Christians are children of God. The "others" are children of the devil, and, he suggested, it is OK not to love them and to actively hate them. No one asked him if it would be OK to kill them.
This is the kind of thinking being spread around out there, folks. Where a minister can call for the execution of gay people, then introduce Ted Cruz at a campaign rally. These are the forces the Republican party has courted for decades, and they have gotten louder and bolder because no one calls them on their craziness.
The media lets them make their nutty claims and laps up the ratings, and most Republicans stay silent because they need those votes. Worse, a growing number of Republican officials actually come from the ranks of the crazies--see the legislatures of North Carolina, Tennessee, or Oklahoma.
Trump took over a Republican voter base primed by fear, hate, and lies and ready for the next steps. And we know what the next steps are. Why is anyone surprised by this?
This is the kind of thinking being spread around out there, folks. Where a minister can call for the execution of gay people, then introduce Ted Cruz at a campaign rally. These are the forces the Republican party has courted for decades, and they have gotten louder and bolder because no one calls them on their craziness.
The media lets them make their nutty claims and laps up the ratings, and most Republicans stay silent because they need those votes. Worse, a growing number of Republican officials actually come from the ranks of the crazies--see the legislatures of North Carolina, Tennessee, or Oklahoma.
Trump took over a Republican voter base primed by fear, hate, and lies and ready for the next steps. And we know what the next steps are. Why is anyone surprised by this?
33
I remember as a child when my family moved to the South, and I saw open, raw racism. I remember when we moved back East, back to the NY area, and I saw anti-semitism among my friends and some adults.
I do not know why these things made me feel uncomfortable. I don't know why, to my child's mind, these things just did not feel right.
I think it has to do with being afraid and repulsed by the mindset of a mob. I never have liked ganging up, and as a kid who moved a lot, I never had much fondness for the alleged charisma of bullies.
What can save us from the stupidity and violence of the mob? I believe only strong norms of common decency can save us. I would have gotten a spanking if I ever said something racist or anti-semitic. But not necessarily because it was racist or anti-semitic; but because, it was not how decent persons behaved.
At long last, is our society losing its basic sense of decency? That is what I see at stake in this election. The cockroaches are coming out all over the place and sadly, the Republican Party, as the endorsements of Trump are inevitably trickling in, is showing it does not have the decency -- the moral courage -- to turn on the lights and say NO.
For shame.
I do not know why these things made me feel uncomfortable. I don't know why, to my child's mind, these things just did not feel right.
I think it has to do with being afraid and repulsed by the mindset of a mob. I never have liked ganging up, and as a kid who moved a lot, I never had much fondness for the alleged charisma of bullies.
What can save us from the stupidity and violence of the mob? I believe only strong norms of common decency can save us. I would have gotten a spanking if I ever said something racist or anti-semitic. But not necessarily because it was racist or anti-semitic; but because, it was not how decent persons behaved.
At long last, is our society losing its basic sense of decency? That is what I see at stake in this election. The cockroaches are coming out all over the place and sadly, the Republican Party, as the endorsements of Trump are inevitably trickling in, is showing it does not have the decency -- the moral courage -- to turn on the lights and say NO.
For shame.
26
I apologise on behalf of these inexplicable people. Can there be any benefit of hearing their tune with the dog whistles tossed aside during this election cycle?
Let us make sure everyone understands what dark voices are baying at the moon with dark prince Trump unleashing the bile.
Let us make sure everyone understands what dark voices are baying at the moon with dark prince Trump unleashing the bile.
9
This. Is. Appalling.
I apologize, on behalf of all the uneducated, insecure, paranoid, vicious, sociopaths lurking in the anonymity of the web and bolstered by any wink of a man so unbelievably juvenile that his ascension to political power is as laughable as it is terrifying. Yee Gods. I am appalled.
I apologize, on behalf of all the uneducated, insecure, paranoid, vicious, sociopaths lurking in the anonymity of the web and bolstered by any wink of a man so unbelievably juvenile that his ascension to political power is as laughable as it is terrifying. Yee Gods. I am appalled.
12
Anti Semitism is on the rise globally. In Europe, right wing bigots are calling Jews the N-word on public streets.
It is scary that Jews are being asked not to wear religious head wear in France, England, Poland and Russia. Trump has given hatred a legitimate place in American politics, he is a new George Wallace. Last week in Austria an openly confessed Nazi barely lost the Presidential election.
Right wing hatred is on the increase, much of it fueled by the American Republican party. Jews of all colors, Ashkenazi, Mizrachi, Sephardic and Black African Jews must rise up as one and condemn this very alarming hatred virus. Possibly, a new holocaust is brewing in Europe.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-austria-elections-farright-commentary-i...
It is scary that Jews are being asked not to wear religious head wear in France, England, Poland and Russia. Trump has given hatred a legitimate place in American politics, he is a new George Wallace. Last week in Austria an openly confessed Nazi barely lost the Presidential election.
Right wing hatred is on the increase, much of it fueled by the American Republican party. Jews of all colors, Ashkenazi, Mizrachi, Sephardic and Black African Jews must rise up as one and condemn this very alarming hatred virus. Possibly, a new holocaust is brewing in Europe.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-austria-elections-farright-commentary-i...
12
I am gratified to read that J. Weisman—who, back in 08, so scrupulously swatted down any suggestion that the McCain-Palin campaign were racist merely because they employed racist dog-whistles against Obama—is at last able to comprehend the violent, destructive nature of bigotry when it is directed toward him, personally. Baby steps.
First they came for the high-paid columnists—as far as Jonathan's concerned, anyway.
First they came for the high-paid columnists—as far as Jonathan's concerned, anyway.
14
Every time you see a MSM journalist gushing over how great Ivanka, Eric and Don Jr. are, remember that with their silence, they uphold him in everything that spews from his mouth.
25
"Loverly." Store windows painted "Juden", with 6-pointed stars. Wooden boxcars, jammed with peoples, heading for death camps.
Kristallnacht, 24/7, instead of a night of drunken destruction.
Not mobs running through the street; but mobs on Social Media.
Clarence Darrow said, "Fanaticism is forever busy, and needs feeding". What a perfect delivery system for the food than Twit-Ter, Face-Boar, and Linked-Haters.
Kristallnacht, 24/7, instead of a night of drunken destruction.
Not mobs running through the street; but mobs on Social Media.
Clarence Darrow said, "Fanaticism is forever busy, and needs feeding". What a perfect delivery system for the food than Twit-Ter, Face-Boar, and Linked-Haters.
9
True but look at it this way, 1. we can identify who the racists are, and depending on the situation socially ostracize them. And 2, this is cathartic. Because too often minority groups have been telling everyone/anyone who would listen that this is still an issue. Folks wanted to ignore it. But you can't anymore because its in your face and floating in the digital sea.
As a Black woman, I personally prefer to know up front that you have an issue with my race or gender rather than you playing polite and destroying me quietly. The former I can deal with, the latter are truly dangerous.
thank God folks are starting to pay attention.
As a Black woman, I personally prefer to know up front that you have an issue with my race or gender rather than you playing polite and destroying me quietly. The former I can deal with, the latter are truly dangerous.
thank God folks are starting to pay attention.
I'm stunned and very afraid. My dad was Jewish mom is Lutheran we kids tossed between to make points in arguments. Yet Jewish is not just a religion it's a race. Right? I look Jewish, yet my mom was not a Jew so I am not officially a Jew. I do not go to Temple am not religious yet to the bigots writing those horrible twitter posts I imagine my Jewish looks and blood would be more than enough to hate me to death. I have always yearned towards my Jewish background but afraid to explore the possibility of joining a Temple for just this reason, it seemed possible that some day Jews would be hunted like animals even here. Like my grandmother and grandfather who fled the Ukraine, it seemed I should stay as non-Jewish as possible. I was right but I may not be non-Jewish enough.
9
You should go to your local temple. Just attend a Friday night service and stay around after for oneg (food). People will talk to you and I hope you enjoy it. I wish more people in your position felt that they would be welcomed in the community.
2
Not a race. A nationality.
2
Intelligent conversation cannot cut through the desire some have to spread hate. It comes from fear and anger. DT has nothing to sell but his name and, as long as it makes him more money, he could care less who attaches themselves to it. The man has no moral compass and no social conscience. Like Hitler he draws haters like flies are drawn to dead meat. Let's make him dead meat.
8
I continue to wonder how Jared Kushner, the grandson of survivors, continues to remain silent. As Trump's Jewish son-in-law, he must feel at least queasy. This is a terrible story and Trump's hateful behavior and words only fuel racist, homophobic, antisemitic, xenophobic, etc. response.
19
Is there not a journalist, politician, or ordinary citizen out there who can challenge Trump on his citizenship and demand to see his original raised seal, signed birth certificate? And it needs to be constant and ongoing, made an issue, just to see what happens.
Wouldn't it be amazing if he DOESN'T have an original copy?
I he does, drop it and move on to insinuations of organized crime connections.
Seriously, do I have to think of this stuff?
Note, I said insinuations, not accusations.
No one in this fight against Trump knows what they are doing. All parties are still in some fog, haze, slow-mo swamp, miles behind this fast moving malevolent clown.
Wouldn't it be amazing if he DOESN'T have an original copy?
I he does, drop it and move on to insinuations of organized crime connections.
Seriously, do I have to think of this stuff?
Note, I said insinuations, not accusations.
No one in this fight against Trump knows what they are doing. All parties are still in some fog, haze, slow-mo swamp, miles behind this fast moving malevolent clown.
6
In the eighties, in New York City, in Lower Manhattan, II heard the words, Jew you down, in my own office by an employee who didn't seem to realize there might be a problem. It was the first anti-Semitic remark I ever heard, and it felt like a sickening punch. In New York City.
9
I heard it just last year.
And when I lived in New York I heard anti-Semetic remarks from a variety of ethnic groups and races.
Around 5 years ago, I was on an upscale vacation and heard anti-Black, anti-Mexican and anti-Jewish statements all from one person at a dinner table. Now I guess I would say it was kind of like having dinner with Donald Trump.
And when I lived in New York I heard anti-Semetic remarks from a variety of ethnic groups and races.
Around 5 years ago, I was on an upscale vacation and heard anti-Black, anti-Mexican and anti-Jewish statements all from one person at a dinner table. Now I guess I would say it was kind of like having dinner with Donald Trump.
6
It seems a great irony, all but overlooked in the NYT, that the two outsider candidates in this year, in which so many have just given up on establishment politics, are Donald Trump - with such very high negatives, for good reason - and Bernie Sanders - with such incredibly high positives. One, a rich man's son, born with a silver spoon; another the son of a Jewish immigrant family from Brooklyn. The latter beats the former in every poll's match-up. Yet the NYT, and other media, have done their best to minimize the chances of Bernie Sanders and call his supporters, as well as his ideas, "unicorns".
Perhaps there is still time to change the dynamic of this presidential race, but time is short.
Perhaps there is still time to change the dynamic of this presidential race, but time is short.
6
The Times was for Hillary all the way.
Both Hillary and Bernie need to be prepared to beat this guy.
Both Hillary and Bernie need to be prepared to beat this guy.
1
The election of our President ripped the scab of prejudice off against African Americans; the current campaign is ripping the scab off Muslim, Jewish and other prejudices that have been present for a long time, but at least, partly 'under the carpet' of our so called civilized citizens.
If we and all good people don't do something and speak out, I fear that we are in for very difficult times, with open conflict between different groups.
If we and all good people don't do something and speak out, I fear that we are in for very difficult times, with open conflict between different groups.
26
I read this with such sadness. And anger.
So I looked at myself. I am not immune from persecution. None of us is. We are, all of us, some part of a group that is hated by ignorant bigots.
I am not Jewish, but I am lots of other things that bigots will, one day (if not already), find abhorrent. I will stand, NOW, with my fellow humans who are subject to vile racism and invective, knowing that it will be my turn someday.
So I looked at myself. I am not immune from persecution. None of us is. We are, all of us, some part of a group that is hated by ignorant bigots.
I am not Jewish, but I am lots of other things that bigots will, one day (if not already), find abhorrent. I will stand, NOW, with my fellow humans who are subject to vile racism and invective, knowing that it will be my turn someday.
14
Antisemitism, like any other form of bigotry, thrives when people who are not its victims say or do nothing. But effective action follows an insult more easily when the witness identifies with the target of the slander. A comment to the effect that I belong to a community that includes Jews, Christians, Muslims and atheists, but not bigots, breaks down the barriers between the religious and non-religious groups, even while it exiles the slanderer from the magic circle of the community.
Simply 'standing up for' Jews or African Americans or any other target of prejudice fails to convey to the bigot the message that his behavior has condemned him to isolation until he changes his attitude. When we permit our sense of religious, cultural or political identity to create barriers between ourselves and people who differ from us, we pave the way for the bigots.
Trump's dismissive comments about Muslims, Hispanics and, by implication, African Americans, encourages his followers to view these groups as aliens in their midst. By reinforcing already existing barriers to unity, Trump threatens to undermine the sense of community vital to the health of our democracy. Only a sustained campaign that emphasizes the common identity of all citizens, regardless of differences in culture, religion or ethnicity, can counter his effort to narrow the definition of American.
Simply 'standing up for' Jews or African Americans or any other target of prejudice fails to convey to the bigot the message that his behavior has condemned him to isolation until he changes his attitude. When we permit our sense of religious, cultural or political identity to create barriers between ourselves and people who differ from us, we pave the way for the bigots.
Trump's dismissive comments about Muslims, Hispanics and, by implication, African Americans, encourages his followers to view these groups as aliens in their midst. By reinforcing already existing barriers to unity, Trump threatens to undermine the sense of community vital to the health of our democracy. Only a sustained campaign that emphasizes the common identity of all citizens, regardless of differences in culture, religion or ethnicity, can counter his effort to narrow the definition of American.
2
So, according to these nitwits, Ivanka Trump, her husband, her children and her in-laws should subjected to all manner of unspeakable acts. Well done!
2
The New Yorker is taking a firm and unequivocally hostile stand against this megalomaniac and demagogue. Their editors aren't treating Trump like he's a cash cow for clicks and fodder for the most base of human beings (being generous here.) Adam Gopnick told it like it is and the New York Times needs to follow suit and denounce that clown for the fraud and hatemonger he is. And keep exposing who his true base really is.
7
"The truth is, I have become largely disconnected from Jewish life and faith over the years, and like many American Jews I have been lulled into complacency."
In short you yourself have little sympathy for the actual Orthodox Jews. You are writing here merely because you want to join the usual anti-Trump parade.
As for Judaism as a RELIGION, there is might little sympathy in these pages.
If you are a "victim" you will be loved and if you are religious, you will be hated.
What if you are both? That IS a problem for liberals.
In short you yourself have little sympathy for the actual Orthodox Jews. You are writing here merely because you want to join the usual anti-Trump parade.
As for Judaism as a RELIGION, there is might little sympathy in these pages.
If you are a "victim" you will be loved and if you are religious, you will be hated.
What if you are both? That IS a problem for liberals.
7
Look no further for anti-semitism than todays NYT front page and the story on Cornel West and the Democrats.
4
If I receive an ad-hominem comment, I give the poster 4 hours to change their comment and repent. If they do not, I delete their comment and ban them. Airing the comments is what they want (an audience). They should be denied.
2
Yes, and I certainly wouldn't give them the headline.
Fleisher's comments re: BLM and the Occupy movements shows just how ignorant ostensibly educated people can be. BLM and Occupy protests were for justice and fairness for minorities and the "average American" ---these views are not grounded in hate --- as opposed to the hateful and evil expressions of nazi believers. I am appalled that Fleischer would equate the two. Republicans are proving to be disappointing and cowardly people.
10
Exactly. I wrote a similar comment here yesterday. And this was from someone who had Bush's ear.
Republicans really have no clue.
Republicans really have no clue.
5
I have been waiting for the scapegoating of Der Juden to start spewing forth from the dark recesses of Trump's supporters. Guess my wait is over. Jonathan, I always remember the admonishment from the Passover Seder: "In every generation there are those who rise up against us to anhiliate us." No matter how secular we are, no matter how assimilated we are, we -- you and I -- will always be "the other." This ugly undercurrent has always been present in the U.S.
I also remember the words of a Chasidic song, "We will outlive them."
I also remember the words of a Chasidic song, "We will outlive them."
7
One of the cosmic jokes is that Ralph Read, that representative of "Value Voters" is a partisan for Donald Trump
3
I really cannot convey how horrified I am to read this. I lived in Germany for two years in the 70s, scarcely 25 years after the end of the Nazi regime. I was always open about being Jewish. I was fluent in German and had friends and acquaintances, and had many serious spontaneous conversations with people who had no reason to put up a façade. Never did I encounter anything remotely like this. On the other hand, plenty of casual anti-Semitism in the US, from the "jewing down" mentioned by another letter writer, to earnest (or disingenuous) Christians wondering how anyone could be Jewish, or people asking me pointedly if I had every known a poor Jew. (Yes: me, until I finished graduate school, and lots more besides.) These people are delusional, and apparently they manage to spend most of their time with others who share their delusion. How Trump gets a pass on this is beyond me.
12
Trump is the Golem, the scroll placed beneath his tongue of mud was an IOU note from the casino, his hatred of the Jews that he has been forced to genuflect to in the world of New York Real Estate, while fantasizing he would one day make them pay is coming to fruit the greater monster he has unleashed with his women hatred, Latino bashing, and ''Pocahontas'' meme attack on Sen. Warren.
Little Donny Trump sat at the bar at Studio 54 absorbing all sorts of barbs and public embarrassments from Steve Rubell and sucking up to a man he privately disdained, Roy Cohen. Trump used Roy Cohen because Roy Cohen epitomized Trump's hatred of the Jews and his image of them as degenerates. His hunger to be admired and accepted by the insiders (as he saw it) who controlled the Real Estate Board of New York never materialized. Instead he became a bankrupt Falstaff and laughing stock. Now, in his mind, his revenge is at hand.
Seriously, people, you do not want this delusional madman who speaks of himself in the third person POTUS!!!
Trump grew up as a narcissistic outsider in Queens, son of a German who hid his origins in order to sell to the Jews he felt disdain for. The way that Trump has pitched Jewish donors and power brokers makes this painfully evident. Really people, do not be slow on this, you don't want to wake up in an oven whether created by Auschwitz or Global Warming that this despotic denier says is a put up job while chanting 'drill baby drill' with Sarah Palin.
Little Donny Trump sat at the bar at Studio 54 absorbing all sorts of barbs and public embarrassments from Steve Rubell and sucking up to a man he privately disdained, Roy Cohen. Trump used Roy Cohen because Roy Cohen epitomized Trump's hatred of the Jews and his image of them as degenerates. His hunger to be admired and accepted by the insiders (as he saw it) who controlled the Real Estate Board of New York never materialized. Instead he became a bankrupt Falstaff and laughing stock. Now, in his mind, his revenge is at hand.
Seriously, people, you do not want this delusional madman who speaks of himself in the third person POTUS!!!
Trump grew up as a narcissistic outsider in Queens, son of a German who hid his origins in order to sell to the Jews he felt disdain for. The way that Trump has pitched Jewish donors and power brokers makes this painfully evident. Really people, do not be slow on this, you don't want to wake up in an oven whether created by Auschwitz or Global Warming that this despotic denier says is a put up job while chanting 'drill baby drill' with Sarah Palin.
31
In high school I had a best friend. We were co-captains on the swim team. We traveled Europe together on graduation. I introduced him to my other brother and they became roommates in college. All the stuff of lasting friendship.
Then we all grew up, went separate ways. But we 3 reunited for beers and hopefully a restart of friendship as adults. My best friend inherited his father's beer distributorship.
My other brother and I sat there in horror as my now-former best friend spewed vitriolic Klan-level anti-Semitic hate. Unaware that both of wives are Jewish.
Hate and prejudice are indeed more widespread and far deeper than we can grasp. Until now.
Then we all grew up, went separate ways. But we 3 reunited for beers and hopefully a restart of friendship as adults. My best friend inherited his father's beer distributorship.
My other brother and I sat there in horror as my now-former best friend spewed vitriolic Klan-level anti-Semitic hate. Unaware that both of wives are Jewish.
Hate and prejudice are indeed more widespread and far deeper than we can grasp. Until now.
25
It's not about you. You are the poster boy for narcissism.
3
Yup, Trump is definitely that. He's immune to criticism though so it's doubtful he'll ever realize what a narcissistic, shallow fool he is.
A very hard read. Sickening. I got attacked on Twitter today in responding to a WSJ article. I said Trump was a misogynist. You would think there was enough evidence at this point. The Trumpsters then called me a liberal B*tch. His crowd is vile on all levels. When the lawn signs go up in October, you will be able to tell which of your neighbors are the racists, bigots and misogynists.
7
You are now very much qualified to understand the Don Trump campaign.
Thank you for writing.
Thank you for writing.
2
Have none of Trump's mainstream apologists contemplated, even for a moment, what it will look like when he fulfills his promises? What will they say when boxcars full of Latinos and Muslims start rolling through their towns? He has already said that "we have to be willing to do the unthinkable." What do they think he meant by that? Trump doesn't use dog whistles; he says exactly what he means in clear, simple and brutish language. To "coalesce" around his candidacy is a fundamental moral failure that risks making our country not "great again" but a pariah among nations. If, God forbid, he is elected president, it will take generations for us to recover -- and America will never be the same again.
5
I don't know. Recently there was a story about an Orthodox Jew on El Al who did not want to sit next to the woman. Almost all the posts were hostile - (do so many Trump followers read the New York Times?). Some people suggested that he be forced to buy the whole row. Another even suggested that he be simply thrown off the plane.
I seemed to be the only one who felt some sympathy and felt that the airline could work out a clever scheme whereby an orthodox Jew male would not have to sit next to a female - after all there are plenty of men (and women) on the flights. All it needs is a software fix which almost any Israeli can come up with.
So my question is, if so many readers were hostile to this orthodox Jew, does that mean that they were Trump followers? And if they were Hillary followers, does that mean that she too is a Nazi sympathizer?
I seemed to be the only one who felt some sympathy and felt that the airline could work out a clever scheme whereby an orthodox Jew male would not have to sit next to a female - after all there are plenty of men (and women) on the flights. All it needs is a software fix which almost any Israeli can come up with.
So my question is, if so many readers were hostile to this orthodox Jew, does that mean that they were Trump followers? And if they were Hillary followers, does that mean that she too is a Nazi sympathizer?
3
Maybe review the Rosa Parks story for a broader view on asking another human being to move to make yourself "comfortable" culturally.
2
I am not usually one to say things "turn my stomach" when I find them unpleasant. And I tire of hearing people say that rhetoric is "sickening" and that verbal attacks "left me shaking." But after reading this, I am truly sickened. This is awful.
I admit to really thinking that anti-Semitism was long gone-- growing up in Alabama, there weren't enough Jews for anyone to have an opinion about, positive or negative. I am truly disgusted to learn that this exists.
I admit to really thinking that anti-Semitism was long gone-- growing up in Alabama, there weren't enough Jews for anyone to have an opinion about, positive or negative. I am truly disgusted to learn that this exists.
2
Sadly, hate never goes out of style. And Twitter, along with other social media sites will continue as a haven for this kind of rubbish. I fear this is only the root of what is coming after the conventions end. I certainly hope Mr. Trump, who has connection with various Jewish groups, disavows this stuff. I've returned to some relaxation over all of this following Warren Buffet's (BTW, a Hillary supporter) calming quote about it hardly mattering who wins the presidency. The country will be fine.
2
Do you think Trump will be harassed by these nuts too?
His grandson is Jewish, as he mentioned.
His grandson is Jewish, as he mentioned.
2
Even as a Progressive, I believe that the USA needs to update the First Amendment to make hate speech illegal and prosecutable by authorities. This is not a free discussion of ideas; it is vitriol rotten to the core.
The fact that people in this country speak this way after our fathers / grandfathers gave their lives to stomp out the fascist threat in WW2 is a disgrace.
The fact that people in this country speak this way after our fathers / grandfathers gave their lives to stomp out the fascist threat in WW2 is a disgrace.
4
Not one amendment in the Bill Of Rights has ever been amended. The Supreme Court has changed the meanings of them as in the state's ability to take property for public purpose as well as public use.
There is genuine fear that if we amend these 10 articles which were demanded by the states as a defense from the federal government that a flood of amendments will follow and loosen the bonds on the federal government. We will then become no better than the Europe we left with centralized mandates from Washington replacing our state legislatures and governors.
My family left France nearly 500 years ago to escape Paris's mandates and today it is no different there despite a revolution, two monarchies, four Republics and a dictatorship.
There is genuine fear that if we amend these 10 articles which were demanded by the states as a defense from the federal government that a flood of amendments will follow and loosen the bonds on the federal government. We will then become no better than the Europe we left with centralized mandates from Washington replacing our state legislatures and governors.
My family left France nearly 500 years ago to escape Paris's mandates and today it is no different there despite a revolution, two monarchies, four Republics and a dictatorship.
Stupid is as stupid does
Vile is as vile does
Trump has unleashed the stupid and the vile.
Be scared. Be very scared.
Vile is as vile does
Trump has unleashed the stupid and the vile.
Be scared. Be very scared.
4
Incredible how individuals seem to hook on to trivial or innocent human attributes and differences as a pretext for hate. In this case it is easy, if painful, to identify these losers.
They are good at coming up with hateful slurs to cause pain and grief to their victims. Perhaps we can come up with a descriptive slur of our own to sum them up. How about calling them "Trumps" or "Trumpists" - Definition of a "Trump" could be an intellectual moron that does not realize he is not the smartest person in the room, that hates and discriminates against others for no particular reason, etc. Maybe after the election Trump will also mean a loser.
How do we make "Trump" a slur?
Never mind. It may not be a good idea to stoop to Trump and his supporter's level.
They are good at coming up with hateful slurs to cause pain and grief to their victims. Perhaps we can come up with a descriptive slur of our own to sum them up. How about calling them "Trumps" or "Trumpists" - Definition of a "Trump" could be an intellectual moron that does not realize he is not the smartest person in the room, that hates and discriminates against others for no particular reason, etc. Maybe after the election Trump will also mean a loser.
How do we make "Trump" a slur?
Never mind. It may not be a good idea to stoop to Trump and his supporter's level.
1
Hatred and bigotry will always be with us. Since the 60s social norms have changed to make overt racism outside normal discourse. This has vastly reduced but hardly eliminated the damage of racism. Conservatives call this changing of norms Political Correctness and have fought and are fighting against it. Fighting PC is not much different than encouraging racism. In Donald Trump we have a politician who is willing to completely throw over these new norms. It is little wonder that racists, anti-Semites and misogynists are coming out of the woodwork to support him.
What I don't understand is how otherwise sane and good people can add their support to him just because he is a "republican" (of convenience).
What I don't understand is how otherwise sane and good people can add their support to him just because he is a "republican" (of convenience).
1
Mr. Trump has an "Orthodox Jew son-in-law and a Daughter who converted to her husband's religion". Yet he had no qualms saying in his New York victory speech where they were front row bystanders, "We will now be able to say Merry Christmas again". He has no conscience and no filter. He knows the run to the bottom and stirring up of the "poorly educated" is his path to victory. I pray Hillary is up for the fight of her life and the soul of this country.
4
Anti-semitism, like most thoughts that espouse the negative, as in the case of Mr. Trump, are so internalized they don't recognize it in themselves, thus that split I suspect of having Jewish grandchildren and bigoted supporters he does not hold accountable.
Ms. Trump is more typical for her background and I suspect is both rxternally and internally bigoted (my bias for certain).
Ms. Trump is more typical for her background and I suspect is both rxternally and internally bigoted (my bias for certain).
1
During the first week of my first engineering job after receiving my BSEE degree, I was accused of killing Christ! When I told the malefactor that I wasn't that old, it made matters worse.
That fellow eventually warmed up to me. In one of his more human moments he confessed to coming from a broken home. His father was a bit violent and drank too, much.
There were more incidents during my career. I'll spare the details, but in each case the transgressor was seriously problematic!!!
It's always the same no matter who the victim is; there are those with little to offer, attempt to build themselves up by taking others down.
That fellow eventually warmed up to me. In one of his more human moments he confessed to coming from a broken home. His father was a bit violent and drank too, much.
There were more incidents during my career. I'll spare the details, but in each case the transgressor was seriously problematic!!!
It's always the same no matter who the victim is; there are those with little to offer, attempt to build themselves up by taking others down.
7
The anti-Semitic (and anti-Mexicsn and anti-Muslim) vitriol pouring out of the ranks of Trump supporters is despicable. It needs to be exposed, as it has been here, and confronted, as it has been at protests against Trump rallies across the country.
It would be a worthwhile exercise to compare the content of the barrage of genuinely anti-Semitic statements with the content of criticisms of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians that are so routinely denounced as anti-Semitic by apologists for that treatment. One need go no further than the comments in today's Times article on the debate on Israel in the Democratic Party platform committee. Indeed, a number of those comments seized on comments by Cornell West and Bernie Sanders affirming the humanity of Palestinians as evidence that the Democratic Party was so overrun with Jew hatred that it was time for Jews to rally to Trump.
I'm not worried that many will follow this advice. The stench around Trump is a little too strong for that I hope. But it does seem like a good time to reflect on the costs and dangers of cheapening the charge of anti-Semitism by using it broadly against Palestinians and anyone who expresses sympathy or solidarity with them. I am not suggesting that nobody on the left ever reveals anti-Semitic thoughts or feelings. The world is not so tidy. But the intensity of Jew hate documented here should warn us against the lazy acceptance of false equivalencies.
It would be a worthwhile exercise to compare the content of the barrage of genuinely anti-Semitic statements with the content of criticisms of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians that are so routinely denounced as anti-Semitic by apologists for that treatment. One need go no further than the comments in today's Times article on the debate on Israel in the Democratic Party platform committee. Indeed, a number of those comments seized on comments by Cornell West and Bernie Sanders affirming the humanity of Palestinians as evidence that the Democratic Party was so overrun with Jew hatred that it was time for Jews to rally to Trump.
I'm not worried that many will follow this advice. The stench around Trump is a little too strong for that I hope. But it does seem like a good time to reflect on the costs and dangers of cheapening the charge of anti-Semitism by using it broadly against Palestinians and anyone who expresses sympathy or solidarity with them. I am not suggesting that nobody on the left ever reveals anti-Semitic thoughts or feelings. The world is not so tidy. But the intensity of Jew hate documented here should warn us against the lazy acceptance of false equivalencies.
70
I wanted to thank you for sharing this horrible, vile assault by these extremists. Its a testament to your own courage that you took these tweets and publishing them on the New York Times, and I think we are all better for your unflinchingly Jewish analysis of modern American political struggles. For too long have those of Jewish faith not been given a real voice in the realm of media journalism or politics. Its so ironic to me that so many of the most successful American's are of Jewish heritage, yet these trolls would attempt to undermine their achievements by taking away their American character. Rather absurd, I think it is, that it is people like these anti-Semites that can be allowed to spew this hate for all to see. It takes real ignorance to air this trash in one's own mind, let alone a public forum. Trying to close the boarders is as anti-Semite as it gets, and I'm glad that Hillary will be our next President to at least guarantee us 4 years of reprieve from these lowlifes.
2
Oh, my God! What has happened to this country? I am so sorry that you have been deluged with this horrifying anti-Semitism! Blessings on you and apologies from the rest of this nation. We are ALL immigrants from somewhere else (even Indians via the land bridge from Asia, granted long before the rest). No one should EVER be faced with this racial poison in the United States.
Adam Gopnik's article on Trump is "must read" material and I encourage everyone to read it.
We should all be very afraid of the current animus in our civic life. Talk about needing to "take our country back"; the Tea Party knew nothing about history, but those who do must realize that we must ACT on behalf of the idea and reality of America. This must stop. Trump could do it with his followers, but why should he? His motives are all bad ones.
Adam Gopnik's article on Trump is "must read" material and I encourage everyone to read it.
We should all be very afraid of the current animus in our civic life. Talk about needing to "take our country back"; the Tea Party knew nothing about history, but those who do must realize that we must ACT on behalf of the idea and reality of America. This must stop. Trump could do it with his followers, but why should he? His motives are all bad ones.
3
You need to find new "friends."
ok we all have heard about the anti-Semitism from the right and yes it exists and is disturbing. But let's not forget about the hate coming from the left and their liberal friends either. you don't have to be a rightist to hate Jews and the liberals have well proven that point. Sorry but wasn't it Obama sitting in that pew for 20 years when he jettisoned Wright out the door, since he served his usefulness to him in Chicago. Don't hide from the truth author its not just endemic to the right.
4
I couldn’t read it all but you are no different than anyone else. Of course it sucks a lot to get such messages. Until I was subject to an unprovoked online attack several years ago I would never have believed how viscerally painful the reaction I had was possible in reaction to a written attack from a stranger.
The fact that these folks used anti-Semitism to attack you should be ignored because the whole point is to upset you and using what they figured was the thing most likely to get your goat. It seems to have worked. Whether they are or not is immaterial, it’s the upset they inflict on you that they want. If they were intending to gin up brown shirt squads I think we’d see a different form of attack from these juvenile provocations from people who would probably be rather obsequious in your presence if they knew it was you.
As for telling both sides, no. Sometimes there is only one side and any voice counter is just wrong and yes you should be openly making right and wrong judgment calls when doing your reporting. Otherwise you are not being a journalist you are literally reporting as if you were a recording and that is not Journalism it is the desire of people who want to limit how much the People know. Demagoguery and manipulation in the Press will soon be outed in spite of your being taught otherwise. Look at how you are outing Trump. He would be doing much less well if we had the same Press we had in 1979.
The fact that these folks used anti-Semitism to attack you should be ignored because the whole point is to upset you and using what they figured was the thing most likely to get your goat. It seems to have worked. Whether they are or not is immaterial, it’s the upset they inflict on you that they want. If they were intending to gin up brown shirt squads I think we’d see a different form of attack from these juvenile provocations from people who would probably be rather obsequious in your presence if they knew it was you.
As for telling both sides, no. Sometimes there is only one side and any voice counter is just wrong and yes you should be openly making right and wrong judgment calls when doing your reporting. Otherwise you are not being a journalist you are literally reporting as if you were a recording and that is not Journalism it is the desire of people who want to limit how much the People know. Demagoguery and manipulation in the Press will soon be outed in spite of your being taught otherwise. Look at how you are outing Trump. He would be doing much less well if we had the same Press we had in 1979.
1
Our world has its' share of mad people who roam about whether on our pathways, sidewalks, streets, highways, seas and skies. The least harmful are those who vent their spleen openly and we will probably always have them, but thanks to inescapable truth emerging from the shadows, their voices will be recognized as those who not only feel left out, but are also without actual support.
The problem with many among us is thinking the poor drag us down with welfare, food stamps and emergency room care while in fact it is the myopic among the wealthy who write the laws allowing them to siphon our treasure to their personal and corporate accounts without impunity. Taken in this way it should be clear, the lack of revenue to fund government programs caused by jobs being "offshored" is the actual cause of our social disparity.
The only thing we can do is as you have done.
We must speak up when a strident, thoughtless voice is heard and eventhough they will always be with us, so long as we denounce them in no uncertain terms there will be less of them every day, but as there is no shame in the camp of the prejudiced, whether wealthy or poor, we must remain vigilant.......especially with regard to "our" Congress.
The problem with many among us is thinking the poor drag us down with welfare, food stamps and emergency room care while in fact it is the myopic among the wealthy who write the laws allowing them to siphon our treasure to their personal and corporate accounts without impunity. Taken in this way it should be clear, the lack of revenue to fund government programs caused by jobs being "offshored" is the actual cause of our social disparity.
The only thing we can do is as you have done.
We must speak up when a strident, thoughtless voice is heard and eventhough they will always be with us, so long as we denounce them in no uncertain terms there will be less of them every day, but as there is no shame in the camp of the prejudiced, whether wealthy or poor, we must remain vigilant.......especially with regard to "our" Congress.
1
Not being Jewish, and not being a Republican or a Democrat, and not being anti Semitic, but being educated in the so called Ivy League, I find what you post as both unnerving, from the so called Nazi, and also from you. The tormentor, if he/she could be called that, is obviously as ignorant as it gets, but your aligning the fact that he/she uses Trump as their missive saint, is also foolish, if not more, as Nazis are Leftists!
Trump may be many things, both good and bad, and even may have been a left leaning person at some point in his life, but he is certainly not left today, and is certainly not a Nazi.
It is entirely plausible that the tormentor is a leftist, and stridently anti Trump, and is using you, the NYT, and the notoriety that his/her missives bring, to besmirch Trump.
Trump may be many things, both good and bad, and even may have been a left leaning person at some point in his life, but he is certainly not left today, and is certainly not a Nazi.
It is entirely plausible that the tormentor is a leftist, and stridently anti Trump, and is using you, the NYT, and the notoriety that his/her missives bring, to besmirch Trump.
6
The Nazis called themselves National Socialists, but they targeted and murdered the real leftists, who were members of the communist party. National Socialism wasn't really leftist -- or what we'd call democratic socialism -- because it tried to exclude members of society and only extended the benefits of its system to the heterogeneous "Aryan" population. Real leftist socialism has room for everyone.
I remember in catechism class a European missionary nun telling us the Jews killed Jesus and took responsibility for the blood on their hands down to their future generations. I was in 3rd grade, 1954, in a non-Christian region of the Philippines at the time. I learned better in college but if that was repeated around the world for more than 2,000 years, there's bound to be people who take it to heart and never grow out of it. Hopefully, they are a minority in the US. I wonder how those rabid people sending out sick messages will take Donald's loss in a landslide. I had some officemates who made rabid comments about Obama in 2008 who were disconsolate when he won.
1
Yes, anti-Semitism is unfortunately alive and well, though it's raising its ugly head in Europe more than in the U.S. currently. That said, Mr. Weisman is, at best, being disingenuous in tacitly associating anti-Semitism with Trumpkins.
I'm no Trumpkin, but America's Left has shown much more anti-Semitism than the Right as of late. While the Left cloaks its anti-Israel rhetoric in the guise of political rationale, the Left's anti-Semitism is all too apparent. From Leftist activists commenting on "the smell of Jews," to BLM movements on campuses not wanting to associate with Jews, even though most college-aged Jews are Left-wing and a minority, the non-Jewish Left despises Jewish persons for the basest of reasons. And despicably, some on the Left have been recently trying to inanely link Trump with Nazism, as evidenced by left-wing University of Chicago students vandalizing a church by spray painting swastikas and "Trump" together.
I'm no Trumpkin, but America's Left has shown much more anti-Semitism than the Right as of late. While the Left cloaks its anti-Israel rhetoric in the guise of political rationale, the Left's anti-Semitism is all too apparent. From Leftist activists commenting on "the smell of Jews," to BLM movements on campuses not wanting to associate with Jews, even though most college-aged Jews are Left-wing and a minority, the non-Jewish Left despises Jewish persons for the basest of reasons. And despicably, some on the Left have been recently trying to inanely link Trump with Nazism, as evidenced by left-wing University of Chicago students vandalizing a church by spray painting swastikas and "Trump" together.
6
I fail to understand how the country that put Obama in the White House twice is the same country that might put Trump in the White House.
Conservatives like to think they have a monopoly on family values and morality, but where are those values when it comes to Trump? Someone who says that he would never take care of his own kids (aside from financially), who divorces women as soon as they're no longer a "10", who has fantasized about having sex with his own daughter, who degrades other women for sport and who talked about the size of his penis during a national debate should not be a candidate who is supported by those who consider themselves to be moral people, just because he claims not to support abortion rights.
Trump belongs to the club of people who claim to love America, but happen to hate most of the people in it.
Is it possible that there's even more hate today than there was in 1964? At least in 1964, Barry Goldwater lost by a landslide, winning only 6 states and garnering only 38.5% of the popular vote. Trump will probably still lose, but he will probably receive 49% of the popular vote.
Every person here who finds this article shocking and is repelled by the hate better make sure they vote in November. If you don't vote, you're no better than the Trump who won't come out against his hateful supporters.
My hope is that these hateful, racist and anti-Semitic people are great at making Twitter posts, but haven't registered to vote.
Conservatives like to think they have a monopoly on family values and morality, but where are those values when it comes to Trump? Someone who says that he would never take care of his own kids (aside from financially), who divorces women as soon as they're no longer a "10", who has fantasized about having sex with his own daughter, who degrades other women for sport and who talked about the size of his penis during a national debate should not be a candidate who is supported by those who consider themselves to be moral people, just because he claims not to support abortion rights.
Trump belongs to the club of people who claim to love America, but happen to hate most of the people in it.
Is it possible that there's even more hate today than there was in 1964? At least in 1964, Barry Goldwater lost by a landslide, winning only 6 states and garnering only 38.5% of the popular vote. Trump will probably still lose, but he will probably receive 49% of the popular vote.
Every person here who finds this article shocking and is repelled by the hate better make sure they vote in November. If you don't vote, you're no better than the Trump who won't come out against his hateful supporters.
My hope is that these hateful, racist and anti-Semitic people are great at making Twitter posts, but haven't registered to vote.
7
Never mind Twitter, I think 'the mainstream media', including the NYT, have done their large part in putting Trump in the position he is in today. Some serious journalism, investigating and reporting on his background and his record could have gone a long way, when it could have made a difference.
2
Doubtful that Trump even knows the major religious differences between Jews and Christians and Muslims. In his small hands and mind, the world will be much more divided than it is now.
1
Why in the world do people volunteer for the absurd experiment/not-really-working-business-plan known as Twitter? What could possibly come from such a thing other than an inchoate mob?
I'm sorry this happened to the author but agonizing over slack-jawed mouth-breathers (the twits) is a bit like complaining about cable television bills. Turn if off and you'll find you can still live.
I'm sorry this happened to the author but agonizing over slack-jawed mouth-breathers (the twits) is a bit like complaining about cable television bills. Turn if off and you'll find you can still live.
2
Yes! Twitter is absurd. I don't miss it at all.
Trump's daughter being married to an Orthodox Jew and his having grandchildren of that faith doesn't matter at all.
"When fascism comes to America, it will wrap itself in the flag and carry the cross" applies indeed.
While Trump now even starts carrying the cross in order to appeal to the Evangelicals, the whole party of which he is now the presidential nominee has marched in lockstep so far arch-right for a long time, it has already arrived as the abyss of fascism pure.
Trump is just the result of that ideology that always blames all "the Others".
As a naturalized citizen born in Germany, I see history repeating itself in the ugliest form in the supposedly greatest country of the world. Trump is a master of bombastic propaganda, playing to the lowest common denominator not seen since the times of the Austrian paper hanger and Josef Goebbels.
No wonder the rest of the advanced world is looking at the US in disbelief mixed with horror, even the leaders from the center right.
"When fascism comes to America, it will wrap itself in the flag and carry the cross" applies indeed.
While Trump now even starts carrying the cross in order to appeal to the Evangelicals, the whole party of which he is now the presidential nominee has marched in lockstep so far arch-right for a long time, it has already arrived as the abyss of fascism pure.
Trump is just the result of that ideology that always blames all "the Others".
As a naturalized citizen born in Germany, I see history repeating itself in the ugliest form in the supposedly greatest country of the world. Trump is a master of bombastic propaganda, playing to the lowest common denominator not seen since the times of the Austrian paper hanger and Josef Goebbels.
No wonder the rest of the advanced world is looking at the US in disbelief mixed with horror, even the leaders from the center right.
4
This is little more than a thinly disguised hatchet job on Trump. Many of his supporters are Jewish, and the reason that many Hispanics are lining up to vote is because they want to stop Trump's anti-illegal march - a march that is resonating with most of the country. As for Trump supporters' attitude towards Muslims - well, how many non-Muslim terrorists have you seen in this country or any other? The supporters of Netanyahu and Trump recognize this, and have the seen the policies of appeasement (by this administration and those of Britain and Germany) fail.
The author has tried to lump in every charge leveled by today's extreme left - anti-gay rights, anti- illegal immigrant, anti-women, and has now brought in anti-Semitism into the picture. Ridiculous.
The author has tried to lump in every charge leveled by today's extreme left - anti-gay rights, anti- illegal immigrant, anti-women, and has now brought in anti-Semitism into the picture. Ridiculous.
4
Trump's continual dog whistle campaigning has invited all the bigoted individuals and groups to come out of the dark and into the light. His slowness to condemn or even disavow these views is a window into his soul. The fact that he is now the Republican Nominee is beyond troubling. Anyone who does not see him as an existential threat too our country's moral character and thus standing in the world needs to re-evalute their own core beliefs.
1
Don't ever doubt that you were right to report this. We are already seeing and in the coming months will continue to see a great rallying of the right around their champion, and information like this will be needed to rally the center-right and, perhaps more important, the Bernie-left to the Democratic cause. Many in both camps will be tempted to rationalize a compromise with evil, in the first case, or a refusal to compromise to insure the victory of the lesser evil (at worst) in the second. Testimony like this will matter.
1
I was also raised in the South and remember not only slurs about Jews, but also being barred from country clubs in the 1960's and having only Jewish stores targeted for a Sunday close-down during the all-important summer season in a very popular resort. Anti-Semitism is less blatant in this area today in most public realms, but it still exists in conservative organizations that are closed to outsiders. Make no mistake: Anti-Semitism is still here and Jews must watch their backs.
84
This sort of nonsense is commonplace on the internet. If it wasn't anti Semitic diatribes it would anti black diatribes, anti Clinton diatribes, anti Red Sox diatribes. Quite honestly Weisman is being a bit over sensitive here since he operates in the public arena he must know, as Richard Hofstadter pointed out 50 years ago, that American politics has long served as an arena for exceptionally angry minds. The net just gives them another opportunity for expressing that anger.
6
While I agree it is commonplace, I'm not so sure that bullying should be given a pass. And I don't think Mr. Weisman is being oversensitive, but rather pointing out what people have forgotten.
It is an unwelcome reminder that blaming victims is poisonous and gaining currency.
It also provided some perspective since Bernie has thrown down the gauntlet about Israel and Palestine, using Cornel West and Zogby in a one-sided push against the all too prevalent support of Israel. While this is deplorable, it is unwise to use an extreme to counter another extreme. It's worth remembering Netanyahu's hero's entrance to our Congress was the doing of Republicans.
Nothing is as simple as some of us are prone to make them.
It is an unwelcome reminder that blaming victims is poisonous and gaining currency.
It also provided some perspective since Bernie has thrown down the gauntlet about Israel and Palestine, using Cornel West and Zogby in a one-sided push against the all too prevalent support of Israel. While this is deplorable, it is unwise to use an extreme to counter another extreme. It's worth remembering Netanyahu's hero's entrance to our Congress was the doing of Republicans.
Nothing is as simple as some of us are prone to make them.
4
to John- If "Weisman is being over sensitive" What about the rest of the citizenry alarmed by Trump's diatribes that he calculates to incite & inflame the xenophobic & bigoted among us? He's (Trumpf) loving every moment of the cheering throngs, needing more & more. It doesn't stop with the internet. Don't delude yourself, that's what the pre WWII Germans did.
1
Right, because racism and "anti Clinton" or "anti Red Sox diatribes" are one and the same.
Unfortunately, such simplistic comparisons, as well as terming the victims of hate bias "over sensitive," is the province of white protestant males who have/will never encounter racism.
Unfortunately, such simplistic comparisons, as well as terming the victims of hate bias "over sensitive," is the province of white protestant males who have/will never encounter racism.
1
I take issue with your comments about Atlanta in the 1970's. After attending elementary and high schools where attendance dropped dramatically in High Holy days and where a classmate's mother came to school to relate her experiences as a Holocaust survivor, I did not see or hear the casual anti-Semitism you describe. It was unthinkable and socially I was just as likely to attend a Bat Mitzvah as any other significant event. Privately, at home, my dad would joke about the gentleman who tailored his suits, but the joke was about the Jewish man's accent, not his Judaism. "Hymie, come to the phone!" was a punchline, not an insult. He was jealous that one of his partners, a Jewish man, drove a much nicer car than he did. He is still the cheapest man I know! And we're not Jewish!
I was lucky to grow up as I did. I valued my Jewish friends as much as others and found their families to be a welcome respite from the overly stiff Wasp-world I came from. My mother and I both had first boyfriends who were Jewish. And I am likely exactly the same age you are.
Could life really have been that different in Cobb County?
Signed,
Lily from the Golden Ghetto
I was lucky to grow up as I did. I valued my Jewish friends as much as others and found their families to be a welcome respite from the overly stiff Wasp-world I came from. My mother and I both had first boyfriends who were Jewish. And I am likely exactly the same age you are.
Could life really have been that different in Cobb County?
Signed,
Lily from the Golden Ghetto
4
Lily,
From one WASP to another: Your comments are the epitome of ignorance borne of the privilege of being a member of the dominant culture. Have you considered the radical notion that perhaps you didn't experience anti-Semitism because...you're not Jewish??
But actually, you did experience it...and apparently still haven't learned to recognize that using someone else's cultural behaviors as a punchline (i.e. your entertainment at others' expense) IS insulting.
It's never too late to learn. You might get defensive and totally reject what I'm saying. But I'm glad some WASPs are finally acknowledging that it's no longer ok (and never was) for white, Christian experience to serve as the "norm" against which everyone else's experience is measured.
From one WASP to another: Your comments are the epitome of ignorance borne of the privilege of being a member of the dominant culture. Have you considered the radical notion that perhaps you didn't experience anti-Semitism because...you're not Jewish??
But actually, you did experience it...and apparently still haven't learned to recognize that using someone else's cultural behaviors as a punchline (i.e. your entertainment at others' expense) IS insulting.
It's never too late to learn. You might get defensive and totally reject what I'm saying. But I'm glad some WASPs are finally acknowledging that it's no longer ok (and never was) for white, Christian experience to serve as the "norm" against which everyone else's experience is measured.
1
Dear Lily,
It sounds like you came from a fairly well-off family. Seems that in most places, when a group is college-educated, in the upper levels of the middle class or above, and well informed about the world, they tend not to be overtly racist or anti-Semitic. Whereas the high-school dropout crowd, pulling in minimum wage at McDonald's, tends to be the most loudly obnoxious racist group. So while you didn't run in those circles, and congrats on that, it's really still out there.
It sounds like you came from a fairly well-off family. Seems that in most places, when a group is college-educated, in the upper levels of the middle class or above, and well informed about the world, they tend not to be overtly racist or anti-Semitic. Whereas the high-school dropout crowd, pulling in minimum wage at McDonald's, tends to be the most loudly obnoxious racist group. So while you didn't run in those circles, and congrats on that, it's really still out there.
The difference was in seeing and naming it for what it was from the POV of the person experiencing it which is of course completely different.
Baked in racism in the South is also seen as benign, even humorous.
Baked in racism in the South is also seen as benign, even humorous.
An atrocity, of course, but every bit of news about this deeply disturbing candidacy is the same. Donald Trump is not the issue, though, he is only the touchstone. Candidates reflect the electorate itself and the fact that this significant percentage of the American population has so badly its their morals, judgment and reason indicates something is very wrong with America. The people who write these atrocious messages are lost, filled with hate and self-hate, and we must face the fact they represent too large a segment of our own people to ignore.
23
As a young, unemployed artist, Hitler enjoyed listening to political speeches in
Vienna and learned a useful lesson: The speakers won over crowds by tapping into their rampant anti-Semitism, and, throughout his political climb, he made anti-Semitism the centerpiece of his mass appeal. That historical lesson is not lost on contemporary candidates who have no qualms about using every trick in the book to make their political dreams come true.
Vienna and learned a useful lesson: The speakers won over crowds by tapping into their rampant anti-Semitism, and, throughout his political climb, he made anti-Semitism the centerpiece of his mass appeal. That historical lesson is not lost on contemporary candidates who have no qualms about using every trick in the book to make their political dreams come true.
21
What are you gonna do, let them get away with it? Let's hold them to the same fire they find so enlightening. First ammendment right? As long as they are up for wearing their own words to church.
7
Dear Mr. Weisman,
Thank you. I am sorry you were targeted. I have shared this story on Facebook; it's the least I can do.
Thank you. I am sorry you were targeted. I have shared this story on Facebook; it's the least I can do.
15
A great former Newsday sports columnis, Steve Jacobson, would from time to time publish some of the anti-Semitic mail he used to receive. He would end those columns with, "Thanks for reminding us you're still out there." As for Trump disavowing these crazies...why would that be any more believable than the other nonsense he spews? Still; its sobering to think that he is the leader of one of our two major political parties...and that the "mainstream" Republicans have so quickly fallen into line. They're "troubled." They "wish he'd tone down his rhetoric." And they'll support him...because even a bigoted totalitarian is better than...Benghazi! Strange days, indeed.
23
The similarities between Trump and Hitler are frightening. Hitler said he was going to make Germany Great again, sound familiar. Trump lies and his minions lap it up; he is a fascist and his followers cheer. We must make sure he is not elected president. I am for Sanders, but will vote for Clinton if I have to in order to stop Trump.
38
It's truly astounding to see the power that one man can have. Trump has become a leader for white supremacists and others who look down on those who’s views, beliefs, or appearances are different than their own. Across the internet Trump supporters spread prejudicial comments about those who they see as different, including Muslims, Mexicans, African Americans, Jews, and many more. The number these comments has exploded since the rise of Donald Trump, and there is a reason that this has happened. When he addresses the public Trump tends to be rather blunt, he states his views and opinions with no regard to what people may possibly think about them. Trump’s bluntness has inspired others to become blunt and more willing to share their views as well, usually in a very negative way. Trump has inspired people to believe that they should be able to say whatever they want with no consequences at all, thus causing the recent increase in prejudicial comments throughout society this past year or so. The only way to calm the Trump supporters that have left their prejudicial footprints across the internet is to show them that what they say does hurt others and can incur consequences. People who blair out racist, anti-muslim, anti-semitic, or other types of prejudicial comments across society need to be punished in some way and shown how what they say can hurt people.
10
Wrong! Trump has become a voice for Americans of all races and religions who want this country to be prosperous again. Enforcing our laws and abiding by the constitution and bill of rights is all that it takes. Trump is the only one willing to try and that is a sad commentary on the career politicians who have let this country down. It has taken an outsider to show them how out of touch they are.
1
Does Trump even understand that there is a problem? It is impossible to say, he seems to have no beliefs, no core, no principles. I believe that he doesn't have the sense to say that he will not accept anti-Semitic support. He doesn't recognize that what is being said in his name is hurtful to his own son in law and daughter. If it's not about Herr Trump, he simply doesn't care.
Great column and stay safe. How about asking Trump for an interview on the subject?
Great column and stay safe. How about asking Trump for an interview on the subject?
142
I'm not Jewish, but I grew up with a lot of Jews (ethnic, not necessarily religious), and I can tell you they are simply people like everyone else. They have a unique history which has led to a lot of unusual consequences, but basically, they're the same as everyone else - they have their saints & sinners, geniuses & fools, like everyone else (I've met representatives of all four categories). Lassoing them all into some kind of sinister cabal is ugly craziness.
Sorry about the sermon, but apparently, the obvious needs to be restated to some people.
Sorry about the sermon, but apparently, the obvious needs to be restated to some people.
13
Of course we are all the same. If it were to come to saving one's life or a life of one's child by getting an organ transplant from a person from a group previously hated few would decline the choice and quickly would find an excuse to relate to the hated stranger. Yet again and again people fall for perpetual devilish temptation to believe that they are special and different and deserving more. The delusion is way easier to feed by believing it is others that are lesser and cause of all problems than recognizing oneself fooled or strive for one's moral improvement and redemption.
My Father would sometimes say "It has to get bad before it gets better". In this case, the followers of Trump are so "bad", that Hillary will win in a landslide, hopefully with Sanders as VP, and with a Demo congress super-majority. we can then pass all the progressive legislation we want, and shove it up their you know what.
6
Oh, the irony. Trump himself is no anti-Semite; his daughter converted to Judaism when she married, and Trump has three Jewish grandchildren. However, his campaign has lifted a rock to reveal the most vile vermin this country; people who have been emboldened by his rhetoric of hate and exclusion and have now attached to his message every possible manifestation of racism and hatred. :-(
9
I would ask, what are you going to do about it? How can you confront those hate-filled people writing these tweets? You can fulminate and write things like this article, but what small percentage of Trump's followers even read the NY Times or the New Yorker? They are the invisible hordes of a new barbarism, completely out of your grasp. Yet in this so-called democracy, if Hillary Clinton is done in by her email fiasco from which she's emerged even less liked and trusted than before, next year we may find ourselves citizens of Trump America.
6
Why does MSNBC showcase Ann Coulter who has said a number of vile things? After New Gingrich and the Contract for America I stopped watching CSPAN because the creeps felt emboldened to call in. A friend said recently that he thought it was a good thing that the hate was out there, I guess so one would know who to avoid in the future. Problem is, you can't Un-ring a bell, and the advent of Trump will reverberate for a long time. I sincerely hope he is sent packing, but the debris from the rally will remain.
13
In the end, the Republican Party & those who remained silent will own it, along with the debris and dysfunction.
1
[[Hispanic immigrants are lining up for citizenship, eager to vote.]]
Yes. There are many stories of people who have lived here for decades but who preferred to place their identity and perhaps part of their loyalty in another country.
Yes. Become a citizen. Vote.
Welcome (finally) to America.
Yes. There are many stories of people who have lived here for decades but who preferred to place their identity and perhaps part of their loyalty in another country.
Yes. Become a citizen. Vote.
Welcome (finally) to America.
5
When one minority is targeted, it is an illusion that others are safe. While reading the article, I could not help but think of an other article in NYT today about splitting of Democrats on party platform on Israel and Palestinian rights to live in dignity and as free people. We never learn from history and that is why it repeats itself. These lines are worth reading;" Dr. West accused the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of “war crimes” and said that “the role of money and lobbies makes it difficult for there to be a candid dialogue” on Israel.
5
if anyone thinks that the white male, undereducated masses that proudly hold Trump signs are a joke, think again...they are a paranoid bunch that wouldn't mind saying this country is a victim of "mongrelization" or that "a good Muslim is a dead Muslim" or that "the Jews murdered Christ"
All of this means that the 70% of Americans who don't vote in primaries and you know who you are...the 70% of Americans who are peace loving, hard working people who don't yell and shout because a demagogue says so...NEED to closely examine the rhetoric (past, present and future) that spews from the now GOP candidate...the misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, illiterate gibberish that flows into 140 character piles of dung, infecting the media bc it sells TV time, scaring the world bc it brings to mind a much darker age when Fascist demagogues railed against blacks, Jews, Catholics, immigrants, and just about anyone else that didn't fit in...in 2016, Americans who ignore elections better wake up...its time to speak your mind against the tide of hate, the tide of lies, the tide of deception...VOTE
All of this means that the 70% of Americans who don't vote in primaries and you know who you are...the 70% of Americans who are peace loving, hard working people who don't yell and shout because a demagogue says so...NEED to closely examine the rhetoric (past, present and future) that spews from the now GOP candidate...the misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, illiterate gibberish that flows into 140 character piles of dung, infecting the media bc it sells TV time, scaring the world bc it brings to mind a much darker age when Fascist demagogues railed against blacks, Jews, Catholics, immigrants, and just about anyone else that didn't fit in...in 2016, Americans who ignore elections better wake up...its time to speak your mind against the tide of hate, the tide of lies, the tide of deception...VOTE
23
In Crime and Punishment the young Raskalnikov is with his father when a man stops at an inn. He gets drunk, goes outside and beats his horse. He re-enters the inn and drinks some more. He goes outside and beats the poor beast to death. "Get the eyes," screams the mob, which includes women. The young boy, who would, in the future, take two human lives, one of them of a heartbreaking innocence, begs his father to stop the killing. The father gives excuses, says there's nothing to be done." Evil has its way.
Donald Trump is much like young Raskalnikov's father. He pleads impotence to stop a wrong. But Trump has a power Raskalnikov's father did not: he could say "No!"
Silence in the face of evil is the worst sort of moral cowardice. And Trump is worse because he encourages these awful attacks from the anonymity of the faceless soldiers who are the sands in his hourglass.
He will re-tool a diminished nation, he says, with the aid of worthies like these in Mr. Weisman's unbelievable column.
Donald Trump is much like young Raskalnikov's father. He pleads impotence to stop a wrong. But Trump has a power Raskalnikov's father did not: he could say "No!"
Silence in the face of evil is the worst sort of moral cowardice. And Trump is worse because he encourages these awful attacks from the anonymity of the faceless soldiers who are the sands in his hourglass.
He will re-tool a diminished nation, he says, with the aid of worthies like these in Mr. Weisman's unbelievable column.
13
How low can you go?
This piece is the ultimate deceitful article that presents Trump as a Nazi, at least in its title.
Weisman tells us that people who like Trump are Nazis, and pretends to convince us that Trump should not be elected because some of his supporters are nazis? How does it make sense?
If Weisman had taken the time to know about Trump's career, and his success in NYC, where no real nazi has ever been celebrated, may be he would have a bit more cautious.
So why does he make the association Trump and Nazis? Is it fair to accuse someone, implicitly, of something they have never done themselves?Please Mr Weisman how can you justify using Trump and Nazi in the same sentence for a man who has written that Hitler and Nazism were monsters and have never said otherwise in his life?
I sympathize with your troubles, and despise all the hate messages, and their authors, but frankly, making the associations you make go beyond carelessness. For a journalist like you it is a serous breach of ethics, an undeniable professional misconduct. Maybe your goal is to provoke Trump - fine, but don't expect people to fall for your tricks.
This piece is the ultimate deceitful article that presents Trump as a Nazi, at least in its title.
Weisman tells us that people who like Trump are Nazis, and pretends to convince us that Trump should not be elected because some of his supporters are nazis? How does it make sense?
If Weisman had taken the time to know about Trump's career, and his success in NYC, where no real nazi has ever been celebrated, may be he would have a bit more cautious.
So why does he make the association Trump and Nazis? Is it fair to accuse someone, implicitly, of something they have never done themselves?Please Mr Weisman how can you justify using Trump and Nazi in the same sentence for a man who has written that Hitler and Nazism were monsters and have never said otherwise in his life?
I sympathize with your troubles, and despise all the hate messages, and their authors, but frankly, making the associations you make go beyond carelessness. For a journalist like you it is a serous breach of ethics, an undeniable professional misconduct. Maybe your goal is to provoke Trump - fine, but don't expect people to fall for your tricks.
7
He is careful to note the associations with Trump. Should Donald distance himself from this element? That's the question.
The association between Trump and the Nazis sympathizers is being made by a select group of his tweeting followers, not by the author.
Trump, an avid tweeter is undoubtedly aware of their presence and chooses to permit these commenters free reign, without comment. Is he, in so doing, an enabler? I would suggest that he is.
It's interesting that the candidate, who ordinarily feels little or no compunction about speaking forcefully about what he sees as fundamental, systemic failings in the establishment and its principles somehow chooses to be silent when it comes to hate tweets that celebrate his cause. His silence in the face of hateful, intolerant language sanctions it.
This is known as guilt by association. Trump needs to distance himself from this cauldron of hatred but it is hard to imagine that he will. He encourages inchoate disaffection and fury. This is a campaign predicated on anger and resentment, nothing more.
This nation is facing perhaps one of its greatest challenges in the coming election.
How in the world did we ever get to this point?
Trump, an avid tweeter is undoubtedly aware of their presence and chooses to permit these commenters free reign, without comment. Is he, in so doing, an enabler? I would suggest that he is.
It's interesting that the candidate, who ordinarily feels little or no compunction about speaking forcefully about what he sees as fundamental, systemic failings in the establishment and its principles somehow chooses to be silent when it comes to hate tweets that celebrate his cause. His silence in the face of hateful, intolerant language sanctions it.
This is known as guilt by association. Trump needs to distance himself from this cauldron of hatred but it is hard to imagine that he will. He encourages inchoate disaffection and fury. This is a campaign predicated on anger and resentment, nothing more.
This nation is facing perhaps one of its greatest challenges in the coming election.
How in the world did we ever get to this point?
dispicable. when all this Trump commotion started, i told a good friend the whole mess reminded me of what i have read about Germany in the thirties. he seemed somewhat offended because he thought i dimished the horror of the holocaust. quite the opposite. i think we honor the victims of the holocaust in the best possible way not only by remembering but also by being vigilent to new eruptions of hate toward vulnerable peoples. all vulnerable peoples. i have observed with shock and revulsion as the hate mongering increases day by day. each word spewed by Trump is multiplied and spread like a virulent cancer by his ignorant brainless violent followers. god help us.
10
God left the stage, a long term ago, mortified at His creation.
He realized it was fitting we destroy ourselves.
He realized it was fitting we destroy ourselves.
Trump and his staff will never publicly condemn such supporters' behavior. Republican politicians have relied on the racists of the South and elsewhere in the country as an important component of their voting public. They simply cannot win without these hateful people and they therefore openly court them with their racist code language.
They are focused on winning at all costs. And people who deny that the Holocaust ever happened don't really believe in what they are saying. They say it simply to provoke controversy and harm. In the face of insurmountable evidence, I cannot believe any sane person is that ignorant and stupid.
They are focused on winning at all costs. And people who deny that the Holocaust ever happened don't really believe in what they are saying. They say it simply to provoke controversy and harm. In the face of insurmountable evidence, I cannot believe any sane person is that ignorant and stupid.
7
Unfortunately, the Republicans have made racial hatred an integral part of their unstated agenda. Lyndon Johnson's championing of the 1965 Civil Rights Act precipitated massive Dixiecrat defection to the Republican Party. Nixon exploited those fears with his southern strategy, and Bush famously used thinly veiled racist ads to defeat Dukakis in 1988. The anti-Semitic tone-deaf nature of Reagan's infamous Bitburg visit remains a stain on his legacy. And today states controlled by Republicans have instituted an effort to disenfranchise minority voters. Trump's abhorrent positions on Mexican immigrants and Muslim asylum seekers and his other neo-America First positions give cover to the haters.
Make no mistake about it. Trump and too many of his followers are fascists.
Make no mistake about it. Trump and too many of his followers are fascists.
6
Thanks for the brief historical review of the 'winning being the end game' of the Republican conservatives, who's love of true Democracy & Land of the Free is predicated by their standards.
1
I read many of the messages to you. As a child of Holocaust survivors, who grew up with the anti-Semitism here in the 1950's and 1960's, I can only express empathy and admiration for you in writing this article. David Duke was on the radio in Louisiana a couple of weeks ago saying that of all the subhumans that have to go, the Jews have to go first. They are, he explained "why America is not great." On the other hand, there is the Tweet that Hispanics and Muslims go first, and "you filth" will be next.
It is a sad fact but true that in the German federal elections of November 1932, very little thought was given to Hitler's danger to minorities in general, even he made no secret of his rabid hatred of Jews, Slavs, Roma people, gays ... the list goes on. I think perhaps this Country will do better in November 2016.
To others, do not believe the meme that "Trump is not anti-Semitic, it's his supporters who are anti-Semitic." Trump is an enabler of White Supremacists, haters of tens of millions of Jews, African Americans and Latinos, and they are drawn to his flame; he accepts their presence in his campaign. He lends his money and power to them. The fish stinks from the head.
It is a sad fact but true that in the German federal elections of November 1932, very little thought was given to Hitler's danger to minorities in general, even he made no secret of his rabid hatred of Jews, Slavs, Roma people, gays ... the list goes on. I think perhaps this Country will do better in November 2016.
To others, do not believe the meme that "Trump is not anti-Semitic, it's his supporters who are anti-Semitic." Trump is an enabler of White Supremacists, haters of tens of millions of Jews, African Americans and Latinos, and they are drawn to his flame; he accepts their presence in his campaign. He lends his money and power to them. The fish stinks from the head.
306
Your comment that "Trump is an enabler" really hits the mark. And I emphatically agree with you on his moral culpability. But what is most unnerving and upsetting to me is the unhappy recognition that these hateful sentiments must have been lurking just beneath the surface for many. Trump's act of enabling is his granting of a tacit "permission to speak hate."
I've long been a proud champion of free speech, and felt little sympathy, for example, with demands that colleges establish safe zones. But I'm beginning to believe that I have been a bit too much of an absolutist about this. We must re-establish and build a strong cultural norm against this kind of expression of hate, and we can do this only by speaking out against it, and against Donald Trump as its principal enabler.
I've long been a proud champion of free speech, and felt little sympathy, for example, with demands that colleges establish safe zones. But I'm beginning to believe that I have been a bit too much of an absolutist about this. We must re-establish and build a strong cultural norm against this kind of expression of hate, and we can do this only by speaking out against it, and against Donald Trump as its principal enabler.
As horrible as Trump himself is, the biggest problem with him is the people he has encouraged and emboldened to give voice to all the inappropriate, inaccurate, irrational and illogical things that they believe. Over time, they had learned to not say them out loud due to the reaction from all the people they've come to hate - the better educated, women, Jews, blacks, Hispanics, gays, Muslims - but Trump's success has let the poison out of the bottle. Long after he loses big in November we'll still be dealing with his minions, and it will take a long time for them to again learn that it's not OK to be filled with hate.
146
Trump is the fulcrum for racists, xenophobes, homophobes and just about any other hate filled phobic mental case in the USA today. That antisemitism is another virulent hatred embraced by his supporters is incredibly sad news, but doesn't surprise me. Hopefully Sheldon Adelson and Trump's other Republican Jewish enablers will end their financial support of Trump at once. There were plenty of wealthy elite German Jews who thought that they were untouchable by Hitler, to their own destruction.
6
This column illustrates the darkness underlying the Trump campaign: He gives his supporters the impression, without specifics as to policy or political action, that he agrees with all their bigotry and will do whatever they want. He lies at every turn, says whatever his audience wants to hear, without any moral compass. That's what's dangerous - that the crazies, the haters and bigots, are gaining political power and influence through this self-serving idiot, who might not hate anyone in private, personally, that he professes to hate on the campaign stump because it gets him votes, which is all he cares about. Trump is obviously not just a harmless buffoon or P.T. Barnum; at this point, he represents a danger to America. It's worth publishing the Martin Niemoller quote about Hitler and Nazi Germany:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
6
"Some people criticized me for offering it, but I argued, perhaps wrongly, that such hate needed airing, that Americans needed to see the darkest currents in the politics of exclusion..."
Such hatred needs airing, lest it be as convenient as turning the other way. Certainly clear unequivocal denunciation is needed. Silence makes us complacent and complicit.
Such hatred needs airing, lest it be as convenient as turning the other way. Certainly clear unequivocal denunciation is needed. Silence makes us complacent and complicit.
7
Couldn't get to the end of this piece. I might even agree with it, but it is the worst written, worst edited piece I can recall in the NYT
3
Omg I agree and could have written the same exact comment that you did
1
One of the important issues Mr. Weisman raises is how news organizations should be dealing with Trump. The First Amendment gives Trump the right to say all kinds of nonsense (either hateful or simply stupid), but it seems wrong for people in "the news business to find and write up both sides of [this] story, with respect and equal time to all opinions".
I'm not a journalist or a journalism professor but it seems to me that we're in a situation now that presents a "clear and present danger" to our country and the world. Trump has a right to speak, and since he's the nominee, we need to know what he says and does, but it seems wrong for anyone, especially reporters, to treat him and some of his supporters with respect, reporting what they say without comment, as if Trump is simply another candidate for President.
I'm not a journalist or a journalism professor but it seems to me that we're in a situation now that presents a "clear and present danger" to our country and the world. Trump has a right to speak, and since he's the nominee, we need to know what he says and does, but it seems wrong for anyone, especially reporters, to treat him and some of his supporters with respect, reporting what they say without comment, as if Trump is simply another candidate for President.
7
This from the nominee of the political party that has elevated Israel to the 51st state?
Further proof that the political party where these "trolls" now reside is beyond repair.
Well done Republicans.
Further proof that the political party where these "trolls" now reside is beyond repair.
Well done Republicans.
2
If Hitler were alive and said he supported Trump, it would take some time before Trump rejected it.
7
The Trump machine and abettors hate and venom is frightening, cowardly and tragic. Thank you for exposing it. All Americans must be concerned and not stop at confronting this fear-based behavior and its mentally ill desperate mouthpiece.
15
There will always be hate in some form, against some group or individual, in a society that is as economically and socially unjust as ours. Anti-Semitism is only one of many such manifestations, although it gets more attention than most.
Even in a society that is socially just, there still will be some haters, but most probably fewer of them. Eradicate all hate speech and thoughts? Probably we won't be able to do that as long as human nature remains the same.
Even in a society that is socially just, there still will be some haters, but most probably fewer of them. Eradicate all hate speech and thoughts? Probably we won't be able to do that as long as human nature remains the same.
2
Donald; other countries have better laws and standards--the British, Scandinavian countries. The U.S. might do well to look at democracies that have laws that are working.
3
It's interesting that Trumpians complain about political correctness. What is all this hate but political correctness gone mad? Conformity, that's the Republican stock in trade. Authoritarians guiding Nazi salutes are not surprising in this context. Stockpiling of weaponry is not surprising in this context. But lands sake, it's dangerous! In the end, Hitler and Saddam died unmourned and in pain. Even billionaires can't take it with them. Ruining the planet is not a good strategy for the future.
In a thoughtful conversation amongst commentators about Bernie's ill-advised choice of Cornel West and Zogby for the Democratic convention, I saw not one mention of this.
We pontificate at our peril. It's time to open our minds to the fact that caricatures on every side are blind to the difficult realities faced by victims everywhere.
Blaming victims has become a national pastime, and they come in all colors, creeds, and political stripes. Being able to see that good people of good will are part of one human family, and supporting our common humanity is the only path forward, is wise. Hating and blaming is stupid.
In a thoughtful conversation amongst commentators about Bernie's ill-advised choice of Cornel West and Zogby for the Democratic convention, I saw not one mention of this.
We pontificate at our peril. It's time to open our minds to the fact that caricatures on every side are blind to the difficult realities faced by victims everywhere.
Blaming victims has become a national pastime, and they come in all colors, creeds, and political stripes. Being able to see that good people of good will are part of one human family, and supporting our common humanity is the only path forward, is wise. Hating and blaming is stupid.
15
Indeed. We must talk seriously about the pathology that drives it: https://medium.com/@Elamika/the-unbearable-lightness-of-being-a-narcissi...
1
Perhaps a reporter at the paper Sheldon Adelson just bought can ask him for a comment on this.
37
Trump IS an assault weapon. He spews vilification as easily as exhaling. As if his bodily carbon-dioxide were a type of weaponized gas combined with vocalization. His enemies are legion and include the Jews but do not spare any other minority group and an entire sex, unless its members titilate his hormones and even then he views them as "a piece of a..."
Few among us have been spared this man's vile defamation. I actually consider it, however, a badge of honor to be among those whom he wants to dominate and denigrate. Many flock to a bully, thinking to avoid the bully's loathsome words and behavior. But that is folly! What bully might not turn on the very sycophants he's courted - when the purpose serves him?
I do not discredit that Trump is full of anti-Semitic bile. But his "branding iron" sears all of us who stand against his Brand.
Words alone are insufficient in the face of a degenerate like Trump. He must be stopped!
Few among us have been spared this man's vile defamation. I actually consider it, however, a badge of honor to be among those whom he wants to dominate and denigrate. Many flock to a bully, thinking to avoid the bully's loathsome words and behavior. But that is folly! What bully might not turn on the very sycophants he's courted - when the purpose serves him?
I do not discredit that Trump is full of anti-Semitic bile. But his "branding iron" sears all of us who stand against his Brand.
Words alone are insufficient in the face of a degenerate like Trump. He must be stopped!
22
"You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!"
Rodgers & Hammerstein, 1949, "South Pacific"
This is not something new. Trump has just made it appear at the surface again.
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!"
Rodgers & Hammerstein, 1949, "South Pacific"
This is not something new. Trump has just made it appear at the surface again.
31
Trump is a despicable bigot and a buffoon.
It stands to reason that his fans would share the same attributes as their Fuhrer.
It stands to reason that his fans would share the same attributes as their Fuhrer.
24
A vote for Donald Trump says "I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Ku Klux Klan, the Daily Stormer, and the American Nazi party. These are my people, and I share their views. I proudly support the candidate whom White Supremacists call "the one" and "the second coming."" We all hear your message loud and clear when you support Trump.
32
Hitler had to wait until he was elected chancellor before he could seize control of the German media, saturate it with his image and propaganda and exclude dissenting opinion. The corporate media has pretty much taken care of that for Trump already.
52
History does repeat itself. Only at the ballot box in November can the Facist Trump and his storm troopers be stopped. The GOP has only itself to blame for this by promoting policy's that promotes discrimination. When will Paul Ryan and other GOP leaders stand up and denounce Trump and his followers for what they really are.
34
Discrimination has been and continues to be promoted by the left, and its ever more divisive and granular identity politics. The left has always been about setting one segment of society against another. To paraphrase, remove the log from thine own eye before presuming to remove the splinter from thy neighbor's.
Usually I have time to read the Times thoroughly, but today I just couldn't 'til now.
I've lived here in the NY metropolitan area for 51 of my 66 years on the planet, 45 of those years employed in, and around NYC.
I've worked with every ethnicity, every creed, and every color, and can say truthfully I've seen close up, daily during those years, the antisemitism you are experiencing. I believe, for a modern civilized society, we show repeatedly that we hate so much, and with such venom, we have become truly hateful, and nations worldwide are hearing and watching us in shock and horror.
Perhaps Americans were always like this; we have become more aware because of the Internet.
I wish I could say I believe change will come, but I don't not believe it will, maybe centuries in the future.
I do believe Bernie Sanders, as our President will get us back on the road to decency.
I've lived here in the NY metropolitan area for 51 of my 66 years on the planet, 45 of those years employed in, and around NYC.
I've worked with every ethnicity, every creed, and every color, and can say truthfully I've seen close up, daily during those years, the antisemitism you are experiencing. I believe, for a modern civilized society, we show repeatedly that we hate so much, and with such venom, we have become truly hateful, and nations worldwide are hearing and watching us in shock and horror.
Perhaps Americans were always like this; we have become more aware because of the Internet.
I wish I could say I believe change will come, but I don't not believe it will, maybe centuries in the future.
I do believe Bernie Sanders, as our President will get us back on the road to decency.
14
Such a beautifully written post. But then I got to Bernie, and the disconnect was startling. Lately, that part of the compass seems to me to have bought into the polarization.
That said, thank you for your fine thinking and writing. And I hope, at some point, you will realize that the world is just as complicated as you say, and it doesn't take one elderly uncompromising socialist, but all of us, working together, to solve this.
We have to: our climate is imploding!
That said, thank you for your fine thinking and writing. And I hope, at some point, you will realize that the world is just as complicated as you say, and it doesn't take one elderly uncompromising socialist, but all of us, working together, to solve this.
We have to: our climate is imploding!
18
What? Bernie Sanders? Look who he has surrounded himself with. A known anti-semite. Yes, they've always been in government but never so explicitly and directly.
2
Adam Gopnik, Mr Weisman and your readers are right. The time to stop this is now. Perhaps Trump can stop it, but if he won't, or can't, we urgently need to rally around others who can. Influential Americans who really love their country need to step up now, before it is too late.
29
Tom - All Americans who love their country need to step up now, before it is too late.
1
Trump for President bumper stickers. The new Confederate flag.
30
It would have been far more interesting and just if you found out their identities and published them.
8
Thank you for writing this piece, @jonathanweisman. You are a brave man. It's important for all Americans to know that Mexicans and Muslims are not the only targets of the ultra-right agenda gathering steam in Trump's wake. It will be important for everyone to have that knowledge in time to register to vote in November, and to take that knowledge to the ballot box with them.
45
Thank you for writing this. I agree that it must be aired. We need to know that this is going on in the Trump campaign. I am so sorry that this antisemitism exists and for all the targets of it.
17
Trump needs to denounce this in strong terms if it's done in his name.
93
He's either saying it or cheering people on.
9
One of the most horrifying things Trump has done is to belittle a disabled person not for what he said but for his disabiity - to the cheers of his REPUBLICAN base. I know many repubs will hold their nose and vote for him. Personal interests first, party a close second, country? So far down the list it can't be enumerated. This is the republicans dirty laundry and they will never be able to scrub it clean.
33
First, I am so very Mr. Weisman that you and other colleagues have had to endure this. And bravo for publicizing it instead of closing your eyes.
Second, to all who have commented here on the horrible possibility of Mr. Trump 's election -- I say: What steps have you taken to ensure that that does not happen? Are you contributing, volunteering, helping neighbors register to vote? Action is needed for the reasons cited here and for many others.
Second, to all who have commented here on the horrible possibility of Mr. Trump 's election -- I say: What steps have you taken to ensure that that does not happen? Are you contributing, volunteering, helping neighbors register to vote? Action is needed for the reasons cited here and for many others.
9
Ari Fleischer uses false equivalency. Black and liberal leaders are not advocating mass deportation and using a national platform to spread lies about minority groups and advocate for fascist policies. In addition mainstream black and liberal leaders do reject violence and hate speech, even when it comes from BLM, OWS or other left leaning sources. See Charles Blow's piece today.
Thank you Jonathan for writing this piece. It's hard not to be concerned for our future given the current political climate. Only by shining light on the true beliefs of many backing the republican nominee can we hope that enough voters will be sufficiently alarmed to prevent him from becoming president.
Thank you Jonathan for writing this piece. It's hard not to be concerned for our future given the current political climate. Only by shining light on the true beliefs of many backing the republican nominee can we hope that enough voters will be sufficiently alarmed to prevent him from becoming president.
25
Look, friends, let's be clear. People who support Trump are racists, bigots, and misanthropes who stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Klan, the Daily Stormer, and the American Nazi Party, and gleefully cheer on the man whom all the nation's leading Neo-nazi organizations call, in awed tones, "the chosen one." Support for Trump is proof enough for everyone else that you are a racist.
23
"Stories of Muslims assaulted by Trump supporters are piling up." Yeah right: sounds like the stories about increased attacks on Muslims after the San Bernandino that were debunked. And we're told that, because of Trump, "Hispanic immigrants are lining up for citizenship, eager to vote." Who knew it was that easy to get "citizenship"? Antisemitism is a real thing, and it usually comes from the left, but acknowledging that would complicate the author's effort to use cries of racism and bigotry to shut down debate, again typical of the left. One thing is sure: when the Palestinians again attack Israelis and Israel defends itself, you won't hear Trump criticize Israel the way the left does.
9
Nice attempt at deflection, but there's no escaping the point of this essay: Trump supporters are spewing anti-Semitic hate at prominent Jews who won't support their candidate. It's worth asking: why? And once we're done with asking why, it's then worth asking: what's Trump going to do about it?
well now let's see if Israel attacks and hits a Trump hotel. Of course many Arab brand managers are removing the Trump name,and reducing his royalties. Just as Reagan,spewed hatred of light but employed and hosted his elite circle, trump spews malicious lies but brags about his daughter (in creepy ways), h er husband and their kids. It's all ugly.
Methinks the lady doth protest too much
Jonathan, I am so sorry that you are having to experience such vile attacks. However, I commend you for sharing these loathsome cowards' "thoughts" with the rest of us and calling out Trump for his failure to condemn them - for whatever that's worth - that p* has not a single decent bone in his body. I shudder to think that such people are roaming all around us and that their "hero" has a shot at winning the Presidency.
14
The quote about Jonathan Stewart was synecdoche for the entire piece, and speaks volumes about Trump.
The analogies between Trump and WWll fascists are very real.
The analogies between Trump and WWll fascists are very real.
40
One of the ways to stop the forces of hate is to join the Southern Poverty Law Center. If you are not familiar with it, log on to SPLC.org for more information . We cannot sit around waiting for the media to do its job, for as we have seen how, as the shameless and venal Les Moonves, head of CBS, only a few months ago said something to the effect that even though Trump is not good for the country, he is very good for CBS as he keeps the money rolling in.
20
Maggie 2 - if only a few of the disheartened comenters here pay attention to the SPLC it would be wonderful. Let alone help fund it.
Thank you for mentioning it, it has been a clearing house for knowledge of hate groups for decades. Something the politicians have not done.
Thank you for mentioning it, it has been a clearing house for knowledge of hate groups for decades. Something the politicians have not done.
1
And yet...the naive hot heads think Bernie will get votes from the Trumpsters...as though being Jewish is insignificant to the Aryan Brotherhood wing of the Donald Party.
7
Why doesn't Trump man-up and denounce these hate groups- publicly, over and over at his rallies? He has off-handidly said he "disavows" the KKK (after saying on TV he didn't know who David Duke was or anything about "those groups"). Trump, the man who is so great at choosing words and branding , chose to use a word that has no bite to it: "disavow" is an unmemorable word.
Maybe he hasn't come out strongly because these hate groups serve a purpose- like attacking "dishonest journalist" that are "unfair" and dare to question Trump- . By not loudly and strongly, with words that have gravitas, denouncing these groups that act as his followers it becomes a shadow form of pandering. They serve a purpose for the man who vows to "hit back harder" when he feels he's been "attacked"
Maybe he hasn't come out strongly because these hate groups serve a purpose- like attacking "dishonest journalist" that are "unfair" and dare to question Trump- . By not loudly and strongly, with words that have gravitas, denouncing these groups that act as his followers it becomes a shadow form of pandering. They serve a purpose for the man who vows to "hit back harder" when he feels he's been "attacked"
7
What would Trump stand to gain by denouncing this kind of hatred? Doing so would lose him more votes than he would gain. As for me, I am ready for Hillary.
I can only extend my most heartfelt and sincere apology for what you and all other Jewish people have endured.
I write from backwards North Idaho, where not too long ago the Aryan nations compound stood. Today I drove past the Human Rights Institute in the middle of our downtown city park, paid for by selling the compound, reminding us to never forget, even us isolated who may go through life having never met a Jewish (or Muslim, or any non-Christian) person as far as they can tell.
For all the revolting fringe element you have experienced, remember they are vastly outnumbered by upright, decent people all over the world who will Never Forget.
I write from backwards North Idaho, where not too long ago the Aryan nations compound stood. Today I drove past the Human Rights Institute in the middle of our downtown city park, paid for by selling the compound, reminding us to never forget, even us isolated who may go through life having never met a Jewish (or Muslim, or any non-Christian) person as far as they can tell.
For all the revolting fringe element you have experienced, remember they are vastly outnumbered by upright, decent people all over the world who will Never Forget.
19
Even as Obama is about to visit Hiroshima, Trump becomes the official Republican choice. The contrast of our better angels and the worst of the our national character could not be starker. We cannot afford to "normalize" Trump in the media, in politics, or in life. His ugliness may want to make us look away, but the danger he represents must be the reason we do not. It will not always be the others he comes for, and it will not be a question so much of the timing....
10
This is the most disturbing thing I have read in the Times in a long time. I wish I had more trouble believing it. There is not much we can do, I fear, with haters like the ones described here, but there are people who should be held accountable. I'm thinking of the morally self righteous Republicans who know Donald Trump is unfit to hold public office and know many of his supporters are dangerous, but who are going to support him anyway. That's not a difference of political opinion; that's real evil. All decent Americans should denounce these people and refuse to vote for any of them ever again.
33
Stop hate now. Those who vote for hate, those who quietly sit by and acquiesce to hate, those who give in for reasons of expediency will be judged harshly by history and by those of us who manage to survive what will come if hate triumphs in November. This time, vote like your whole world depended on it. It does.
10
Richard, perfectly said. The world has sadly become much more fragile.
2
Finally, some urgency.
9
The anti-semite can't live without Jews. In fact the anti semite has such a need of Jews it goes about inciting non practicing Jews, like Mr. Weisman, to feel and identify themselves as more and more Jewish with every passing day.
7
Not really.
They just switch to some other group: Chinese, Muslims, Italians, whomever ….
Hitler's goal was a final solution for everyone who wasn't aryan. They just started with us because it was easy. Like the Klan focussing on blacks.
They just switch to some other group: Chinese, Muslims, Italians, whomever ….
Hitler's goal was a final solution for everyone who wasn't aryan. They just started with us because it was easy. Like the Klan focussing on blacks.
1
You seem surprised to discover america. At your age, it is long overdue.
I knew when I was 4.
I knew when I was 4.
6
Scary, outrageous, needing to be exposed. To be sure.
And yet, WHY is this information passed along to NYTimes readers as an opinion piece and not as a news story? Certainly Mr. Weisman is not the only person to have been the target of such reprehensible behavior.
And yet, WHY is this information passed along to NYTimes readers as an opinion piece and not as a news story? Certainly Mr. Weisman is not the only person to have been the target of such reprehensible behavior.
16
Win, lose or flame out, Trump has given his full permission for hate, abuse, sexism, ultranationalism, and all forms of bigotry to come out of their not-so-tightly closed closets.
By legitimizing and dog-whistling his followers, we as a nation and society will have to deal with this anti-social and destructive behavior and beliefs for decades to come. The fact that the Republican Party has been supporting this for years, perhaps only a tad more subtly, dooms them as a party for the 21st century, but lays the burden on the rest of us to find our nation's moral compass.
By legitimizing and dog-whistling his followers, we as a nation and society will have to deal with this anti-social and destructive behavior and beliefs for decades to come. The fact that the Republican Party has been supporting this for years, perhaps only a tad more subtly, dooms them as a party for the 21st century, but lays the burden on the rest of us to find our nation's moral compass.
16
I applaud Mr. Weisman for preserving these vile missives on his Twitter feed. It is very easy to label these trolls as fearful, cowardly bigots whose bilious rants are best ignored or dismissed, but we ignore or dismiss them at our own peril. Like insects, they're individually small (physically and mentally) and easily swatted, but a swarm of them is real threat. Pretending that they don't exist or can't inflict massive damage is a bad strategy.
4
I think you need to remember that these,"insects" are in fact people, and address the reasons these human beings are reacting as they are
I am no longer sure there can be middle ground, space for dialogue, between the Trumpsters and myself. They Might Be Giants said it for me, years ago:
"This is where the party ends
I can't stand here listening to you
And your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
And your racist friend
"It was the loveliest party that I've ever attended
If anything was broken I'm sure it could be mended
My head can't tolerate this bobbing and pretending
LISTEN TO SOME BULLET-HEAD AND THE MADNESS THAT HE'S SAYING
"This is where the party ends
I'll just sit here wondering how you
Can stand by your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
You and your racist friend....
"Out from the kitchen to the bedroom to the hallway
Your friend apologizes, he could see it my way
He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking
CAN'T SHAKE THE DEVIL'S HAND AND SAY YOU'RE ONLY KIDDING"
Exactly.
"This is where the party ends
I can't stand here listening to you
And your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
And your racist friend
"It was the loveliest party that I've ever attended
If anything was broken I'm sure it could be mended
My head can't tolerate this bobbing and pretending
LISTEN TO SOME BULLET-HEAD AND THE MADNESS THAT HE'S SAYING
"This is where the party ends
I'll just sit here wondering how you
Can stand by your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
You and your racist friend....
"Out from the kitchen to the bedroom to the hallway
Your friend apologizes, he could see it my way
He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking
CAN'T SHAKE THE DEVIL'S HAND AND SAY YOU'RE ONLY KIDDING"
Exactly.
5
I'm not sure who it is I worry more about, there intelligence level of the broad American people or that of the average reader of the New York Times.
Just because some troubled moron, hiding on the internet from being revealed, invokes Donald Trump's name DOES NOT MEAN that Trump or his political organization support it.
Yeesh!
Just because some troubled moron, hiding on the internet from being revealed, invokes Donald Trump's name DOES NOT MEAN that Trump or his political organization support it.
Yeesh!
4
You are missing the point. They associate with trump for a reason. What do you think that reason is?
1
One-offs prove nothing, of course. And one Nazi fan boy finding something in Trump wouldn't be worth bringing up. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of them, and they all seem to find something in Trump that gets them going. And that IS a problem.
1
While I have never received or even read a Tweet (a recommended course of action), I note that, until I started reading online commentary, I had no idea there was so much hatred. The comments people make about blacks, women, Jews, Muslims, etc. are truly shocking.
Fortunately, I have never encountered any of this in real life.
Fortunately, I have never encountered any of this in real life.
1
I have always played down antisemitism, mostly because it seems insignificant compared to racism. I respect those who say "never forget", but that's not me. Europe has lately experienced a nativist rebirth with growing amounts of antisemitism. I confess that it's hard to understand what Trump is about, And he certainly spouts lots of hatred. But I don't see the kind of nativist antisemitism that's growing in Europe. I confess that I am not vigilant about anti-semitism. But the level of fear expressed here seems excessive. Things could get worse, but I don't subscribe to the view that Trump is a fascist who will establish institutionalized bigotry. Fears of a second Holocaust are premature.
2
Really? And so you would take a wait and see attitude? And once we've gone down the fascist path won't ut be too late to stop it.
You would do well to heed the words of that German minister ".....I did not speak out...and when they came for me there was no one left to speak..."
You would do well to heed the words of that German minister ".....I did not speak out...and when they came for me there was no one left to speak..."
2
Have u missed his diatribes against whole groups of people - Muslims, Latinos, among others? Disabled people, women? The list is long. A favorite tactic of demagogs, as well as a core belief. No one's as good as us insiders.
You are very brave to write the aritcle that you did. Of course anti-semitism is still everywhere. Blaming the banks. Then their is the Rothchilds's. Blame them. Of course Mr. Trump is a big time Jew hater. Probably his daughter rebelled an married a Jew. I am sure Mr. Trump likes Jews when he can use them, just like when he uses everyone else. We cannot elect a man who is as mean spirited like Donald. Plus he has a streak of being a super human from his German family.
Aryan Man with a weave.
Aryan Man with a weave.
2
Why has the NY Times readership turned this into a political diatribe against Trump?
Ironically, the Times front page headlines the appointment Cornell West to the Democratic platform drafting committee by Bermie Sanders. West has repeatedly crossed the line of extreme anti-Israel criticism that he meets the definition of an anti-Semite as defined by the US State Department. That Sanders would appoint a bigot who spouts the myth of Israeli "war crimes" and "apartheid" and is a staunch proponent of BDS, an organization whose members and founder call for the end of the state of Israel, clearly indicates that Sanders has strengthened the anti-Semitic extremists of the left.
The extreme left and the extreme left meet when it comes to hatred of the Jewish state.
Ironically, the Times front page headlines the appointment Cornell West to the Democratic platform drafting committee by Bermie Sanders. West has repeatedly crossed the line of extreme anti-Israel criticism that he meets the definition of an anti-Semite as defined by the US State Department. That Sanders would appoint a bigot who spouts the myth of Israeli "war crimes" and "apartheid" and is a staunch proponent of BDS, an organization whose members and founder call for the end of the state of Israel, clearly indicates that Sanders has strengthened the anti-Semitic extremists of the left.
The extreme left and the extreme left meet when it comes to hatred of the Jewish state.
9
Did you read the piece? Are you really making an equivalence here between fierce criticism of the state of Israel and this kind of thing? If so, that's really scary.....
"Let all that lurks in the mud; hatch out!" I remember something like that from Masterpiece Theater's I Claudius a few years back. Sadly our country has always suffered from an infestation of antisemites, xenophobes, bigots and just plain mean spirited, cowardly and stupid people. They find a political voice from time to time be it "know nothings" , Joe McCarthy, or Trump. Fortunately, for the country good people have stood up and returned the pestilence to the slime from which it hatched. We as a country and the press in particular have been much too kind to Trump. The anonymous twitter feeds embody what he is all about. We need to say that in no uncertain terms.
4
I think it might be more productive to understand where "the slime", is coming from, and address it. These are disenfranchised people who are not being served.
If Trump is elected president it will encourage such hate speech, as well as encourage the followers of Trump who spew that speech with his blessing. Suddenly, they find themselves empowered on a national stage. What was previously socially unspeakable has become a strong undercurrent in a presidential campaign. And all Trump voters are accountable for empowering anti-semites, racists and xenophobes. The world is watching us with horror. Is this the image the United States wishes to project in the world? How many generations would it take to undo the damage of a Trump presidency? And how depressing to realize how much hate was lurking around the edges of our public square waiting for a spotlight.
7
No prejudice can be eradicated, if we stand by the origin of the word, "to remove it by the roots". There are always plenty of people whose anger, ignorance, desire for vengeance, mental derangement, will keep it alive. The most that civil society can do is to minimize its influence. If we exclude the groups mentioned above, the rest of the people, that is the portion that would follow them, are passive individuals whose mental weakness makes them likely followers. While the kind of actions described in the article are painful for the individuals concerned, they do not foul society at large. And to make sure that that doesn't happen, we must be ever ready to denounce them.
9
My sentiments as well, and I believe denouncing them must be done relentlessly, at every opportunity.
Sometimes saying something really hateful is just an insult.
Think of Michael Richards forever labelled a racist for having a really bad emotional reaction to a heckler who made him realize he wasn't a stand up comic.
I don't for a minute think he's racist. He was trying to hurt that man as much as he felt hurt in that moment and that is the end of it. There is no larger conspiracy or bigger issue there. He simply shouted the most hurtful thing he could muster in that moment. And to be clear that is unambiguously the most hurtful thing period one doesn't have to think about it to know that.
Think of Michael Richards forever labelled a racist for having a really bad emotional reaction to a heckler who made him realize he wasn't a stand up comic.
I don't for a minute think he's racist. He was trying to hurt that man as much as he felt hurt in that moment and that is the end of it. There is no larger conspiracy or bigger issue there. He simply shouted the most hurtful thing he could muster in that moment. And to be clear that is unambiguously the most hurtful thing period one doesn't have to think about it to know that.
This is shocking. I can't believe you were subjected to this level of anti-Semitism in the name of a presidential candidate that represents one of our two major parties.
It drives home what deporting 11 million Mexicans is really about: a desire for "purification" in the good old-fashioned Aryan sense.
At first a Trump candidacy felt like absurdist theatre. It grows scarier day by day.
It drives home what deporting 11 million Mexicans is really about: a desire for "purification" in the good old-fashioned Aryan sense.
At first a Trump candidacy felt like absurdist theatre. It grows scarier day by day.
98
Neither do I believe he was subjected to such idiocy. You have to be drinking the kool-aide to buy the story that this was Trump.
Ironically, it won't matter anyway. Trump never got people killed and decided not to send help to save Americans in a battle like his opponentdid, so he still cones out smelling like a rose.
Ironically, it won't matter anyway. Trump never got people killed and decided not to send help to save Americans in a battle like his opponentdid, so he still cones out smelling like a rose.
2
C Wolfe, your hypocrisy is alarming. The Left, whether its their political candidates or campus movements, has been at the forefront of anti-Semitism over the past decade. Quoting you, C Wolfe, "It grows scarier day by day."
Trump has made the worst set of internet/twitter/social media trolls "legitimate" in their own eyes by refusing to denounce any of the hatred, and mocking any attempt at civil or rational discourse. The problem is - for a large part of the population - that is the source of their news, their understanding of the world around them. There is always going going to be bigotry -- but new media allows it to grow exponentially stronger, faster - an epidemic traveling the airways.
A few years ago I was fortunate to be exposed to the Traveling Anne Frank exhibit: a core message of this is - if you hear someone spouting bigotry, stand up and let it be known that you do not agree with hate-filled attitudes. And let it be known early. This candidate is not going to do that; the shame is that so many are willing to let it slide for the sake of "national party unity." It's menacing.
A few years ago I was fortunate to be exposed to the Traveling Anne Frank exhibit: a core message of this is - if you hear someone spouting bigotry, stand up and let it be known that you do not agree with hate-filled attitudes. And let it be known early. This candidate is not going to do that; the shame is that so many are willing to let it slide for the sake of "national party unity." It's menacing.
74
Cheryl
You are 100% correct.
It is better to nip the problem in the bud if possible, which is much easier than putting out a conflagration.
You are 100% correct.
It is better to nip the problem in the bud if possible, which is much easier than putting out a conflagration.
2
If Mr. Weisman would take the time to read the Daily Kos, he would see exactly the same type of vitriolic hatred being spewed out towards Republicans by those who call themselves "progressive," and not just in the comments by trolls but in the actual content. It's ironic that those on the left don't choose to call out left-wing hatred even though it violates the core left beliefs of tolerance and diversity.
Such hatred has nothing to do with Donald Trump, and it is only a tiny minority of his so-called supporters who engage in it. It is simply a feature of virtuality. We had exactly the same thing with radical preachers supporting Barack Obama. A presidential candidate cannot control who supports him, and cannot be judged by the fact that a tiny group of extremists may do so. Maybe Trump could do more to quell extremist supporters, but Mr. Weisman himself acknowledges that a very serious argument can be made that they should not be dignified.
Frankly, I think there is a clear undercurrent of hatred for Donald Trump by Mr. Weisman that is not really that different from the hatred that a small group of psychos have for Mr. Weisman. Mr. Weisman's comments about Trump aren't that much more fair (indeed, has Mr. Weisman ever once sat down with Mr. Trump for a talk?).
Such hatred has nothing to do with Donald Trump, and it is only a tiny minority of his so-called supporters who engage in it. It is simply a feature of virtuality. We had exactly the same thing with radical preachers supporting Barack Obama. A presidential candidate cannot control who supports him, and cannot be judged by the fact that a tiny group of extremists may do so. Maybe Trump could do more to quell extremist supporters, but Mr. Weisman himself acknowledges that a very serious argument can be made that they should not be dignified.
Frankly, I think there is a clear undercurrent of hatred for Donald Trump by Mr. Weisman that is not really that different from the hatred that a small group of psychos have for Mr. Weisman. Mr. Weisman's comments about Trump aren't that much more fair (indeed, has Mr. Weisman ever once sat down with Mr. Trump for a talk?).
29
It would be interesting to see samples of what you think are equivalent to the vileness cited in the article.
Trump might indeed be a pleasant enough guy in a one to one setting. But his egging on his supporters at his rallies makes him disreputable.
Trump might indeed be a pleasant enough guy in a one to one setting. But his egging on his supporters at his rallies makes him disreputable.
69
The problem with that notion, is that nobody dislikes Trump because he's white, or Christian (not that he really is), or of German descent, or anything about what he is. It's about what he says, and what he does.
He produces scam-type businesses and then bankrupts them, damaging his investors but making sure he gets away with a profit. He fans the flames of racist, sexist hatred whenever he can. He treats women as objects and cheats on his various wives. He continually comes up with boneheaded and unworkable policies and refuses to accept criticism of them. He lies constantly.
So it's alright to hate such hateful actions, and not bigoted in the slightest. It's also fair, it's not based on stereotypes but on things Trump actually says and does.
Also your notion that it's only a few Trump supporters who are openly bigoted is ludicrous. We've seen the rallies, everyone cheers when he says Mexicans are rapists. His followers are mostly uneducated and racist, accept facts.
Unless of course you're a sworn follower of Trump yourself, in which case I'm aware you cannot accept facts.
He produces scam-type businesses and then bankrupts them, damaging his investors but making sure he gets away with a profit. He fans the flames of racist, sexist hatred whenever he can. He treats women as objects and cheats on his various wives. He continually comes up with boneheaded and unworkable policies and refuses to accept criticism of them. He lies constantly.
So it's alright to hate such hateful actions, and not bigoted in the slightest. It's also fair, it's not based on stereotypes but on things Trump actually says and does.
Also your notion that it's only a few Trump supporters who are openly bigoted is ludicrous. We've seen the rallies, everyone cheers when he says Mexicans are rapists. His followers are mostly uneducated and racist, accept facts.
Unless of course you're a sworn follower of Trump yourself, in which case I'm aware you cannot accept facts.
15
Progressives will never tolerate the intolerant. That would be a fallacy. If you tolerate the intolerant, that will block you from being tolerant.
Therefore, all of you intolerant folk out there that are confused by everyone's refusal to tolerate your intolerance, logic will not allow it.
Therefore, all of you intolerant folk out there that are confused by everyone's refusal to tolerate your intolerance, logic will not allow it.
5
"The imaginings by my tormentors of me as an Orthodox Jew in wide-brimmed hat and Hasidic garb were, of course, laughable. The truth is, I have become largely disconnected from Jewish life and faith over the years..." At first, it sounds like your 1st sentence gives credence to the tormentors' derision - "of course" the Hasidic caricature is "laughable"! (Anyone should agree, even without thinking! Though that lack of conscientiousness is exactly the structure of prejudice.) It's only after reading the next sentence that I learn another reason to laugh...perhaps. The tormentors had read you wrong, you say -- so wrong that you found it funny! But their images weren't aiming to be accurate -- caricature is all about exaggeration. The fact that you're not Hasidic (not even Orthodox minus the beard & garb) is moot; in fact, it could make the cartoons more effective in the eyes of their creators. A guess: what's really happening comes from your having been "largely disconnected from Jewish life and faith over the years...like many American Jews" who have chosen a similar path. You/we are careful, even eager, to create distance from fellow Jews in wide-brimmed hats. The carefulness is savvy: better to avoid conditions that could enable bias, when livelihood's at stake. The eagerness (which I hear in "of course" & the proclamation of distance) is an extra undertone which subtly aligns with - & fuels - more vitriolic prejudices. (I'm not an observant Jew, btw; I'm just observing...)
18
Yes, it sounded to me as though he were saying "how ridiculous, I'm not even really Jewish".
2
OR he's not religious?
Except that: Your comment seems to be one of blaming the victim. In this case, Weisman.
2
Here is the issue
Les Moovies said last spring when Trump started his campaign that " Trump is bad for America but he is great for CBS. The money keep pouring in".
NO one in the Main stream Media really had much to say to counter this. After all America is in the thrall of a neo-liberal agenda and all is fair in the "Market Place" Especially in the Gray Lady.
Now that what was know to alot of us at the time is comming to fruition the "elites" in the bubble of Manhattan and DC are shocked.
Que the sounds of rending cloth.
You as a group need to get out more often and see how the rest of us great unwashed live and what it is that leads a Trump to be so popular.
Alot of his support comes from citizens who have been directly harmed by policies formulated in Manhattan and Wall St.
Of course the haters will always be disgusting but not all of his supporters are like Alt-Right and Storm Front.
Les Moovies said last spring when Trump started his campaign that " Trump is bad for America but he is great for CBS. The money keep pouring in".
NO one in the Main stream Media really had much to say to counter this. After all America is in the thrall of a neo-liberal agenda and all is fair in the "Market Place" Especially in the Gray Lady.
Now that what was know to alot of us at the time is comming to fruition the "elites" in the bubble of Manhattan and DC are shocked.
Que the sounds of rending cloth.
You as a group need to get out more often and see how the rest of us great unwashed live and what it is that leads a Trump to be so popular.
Alot of his support comes from citizens who have been directly harmed by policies formulated in Manhattan and Wall St.
Of course the haters will always be disgusting but not all of his supporters are like Alt-Right and Storm Front.
7
Delusional. Look at the voting for NAFTA.
1
Conflict is the mother of all plot lines, and when the heat is on, the paper sizzles.
"You as a group need to get out more often and see how the rest of us great unwashed live and what it is that leads a Trump to be so popular.". Are you for real. What group? Jews. Must be you mean they are all come Frome the same socio-economic-political group? Of course. Did you mean "the great unwashed", or "the great uneducated"? A sure sign of a bigot is the inability or refusal to recognize one's own prejudice thoughts or statements.
As much as the anti-Semitism portrayed in this article nauseates me, please keep publishing about and publicizing this. What scares me most is the casual comments I sometimes hear from people I know that reveal an almost unconscious anti-Semitism. I am not Jewish, but I confront these comments and invariably hear something like "I didn't mean it that way, " or I didn't mean "those Jews". This type of thing makes me think a lot of people out there are willing to support Trump because they don't care about racism or anti-Semitism or find it acceptale.
Sadly, I have to include some Bernie Sanders supporters I know (and I myself do love Sanders for raising the issues he has) who are willing to see Trump elected rather than vote for Clinton. I don't know if they don't get what's at stake in this election, or they just don't care. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Sadly, I have to include some Bernie Sanders supporters I know (and I myself do love Sanders for raising the issues he has) who are willing to see Trump elected rather than vote for Clinton. I don't know if they don't get what's at stake in this election, or they just don't care. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
83
its the former Sanders people who will be in line to be deported...
1
I'm sorry - you don't get to blame Bernie for Trump.
I support Bernie, and dearly hope he is our next President, and I agree some of his supporters are despicable, but the reality is so are many in the Clinton camp.
Campaigns draw all kinds of bigots, probably some kind of psychological need to lash out at whatever authority they perceive as the cause of their suffering.
Trump and his supporters is something entirely different, a true example of how a painter was able to cause the people of an entire nation to set out on a mission to murder all Jews, and the thing I can't fathom to this day, is how these people could go home, eat, sleep, and play with their children.
Evil was always here, in America; "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born" (Yeats)
Campaigns draw all kinds of bigots, probably some kind of psychological need to lash out at whatever authority they perceive as the cause of their suffering.
Trump and his supporters is something entirely different, a true example of how a painter was able to cause the people of an entire nation to set out on a mission to murder all Jews, and the thing I can't fathom to this day, is how these people could go home, eat, sleep, and play with their children.
Evil was always here, in America; "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born" (Yeats)
This behavior by Trump and his follower is a disgrace and should have been stopped from day 1. The Republican party could not rein him in because a significant percentage of their voting block is attracted to him and the hatred that he spews. This is a fire that the GOP leadership has been feeding for the past 8 years, so it should come as no surprise that the leader of the party, and his voters, can barely mask their bigotry in politically correct language. The only good thing, if anything, that will come from this is that the Republican party is now exposed for what it really is and perhaps always has been. They're showing their true colors and boy they ain't pretty!
44
I am appalled. I wonder from what exalted lineage these bigoted accusers come. Somehow I doubt their antecedents are anything but educated, polished, and refined. Certainly they are cowardly, hiding in the anonymity of social media. Trump should be held accountable for all who articulate these kinds of verbal assaults and slurs in his name. He should vociferously refute them all. Murder, torture, and genocide are never to be made light of, and should be condemned by anyone of intelligence.
20
This was very hard to read without raw emotion, and very eye opening. I too was one of those people who thought anti-semitism was largely something of the past. It is my hope that many of these commenters are actually just a small number of individuals pretending to be a unified army, although I know that's probably wishful thinking.
144
Ten million people have voted for Trump already. The vast majority of them are undoubtedly fully accepting of racist statements and actions. So yeah, it's a pretty large army.
3
I don't think any sensible person actually believes anti-Semitism is a 'thing of the past'. A bit of historical context is needed. In the early part of the 20th C., in addition to the crass and crude anti-Semites such as Fr. Coughlin and the Klan, these was, among the middle to upper class, an anti-Semitism of the kind that propels the movie 'Gentleman's Agreement'. One was polite, people would make jokes, and agree, 'well, no one really *likes* them, of course ... they have their own country club' etc. Then came WW II and the aftermath. Overt anti-Semitism became de trop. But when it was just 'our kind' in the room, the remarks would be made. (The same is true of racism and homophobia. It's amazing what people who don't know I'm gay will say in front of me, when they think it's just 'our kind'.) Perhaps open hatred is actually better to deal with; at least you see it coming.
6
I was pretty shocked and horrified in reading the numerous comments in the Jerusalem Post, and on ADL's Facebook page, that Weisman, and Ioffe somehow deserved those anti-semitic responses. They deserved those taunts because of what they wrote, or because of their political beliefs or of their employers. And likely these are the same folks who would out-shout you with "Never Again."
In the last week, 3 synagogues in Rhode island were vandalized. We've all heard recent stories of kids being harassed with anti-semitic taunts. While Trump is probably not an anti-semite, the fact that he is attracting those to his campaign should give any decent person pause for thought. Trump is creating an ugly atmosphere, allowing those who previously would have been shunned in the community to voice their true beliefs. If it's ok for a leader to insult, taunt and deride, why shouldn't his followers.
We have endured a long history of anti-semitism that keeps resurfacing when demagogues are permitted to divide and insult people, allowing the most base instincts to develop instead of uniting and lifting up their constituencies.
It's about time the Jewish Republican coalition spoke out--- isn't it time for Trump to. Or, is he afraid of losing his most ardent supporters.
In the last week, 3 synagogues in Rhode island were vandalized. We've all heard recent stories of kids being harassed with anti-semitic taunts. While Trump is probably not an anti-semite, the fact that he is attracting those to his campaign should give any decent person pause for thought. Trump is creating an ugly atmosphere, allowing those who previously would have been shunned in the community to voice their true beliefs. If it's ok for a leader to insult, taunt and deride, why shouldn't his followers.
We have endured a long history of anti-semitism that keeps resurfacing when demagogues are permitted to divide and insult people, allowing the most base instincts to develop instead of uniting and lifting up their constituencies.
It's about time the Jewish Republican coalition spoke out--- isn't it time for Trump to. Or, is he afraid of losing his most ardent supporters.
33
The "Jewish Republican coalition" cares more about their money and Israel than about preserving the freedom of ALL Jews in the United States.
I'm so sorry you are and have been subjected to the spewing of hatred from the ignorant masses.
17
Hate will never disapear. Human thinking will never evolve. Just follow history and it always repeats itself. It's human nature.
5
It's always there, lurking just below the surface. Minneapolis is now considered a liberal and progressive city, but not that many decades ago it was recognized as one of the most anti-semitic communities in the country (Jews were not even allowed to join the AAA auto club!). Jews were pretty much corralled in a section of North Minneapolis often referred to as "The Golden Ghetto." Once restrictions were lifted, many moved to a western suburb called St. Louis Park. To this day, many people there call it "St. Jewish Park." It would be asinine to suggest such prejudice has disappeared. Just because you fish in a lake all day and catch nothing doesn't mean there are no fish there, hiding in the murky waters just out of sight.
23
I feel sorry for Jonathan Weisman and other journalists, who have to put up with hurtful taunts and offensive insults made by Trump's supporters, relating to their Jewish heritage. Trump's army of the "alt right" must be a neo-Nazi group, that indulges in anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, nativism and isolationism.
That Trump turns a blind eye to his supporters' condemnable act, while bragging about his Jewish grandchildren shows his two-facedness. I feel sorry for his daughter, a converted Jew, and her orthodox husband, who are now being used to camouflage his anti-Semitism, in order to win votes from American Jews. The 83-year-old Sheldon Adelson still aspires to remain relevant in US politics. Perhaps for this reason he supports Trump and urges Jews to vote for him. How sad!
That Trump turns a blind eye to his supporters' condemnable act, while bragging about his Jewish grandchildren shows his two-facedness. I feel sorry for his daughter, a converted Jew, and her orthodox husband, who are now being used to camouflage his anti-Semitism, in order to win votes from American Jews. The 83-year-old Sheldon Adelson still aspires to remain relevant in US politics. Perhaps for this reason he supports Trump and urges Jews to vote for him. How sad!
21
In a Trump presidency, will his Jewish daughter be forced to divorce and, with her children, become "aryanized"? Or will her husband be "aryanized"? This happened to a favored few in the Third Reich: the opera director Walter Felsenstein's wife was Jewish and officially "aryanized."
1
That's so gross. Sorry Jonathan.
15
This is why we can't afford a fool like Trump in office.
27
As long as the root causes of antisemitism are not addressed this will continue. Whining about it in an NYT article will not do much to change these peoples' opinions. It will only make them feel justified.
2
I'm a little unclear on what exactly you mean by the "root causes of antisemitism." Or how saying that it exists somehow justifies it in the mind of the anti-semite? If you could explain?
1
And what, pray tell, do you consider the 'root causes' of anti semitism? I'd really like to know.
2
The root causes of anti-Semitism? So the victims of anti-Semitism are the cause of it? I don't think Mr. Weisman is whining; I think he is pointing out that Trump hasn't distanced himself from some of his followers' speech, whether it is anti-Semitic or racist. This is not a matter of being "politically correct." I wonder if he even knows the history of the "America First" movement before the second World War.
6
I also grew up in Atlanta and saw racism and anti-semetism up close there for years.
These things are not gone from America, they are just more likely to be underground. The combination of internet anonymity and the revolting politics of Trump make a toxic brew.
Indeed, black is black. You recognize it already. Many have a long way to go.
These things are not gone from America, they are just more likely to be underground. The combination of internet anonymity and the revolting politics of Trump make a toxic brew.
Indeed, black is black. You recognize it already. Many have a long way to go.
12
Losers like the people hectoring you have to find a scapegoat for their own inadequate lives. I have two words for them, and they're not "happy birthday."
17
We should all tweet this. I certainly will. Let the Trump voters know what they're buying.
9
they are too uneducated to know what they are buying...if they were they would realize that 90% of what comes out of his mouth is illiterate gibberish posing as English
This article is a "warning shot," to those who imagine that the nativist movement in 21st century America is some kind of a joke.
21
Hate is hate and should never be tolerated. It should always be denounced.
8
I grew up in the middle of this country in the middle class. When did we learn to hate like this?
I can't even understand it. It's just irrational.
I can't even understand it. It's just irrational.
12
Right wing radio all over America, every day, inciting anger and pointing the finger at who to hate. Maybe that's where we learned to hate so openly. It's a pity.
1
Thank you so much for this piece. I hope it has legs, long ones, and will contribute to the defeat of this enabler.
20
Trump has not actively and consistently condemned the anti-Semitism of his supporters. His lack of any clear, consistent, and strong disapproval of anti- Semitism reminds me of an event involving a close friend's son, a high school student.
When a classmate asked him about his plans for the weekend, he replied that he would be going to his brother's Bar Mitzvah .His classmate reacted with surprise and said loudly, clearly within earshot of the teacher, "What?! But you don't look or seem Jewish! "
The teacher was silent. But that silence spoke volumes. As does Trump's.
Whether he wins or loses the election, the fact that Trump has come so far frightens me. I look closely at his supporters and think deeply about their reasons for rallying around him. What I see are desperate and frightened people, buffeted by economic and other challenges beyond what they ever imagined.
They aren't confident their jobs will last or that they can save enough to secur their retirement. They don't believe,their children are getting a good education. They feel that the health care system is failing them.
Is it any wonder they find Trump's promises so compelling? If he loses, their anger will not disappear.
Nor will Trump.
When a classmate asked him about his plans for the weekend, he replied that he would be going to his brother's Bar Mitzvah .His classmate reacted with surprise and said loudly, clearly within earshot of the teacher, "What?! But you don't look or seem Jewish! "
The teacher was silent. But that silence spoke volumes. As does Trump's.
Whether he wins or loses the election, the fact that Trump has come so far frightens me. I look closely at his supporters and think deeply about their reasons for rallying around him. What I see are desperate and frightened people, buffeted by economic and other challenges beyond what they ever imagined.
They aren't confident their jobs will last or that they can save enough to secur their retirement. They don't believe,their children are getting a good education. They feel that the health care system is failing them.
Is it any wonder they find Trump's promises so compelling? If he loses, their anger will not disappear.
Nor will Trump.
17
Donald Trump is the inspiring figure and enabler of this current diverse hatefest. But he is not the sole inspiration for the millions who flock to him. They were inspired and trained over the last 36 years of the Reagan Republican revolution to embrace their prejudices. Every election cycle the rhetoric became just a bit less cryptic and more course, and since the Tea Party syndrome, also more bizarre and incoherent. The Republican "establishment" cowered before them, adjusted each time just a bit more, and fed them back the red meat they demanded. Now comes the great test for the mythical moderate Republicans. I see nothing in their history over the last several decades - nor the last few weeks - to indicate the majority will rise to the challenge. We all need to fight back by exposing how truly horrible this is. Thank you Jonathan Weisman and Robert Kagan.
22
Isn't twitter/tweeter whatever its called, used mostly by teenage girls?
This medium seems so juvenile.
But alas, Trump is a juvenile.
-----
What a sad specter, unfortunately, of worse to come, whether the orange one sits his tokhes in the Oval Office or not.
This medium seems so juvenile.
But alas, Trump is a juvenile.
-----
What a sad specter, unfortunately, of worse to come, whether the orange one sits his tokhes in the Oval Office or not.
4
No, everyone who is anyone now is on Twitter. (I'm not, but who am I?). Especially public figures. At the bottom of every NYT column, you will find the columnist's invitation to 'follow me on Twitter'.
2
Actually, tweeting is practiced by a much larger demographic than "just teenaged girls."
1
Modern day antisemitism belies obtuse provintialism more than anything. People too out of the mainstream and unworldly enough to think that Jews represent some kind of power center. Latching onto a trope the dont reallyunderstand and then misapplying it.
That is horrifying, and I applaud you for outing the anti-Semitic haters supporting that dreadful Trump and his appalling wife. Luckily, no decent person will vote for him, as those losers on Twitter don't usually vote, they just like to fart loudly.
4
At what point do we conclude that what Trump is doing is yelling fire in a crowded theater? Freedom of speech is not absolute.
Why is blatant hate speech permitted in public as long as its a presidential candidate and his followers?
Why is blatant hate speech permitted in public as long as its a presidential candidate and his followers?
8
There was a country club where I lived which was "the Jewish club" so that Jews could join a club. No others would take them. I taught for a while in a public school in the South Bronx. When anything went wrong in the school, one of the other teachers would shake her head and sigh, "Those Jews!" to blame the Jewish teachers for whatever had happened.
My father was born and raised as a Jew, but married into Christianity. He waited until I was ten years old to tell me that I was partly Jewish, warning me never to tell anyone. I make a point of telling people who become important in my life about both my halves.
The Seder often occurred on the same day as Good Friday, and we were as likely to be celebrating the Seder as we were Good Friday. As a child, this confusion ultimately led to my walking away from all organized religion although I prefer my Jewish half to my Christian half, with my own private religion cobbled from the writings of William Blake.
The present political climate feels as if they are coming for us once again, with no certainty regarding who will prevail. I never, ever thought we would live through a time like this in our country but I was wrong. My dad knew better.
My father was born and raised as a Jew, but married into Christianity. He waited until I was ten years old to tell me that I was partly Jewish, warning me never to tell anyone. I make a point of telling people who become important in my life about both my halves.
The Seder often occurred on the same day as Good Friday, and we were as likely to be celebrating the Seder as we were Good Friday. As a child, this confusion ultimately led to my walking away from all organized religion although I prefer my Jewish half to my Christian half, with my own private religion cobbled from the writings of William Blake.
The present political climate feels as if they are coming for us once again, with no certainty regarding who will prevail. I never, ever thought we would live through a time like this in our country but I was wrong. My dad knew better.
20
...and he also knew the lessons of the Third Reich, that being half-Jewish or a convert to Christianity did not ensure your safety but served to purge you from "aryan" society.
2
We should have known; the signs were always obvious.
Individuals like those who harassed Mr. Weisman live in a state of deep delusion. Blaming Jews and others is a way of evading responsibility for the sorry condition of their own lives. In a way they are pathetic, but they are no less dangerous for that. By winking and nodding to them, Trump has failed a crucial test of leadership.
10
Has he passed any tests of leadership? I cannot think of a single one.
1
Here's wishing even at this late date Republicans could make the rule they plan to make in the future: no one without political experience allowed into this contest. It would be better to run nobody at all than Mr. Trump. He and his followers have disgraced this country in front of the world and it is a double disgrace that the Republicans host him on their ballots. An empty ballot would be a show of courage in this case. They should do the right thing and Just Say No.
7
Rather than barring anyone without political experience, it might be easier to set a rule that all candidates must undergo psychological testing.
1
I too sent around that excellent, terrifying, and wholly plausible Robert Kagan piece -- to friends and family, and will send around Mr. Weisman's as well. By virtue of being uninterested in social media, I dodge the kind of repulsive vitriol described here and elsewhere. We are hearing this vicious, ignorant garbage spewed more and louder and without pause or apology. Still, complacency reigns, while the unthinking mob behind the demagogue is growing.
Time to read, or reread, "The Plot Against America" by Philip Roth -- a novel that poses the question: what might have happened if Charles Lindbergh's isolationist, racist, anti-Semitic "America First" rhetoric had made him president? What do we do to make sure we never put Mr. Roth's thought experiment to the test?
Time to read, or reread, "The Plot Against America" by Philip Roth -- a novel that poses the question: what might have happened if Charles Lindbergh's isolationist, racist, anti-Semitic "America First" rhetoric had made him president? What do we do to make sure we never put Mr. Roth's thought experiment to the test?
10
What is it that attracts flies?
10
Garbage, dirty water and Donald Trump.
2
On target, Kitty.
Garbage and dirty water can be repurposed, and put to good use.
How do we dispose of Trump, perhaps really dispose of him; strap him to a ship bound for the sun, with video cameras sending every second of his musings as he thinks about his impending meeting with his God.
Make one fabulous reality show.
Garbage and dirty water can be repurposed, and put to good use.
How do we dispose of Trump, perhaps really dispose of him; strap him to a ship bound for the sun, with video cameras sending every second of his musings as he thinks about his impending meeting with his God.
Make one fabulous reality show.
Trump and his supporters are racists and bigots no matter what they say to the contrary. After all, they don't support Sanders, who makes the same type of economic promises, so it isn't really a concern about jobs leaving the country. They just like Trump because he says out loud what they are too cowardly to say in public on their own. And his rallies give them license to express their hatred in a mob. Nasty people through and through.
5
Antisemitism in this county exists - and in surprising places. As a goy I know this first hand; I have been, numerous times, the fly on the wall. And said nothing. Because it would serve no purpose to do otherwise. As it would not with racism and all the other slurs on "the other", whoever they may happen to be.
Trump is probably a sociopath - or something very like it. We, all, are in danger from his man and from the Republican Party which, in the end, will support him.
Trump is probably a sociopath - or something very like it. We, all, are in danger from his man and from the Republican Party which, in the end, will support him.
15
It NEVER serves no purpose to stay silent; it merely enables the haters. Look at the history of the Third Reich. Many people knew what they were seeing was wrong and said NOTHING. Nobody would send you to Dachau for speaking up...until we become TrumpReich.
2
The caring and courageous speak up against bigotry. It can be done kindly and with a soft voice, especially when t has to be done to a naive but dear friend, but it must be done if the good of this world is to survive.
1
This article illustrates one of the reasons why every two weeks a sum of money is taken from my paycheck and sent directly to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
24
If Donald Trump even garners 15% of the popular vote in the general election it will be a truly sad commentary on the nature of the citizens of the US.
22
We have some truly, sad, unfortunate people living in our country. We've been much too complacent about them. They are a danger to each of us, personally, and to our country, as a whole.
13
As I fly back from visiting my daughter and family in Zambia, a 3rd world country in the eyes of many especially in America, I cannot help but fear I am on the verge of returning to what is fast becoming a 4th world bannana republic. The BBC is giving world attention to the Bathoom lawsuit and the stupidity of those running the Texas fear campaogn. Trump's rants are being transmitted ad nauseum on Sky News, BBC, and all over Africa.
If this is what a Trump nomination and non stop racist, anti semetic, anti Muslim anti Mexico, walls and guns and confrontations with the rest of the world is where Trump, by design or shallow stupidity is taking America, this ol Vietnam Vet will not be part of it.
But what is really scary is the current support and acceptance so many of the American voters are according and promoting this so hatefully and bald faced promotion of everything ugly and demeaning.
I fear we are heading headlong into what history will say is Amerca's repeat of Germany, circa 1932. This op ed only increases my fears.
If this is what a Trump nomination and non stop racist, anti semetic, anti Muslim anti Mexico, walls and guns and confrontations with the rest of the world is where Trump, by design or shallow stupidity is taking America, this ol Vietnam Vet will not be part of it.
But what is really scary is the current support and acceptance so many of the American voters are according and promoting this so hatefully and bald faced promotion of everything ugly and demeaning.
I fear we are heading headlong into what history will say is Amerca's repeat of Germany, circa 1932. This op ed only increases my fears.
27
Something is definitely wrong here in our nation, terribly wrong.
I believe it's all tied to inequality, and the very real belief among the masses that no one cares at all.
Empathy, decency, and concern for the future of mankind is barely alive; our government is now wholly owned by corporate America, and the military industrial alliance, whose raison d'etre is the accumulation of all the wealth on the planet, with specific emphasis on beggaring the masses, and reducing mankind to economic slavery.
I believe it's all tied to inequality, and the very real belief among the masses that no one cares at all.
Empathy, decency, and concern for the future of mankind is barely alive; our government is now wholly owned by corporate America, and the military industrial alliance, whose raison d'etre is the accumulation of all the wealth on the planet, with specific emphasis on beggaring the masses, and reducing mankind to economic slavery.
1
That an ugly anti-semitic, racist and misogynistic infection still afflicts the American soul is soul-sickening. That modern, anonymous forms of "communication" like Twitter allow the festering ids of these troglodytic cowards to come to light is a kind of blessing. We must see the signs of the the disease in order to treat and defeat it.
13
As I have previously mentioned in response to several NYT articles regarding Trump's followers, We should all watch"Look who's Back" on Netflix. It's a cautionary tale, based on a 2014 best seller book in Germany. I don't think I have to tell you who the "Who" is, who's back. It reads like the Trump playbook. The most chilling line in the movie is spoken by the "Who" in the title of the movie. He declares" We're going to make Germany great again!" I swear! This movie was made before Trump was even a bad dream! Please watch this.....tell your friends!
1
I've been a paleoconservative for a number of years. I do want to close the borders, deport illegal immigrants, pull out of international entanglements and pull up the drawbridge. I am voting for Donald Trump.
I also know no one else here will believe me, but I don't hate Jews, or anyone else, on the basis of their skin color, religious background, sexual preferences, etc. I genuinely believe that this is the right time for America to disengage after years of disastrous interventionism and trade policies that have only benefited Chamber of Commerce types, as well as demographic shifts that have only benefited the Democratic Party's electoral position. I'm not opposed to all immigration for all time, but I am opposed to mass, unchecked immigration.
So if you want to call this bigoted and exclusive, fine. I can't change the words you use and I'll never change my views just so people won't use certain words against me. But FWIW, I am sorry that thoughtful and reasonable discussion of these issues has become more or less impossible.
I also know no one else here will believe me, but I don't hate Jews, or anyone else, on the basis of their skin color, religious background, sexual preferences, etc. I genuinely believe that this is the right time for America to disengage after years of disastrous interventionism and trade policies that have only benefited Chamber of Commerce types, as well as demographic shifts that have only benefited the Democratic Party's electoral position. I'm not opposed to all immigration for all time, but I am opposed to mass, unchecked immigration.
So if you want to call this bigoted and exclusive, fine. I can't change the words you use and I'll never change my views just so people won't use certain words against me. But FWIW, I am sorry that thoughtful and reasonable discussion of these issues has become more or less impossible.
10
You proclaim your tolerance, and yet you're willing to walk into a voting booth and pull the lever for a man who's described millions of innocent Mexicans as criminals and rapists and would prevent people from entering this country purely on the basis of their religious beliefs. A man who's mocked women and the disabled. Germans in the 1930's were also able to rationalize their support for a man who stoked, exploited and encouraged fear- and hate-mongering against "undesirable" groups.
1
There are those, my self included who are very left leaning and who know that working class citizens have been left out to dry form the political elite of this country. Mostly from the Republicans at least since 1968 and more fully since 1980.
However there is a bit of responsibility on your part also. As the working class bolted from the Democrats in 1968 because of the push for social issues adopted at that time.
I do know that alot of working class people feel that they have no where to turn and no one really looking out for there interests. That i am afraid is by design by the elite in charge.
I do know that Donald will throw you under the bus and disappoint you as well. He cant help it he was born on third base and really believes he hit a triple. He is a master of TV manipulation and know just what to say.
I am sorry again but he is as much a part of the ruling elite as any Wall Streeter he just has a Way with words.
However there is a bit of responsibility on your part also. As the working class bolted from the Democrats in 1968 because of the push for social issues adopted at that time.
I do know that alot of working class people feel that they have no where to turn and no one really looking out for there interests. That i am afraid is by design by the elite in charge.
I do know that Donald will throw you under the bus and disappoint you as well. He cant help it he was born on third base and really believes he hit a triple. He is a master of TV manipulation and know just what to say.
I am sorry again but he is as much a part of the ruling elite as any Wall Streeter he just has a Way with words.
4
Joe, I do not hold those positions you do but maybe reasonable discussions could happen if the issues brought up originated with more compassion and understanding of the consequences. Instead , the standard-bearer of these ideas- Trump inflames them by his rhetoric with things like calling Mexican illegal immigrants "rapists" then following it with "And some, I assume, are good". He said he has no respect for American Pow's who are "losers" because they got caught.......This from a man who maybe Commander In Chief.
2
The vile forces of Fascism have indeed surfaced in America and they are as hateful and ugly as they were in Europe of the 1930's. Donald Trump, in his unending pathological quest for fame and power, has created a climate where hatred is thriving. If he has an ounce of human decency, he should speak out against this garbage now. In the meantime, I won't hold my breath.
12
The documentary "Night Will Fall" must be part of the curriculum in all US high schools. Even if Ethics can not be though (I believe, children although need right social environments and parental care, must ultimately have their own inner sense of the right an wrong- otherwise all wealthy, privileged, well brought up kids would have been ethical, which as we know, they are not) maybe one can make children think and learn facts about the consequences of unethical, intolerant, hateful conduct. But, with a bankrupted political system that values corporations more than human beings, I doubt this will ever happen. There are imbecilic forces still questioning Darwin and Evolution....Hatred, anti semitism, racism will, I am afraid will never be eradicated without educating kids.
5
Trump says he is smarter than Jon Stewart ? Not likely. Prove it Donald, debate Jon Stewart. Trump could run the debate as a fund raiser, I'd gladly pay $20 to watch!
17
Trump is a businessman, tireless-self promoter, and now presidential candidate; why would he debate an ex-late night TV comedian? I understand that many a young leftist relied on what was a comedy program (the subtle clue here is that the show aired on The Comedy Network) and not an actual news show on a news network. Would you ask Obama to debate Jerry Seinfeld? Probably not yet that is no more absurd than suggesting Trump should debate Stewart (who legally changed his name in 2001 so it is inaccurate and argumentative to refer of Trump to refer to him as Leibowitz in 2013). As to who is smarter, I am sure we will never know but a look at Jon Stewart’s educational achievements and professional life prior to comedy do not suggest an individual overly endowed with intellect.
1
I would have thought this is impossible. I see now it is not. It was good of you to write about it. People need to know.
12
It should be obvious to anybody that Mr. Trump doesn't hate Jews. The Donald just doesn't have any respect for anybody, and I mean that quite literally. He really doesn't care about anyone other than himself, and that includes his immediate family. He is the truly objective being, one who can turn it on and turn it off at will and use and discard where he sees fit. Deal with this man at your peril because I guarantee you as soon as he determines you are no longer useful to him you will be thrown aside without a second thought on his part. He is the last person to be troubled by any feelings because he simply doesn't have any.
27
Neo-Conservatism was a bet these guys are calling in.
Its sad they are acting this way and it is disgusting considering Ivanka and Jared's strong Jewish faith.
Robert Kagan and Bill Kristol are known for PNAC - perhaps these twitter guys should be looking at wars and neo-conservatism as their enemy?
Its sad they are acting this way and it is disgusting considering Ivanka and Jared's strong Jewish faith.
Robert Kagan and Bill Kristol are known for PNAC - perhaps these twitter guys should be looking at wars and neo-conservatism as their enemy?
4
What would Trump be saying if his daughter had not married a Jew?
7
Whoever or whatever or whatsoever ...?
Despicable and a failure of public discourse .
Certainly not an appropriate Politicum.
Despicable and a failure of public discourse .
Certainly not an appropriate Politicum.
I attended military school with Donald. A couple of times either his mother or mine drove us after weekends at home. D'ya think he knows I'm Jewish? Yup. One of my "friendly" nicknames was Johnny Jew Boy. Great way to attend high school... Fortunately, NYMA is tottering and now irrelevant.
478
yours is just the kind of first hand account that this nation needs to hear across the front pages! scream it, yell it, rant it...just let it be heard before its too late...thanks for sharing my friend
5
Thank you for sharing. This garbage NEEDS to be out there. I am not buying that they are hiding behind their anonymity and don't 'really' mean it. Hate is hate and they are EMPOWERED by the rise of Trump to spew it. I will not put up with it for one minute. I am sending your column to everyone I know and posting it on FB so people can see the ugliness of our 'fellow' Americans.
24
"Normies"? Sounds like 4chan or one if its clone websites.
2
Is Ari Fleischer actually comparing Black Lives Matter and Occupy with the neo-Nazi hate tweets? Seriously? And this guy had the ear of President Bush? Terrible.
Vote Democratic, even if you have to hold your nose to vote. But vote "D."
Vote Democratic, even if you have to hold your nose to vote. But vote "D."
53
Many First Amendment supporters cringe when they hear this stuff. Maybe we have come to a crossroads. Maybe we should realize that if history is not being taught in schools, some history is completely rewritten, then we should be aware of those who instill hate in others. But is Hateful Trump converting people or influencing people to hate others or is the hate there and he just is the poster guy for them? He is getting away with actually saying he could kill someone in front of everyone and they would still vote for them. I guess he believes like all elitists that the masses are so stupid they can be led to the slaughterhouse with a smile. Well I"m one of the masses and he does not pull a wool over my eyes. I don't believe that his hate spouting words will get him a win on voting day. Yes, we still have among us those who hate because if they did not their miserable lives would be too great to bear. Addiction to hate is alive and well but so is the other side and a new generation is taking notes. Mr. Weisman is right in leaving those words up, hiding them would only sweep under the rug that hate still exists. Here's the good news, Hateful Trump gang numbers are dwindling and we shall overcome.
175
When David Duke was in the run-off for Governor of Louisiana in 1991, I was living in Shreveport. There was a bomb threat against a Synagogue widely believed to have come from his supporters. I think these freaks are emboldened by hate becoming "main stream." All the more reason to blame Trump for his disgusting race-baiting.
To all of the Republicans who refuse to support Trump: You're on the right side of history.
To all of the Republicans who refuse to support Trump: You're on the right side of history.
9
The hate is there; Trump has made it permissible to express it with confidence.
IF he does win then America as we have known it is dead.
Excuse me, but is anybody else out there, outside the limits my little lakeside collegetown, really really really really really really really really really really really really really scared by Donald Trump, and by the many voters who apparently trust this sleazy, unkind, bankrupt, irresponsible man?
35
Yes. All over. We're scared this could come to pass.
10
Yes. We're very, very scared. He has the nomination. Clinton is a flawed candidate, and Bernie is making things very difficult for her. It's his right, but I think he is delusional if he thinks he has a chance in the general election, and it wouldn't surprise me if some of his younger followers just stay home. The Republicans are falling in line behind Trump. (They have no shame.)
Trump is a special nightmare. (The other Republicans were horrible too.)
Trump is a special nightmare. (The other Republicans were horrible too.)
2
Mr. Weisman, have no doubts that bringing this execrable bigotry into the light was and is the right thing to do. Most of us, or so I hope, don't frequent the bigotry and fascism websites, nor do we receive the hate mail. Everyone needs to know this is happening, and further, that Trump is fomenting it. Bigotry is an irrational impulse and consequently it's immune to the arguments of reasonable people. Please keep spreading the word, and I am sorry you have to be in the position of doing so.
429
I have to say the media is somewhat complicit. In an attempt to appear balanced, they soft pedal criticism of Trump giving him a pass on his puerile behavior, his statements supporting violence, and his outright bigotry. By attempting to draw parallels between the left and the right, the press is failing to do its job. They have abandoned truth for political relativism.
31
I sympathize with all who have suffered from the hatred flowing through the veins of the Trump campaign. This is not just the way his supporters emanate their hatred for their fellow Americans that distubs me, but more so the fact that Trump has ignited this evil in his supporters veins and is proud of it. It is time all Americans wake up and heed the warning of German Pastor Niemoeller lest no American will be there to defend those last on Trump's Hate List. Get registered and cast our ballots in November to not only defeat Trump and all his political defenders, but also those in his party who willingly jumped on his bandwagon, as they should have been courageous enough to say "NO!" Should The Donald become President, they to will be on his Hate List should he wish so.
6
As a service to its readers, many of whom like myself are old enough to still recall several Presidents who provided good and devoted service to the country, I think it would be a good idea for the Times to begin helping its readers recover from Donald Trump phenomenon and the dreadful election season he has inflicted upon us.
What we need, beginning today, is a great deal of less news about Donald Trump.
What I specifically have in mind is a special edition of the paper, one that is printed and distributed each day for readers of the Times who are unable to stomach the man.
This account of the day’s news and opinions would never mention the man’s name, his joys, his woes, his highs or his lows, thus negating even the possibility that they might one day become second nature to us now like breathing out and breathing in.
I would pay the Times another buck a day to receive this edited version of the Times, but I don’t want it to be just an ordinary copy of the paper with text and pictures about him whited out. That would be too depressing to look at each day. What I need is a Times edited to make it appear that the man never existed.
For readers of the Times not able to afford the extra one buck to see him completely eliminated, the Times ought to gradually reduce its coverage of the man each day until the election, so that the job of removing him from the planet will be virtually accomplished by the time Mrs. Clinton takes office.
Please do this.
What we need, beginning today, is a great deal of less news about Donald Trump.
What I specifically have in mind is a special edition of the paper, one that is printed and distributed each day for readers of the Times who are unable to stomach the man.
This account of the day’s news and opinions would never mention the man’s name, his joys, his woes, his highs or his lows, thus negating even the possibility that they might one day become second nature to us now like breathing out and breathing in.
I would pay the Times another buck a day to receive this edited version of the Times, but I don’t want it to be just an ordinary copy of the paper with text and pictures about him whited out. That would be too depressing to look at each day. What I need is a Times edited to make it appear that the man never existed.
For readers of the Times not able to afford the extra one buck to see him completely eliminated, the Times ought to gradually reduce its coverage of the man each day until the election, so that the job of removing him from the planet will be virtually accomplished by the time Mrs. Clinton takes office.
Please do this.
9
We cannot solve the problems we ignore
144
The more attention that is paid to Mr. Trump between now and November, the more likely it becomes that he will be placing his hand on the Bible on Inauguration Day.
2
Anti-Semitism is a disease that returns if certain conditions exist, like polio, ebola, the plague. It is always latent, waiting for some demagogue to fan the impotent rage of men into full blown hatred. The basic characters and players remain constant and only their names change.
However, the first Jews arrived in New Amsterdam nearly 400 years ago in 1624 and, in that regard, probably have a more legitimate claim to be "nativist" than Trump's "true" Americans, but demonstrate the tact and good taste not to do so.
However, the first Jews arrived in New Amsterdam nearly 400 years ago in 1624 and, in that regard, probably have a more legitimate claim to be "nativist" than Trump's "true" Americans, but demonstrate the tact and good taste not to do so.
12
Our society has evolved to the point where this kind of bald-faced hatred is not tolerated. We shame the anti-Semites, the racists, the misogynists and homophobes, telling them there is no place for their voice in the national dialogue, that their bigotry is no longer a part of our value system. And I think that's important: Shame is what stops these vile human beings from spewing their toxic filth, infecting the younger generations among whom that kind of hatred has largely been eradicated. Shame is also what might give some of them pause and question their beliefs.
But when such popular figures—the contender to the highest office in the world no less!—allow it to go unchecked, even facilitate it and engage in it, it becomes normalized; the shame disappears, the hate disseminates and germinates, and we as a society take a massive step backwards.
But when such popular figures—the contender to the highest office in the world no less!—allow it to go unchecked, even facilitate it and engage in it, it becomes normalized; the shame disappears, the hate disseminates and germinates, and we as a society take a massive step backwards.
9
Hate is always brewing below the surface. Your fooling yourself if you think it's not there.
3
Very true, Michael Johnson. Awhile back I was searching for performance clips of various productions of a particular show, to compare. (For instance, there are more than a dozen clips of the opening number of Cabaret, 'Wilkommen', on YouTube.) That time, I was looking for clips from productions of 'Parade,' Jason Robert Brown's musical drama about the Leo Frank case to which Mr Weisman refers. I tried several different sets of search terms. What came up for 'Leo Frank' startled and sickened me. A hundred years later - when Frank's innocence and the identity of the real culprit who raped and murdered Mary Phagan is 99.99% definite (a black janitor who was a key prosecution witness at Frank's trial) - the devil that hanged him in his cell after the governor had commuted his sentence marches on.
3
As horrible as it is to read this, it's best to know that there ar people out there who are so anti-Semitic that they are not reluctant, not shameful, even proud, to write such hateful thoughts.
So we know what the stakes are in this election. Any candidate, any politician, any official who does not denounce these words forfeits the right to be taken seriously. Donald Trump should be called upon to denounce these words. If he does not do this, he reveals himself as a bigot and an encourager of bigotry.
The centuries-long persistence of anti-semitism is horrifying.
So we know what the stakes are in this election. Any candidate, any politician, any official who does not denounce these words forfeits the right to be taken seriously. Donald Trump should be called upon to denounce these words. If he does not do this, he reveals himself as a bigot and an encourager of bigotry.
The centuries-long persistence of anti-semitism is horrifying.
5
You can be sure I will share this with my high school students as an example of the dangers of anonymity that the internet and cellphones not only allow and tolerate but encourage. Evil, cruelty, racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, homophobic taunts--all can be posted and reposted again and agin in this cyber netherworld. As much as we all admire the First Amendment, there is this part that makes my skin crawl. Social media is easily perverted into themes heinous propaganda and then we throw our hands up and say "what now?" This will be good to discuss with students...but in the meantime, what do we do with this unleashed monster? The ugliness of it is stupefying.
7
Trump's election will embolden his racist, bigoted, ignorant followers to unleash violence on anyone who dares to disagree with their leader or who is not the right color or ethnicity or religion or sexual orientation or gender identity or... Trump has already promised to pay the legal bills for anyone who commits violence against protesters. Imagine if Trump gets installed in the most powerful position in the world. Too many people are pooh-poohing the threat. It can happen here and it will if you elect Trump.
12
This is sickening. How are we allowing this to happen?
As first a foreigner and now an immigrant who has always looked up to the United States, I am so disappointed, because the US used to be the beacon of morality and hope to those of us who are from countries in which such things are but a rumor. Americans should not take it lightly that they will most certainly lose this position in the world. It should be a time of great reckoning.
As first a foreigner and now an immigrant who has always looked up to the United States, I am so disappointed, because the US used to be the beacon of morality and hope to those of us who are from countries in which such things are but a rumor. Americans should not take it lightly that they will most certainly lose this position in the world. It should be a time of great reckoning.
6
This is truly horrifying, and illustrates more vividly than anything I've read so far the extent to which Trump's campaign is built on hate, fear, and division. The only acceptable response to this garbage is complete and unequivocal rejection.
9
Who is more dangerous, the active and vocal anti-semites and racists that Trump has authorized or the prevaricators and fellow-travelers who excuse his actions and rhetoric? I have known that the former have long subsisted in the dark and dirty corners of American society. But I've actually been a little bit surprised at how ubiquitous the latter are. My sense is that they feel they can use Trump, benefit from his popularity, but curb his excesses if he gains power. They are wrong. The tiger that he is provoking will still have to be fed once it's out of the cage, and he will, not only keep feeding it, but do so with relish.
5
Should Trump win (God forbid...) we can expect these people to be even more emboldened, certainly verbally and perhaps in actions. The real question then is, what would a President Trump do? Would he enforce the law or would he either ignore it, or worse, spur it on.
I truly fear for the future of the Republic.
I truly fear for the future of the Republic.
6
Trump may not be anti-semitic, but he is admired for saying what's on his mind, no matter how politically incorrect, cruel or flat our wrong. Thanks to Trump, language that was once unacceptable in campaigns is now completely normal and even applauded by those who marvel at his strength and skill at manipulating the media. Like clockwork, he dishes out fresh insults of women and minorities throughout the day. He has given cover to neo-Nazis, misogynists, and racists. Just listen to Morning Joe on MSNCB and cringe as the panelist admire his "political skill" and teflon skin, rather than declare his behavior disqualifying. Just watch as nearly the entire GOP surrenders to the charlatan they loathed only a month ago. With the help of the media and establishment he supposedly hates, Trump has made normal and expected what was once considered unacceptable and even obscene.
10
Even though what the author describes is disturbing, I've come to the opinion that the Trump phenomenon, regardless of whether he wins or loses, will have a positive, clarifying effect on this country.
Black people have always preferred overt racists to the closet variety, because at least then, one knows one's enemy. Same thing here.
If half--or hopefully slightly less than half--of the electorate is willing to vote for this joke of a human being, then maybe we can come to grips with what this country is truly about at long last.
Nevertheless, my spirits are buoyed by Obama's historic two-term presidency, which proved that at least half the country has half a brain.
Black people have always preferred overt racists to the closet variety, because at least then, one knows one's enemy. Same thing here.
If half--or hopefully slightly less than half--of the electorate is willing to vote for this joke of a human being, then maybe we can come to grips with what this country is truly about at long last.
Nevertheless, my spirits are buoyed by Obama's historic two-term presidency, which proved that at least half the country has half a brain.
8
I grew up in suburban NY, attended two Ivies, worked in banking and raised my family in one of the most elite towns in my state, if not the country.
In every place I have lived, studied and worked, I have heard anti-Semitic remarks from teachers, co-workers, neighbors, peers, real estate agents, etc. most likely because of my neutral name and Northern European appearance.
Anti-semitism has never gone away and will never go away.
In every place I have lived, studied and worked, I have heard anti-Semitic remarks from teachers, co-workers, neighbors, peers, real estate agents, etc. most likely because of my neutral name and Northern European appearance.
Anti-semitism has never gone away and will never go away.
17
I'm sorry, Mr. Weisman, that you have to experience the vitriol coming from such grotesquely small minds. Trump may claim that he has not said any anti-semitic thing directly but these are his followers; and, if he has a shred of decency he should address them head on and say that this is unacceptable.
And, for those verbally contorting themselves to justify each new descent into vulgarity I would ask, "At what point do you draw the line?" Trump has made incestuous, racist, sexist and misogynistic remarks and each one has been explained away. Does this barrel even have a bottom?
I never want to hear the term "family values" again from conservatives who have given Trump the license to sink to any depth he chooses in this election season.
And, for those verbally contorting themselves to justify each new descent into vulgarity I would ask, "At what point do you draw the line?" Trump has made incestuous, racist, sexist and misogynistic remarks and each one has been explained away. Does this barrel even have a bottom?
I never want to hear the term "family values" again from conservatives who have given Trump the license to sink to any depth he chooses in this election season.
756
Trump didn't say this stuff himself any more than Christie said: "Let's create some traffic problems in Fort Lee." What Trump (and Christie) did was create an environment in which the minions feel empowered to say and do things that a true leader would never tolerate...and think they are pleasing the boss.
2
Not only is t-rump a white supremacist, he is a bully and a troll and a twit.
2
I'm a holocaust survivor's son. There will always be sociological cancer to plague the rational, the tolerant, and the kind of heart.
Religious extremism, along with atheistic extremism (in the form of bigotry of all kinds) is as sick as ISIS. The degree to which Herr Trump has unleashed the crazies is sad indeed. Those of us with intelligence, education, and rationality will forever be fighting against the forces of fear, xenophobia, and hatred- even if we make it to other planets. Cancer, it seems, tags along the human project in both physical and metaphysical realms.
Wars will be fought, but the march towards an evolved state of loving consciousness must continue. We can only hope to moderate the cancer lest it consume us all. I have faith that we will overcome and man will evolve to the stars and beyond.
Trump and his ilk is a disease that, like Ebola or smallpox, we may one day fully control and set aside, knowing that anti-biotic resistant strains remain a risk in the universe as we know it.
Religious extremism, along with atheistic extremism (in the form of bigotry of all kinds) is as sick as ISIS. The degree to which Herr Trump has unleashed the crazies is sad indeed. Those of us with intelligence, education, and rationality will forever be fighting against the forces of fear, xenophobia, and hatred- even if we make it to other planets. Cancer, it seems, tags along the human project in both physical and metaphysical realms.
Wars will be fought, but the march towards an evolved state of loving consciousness must continue. We can only hope to moderate the cancer lest it consume us all. I have faith that we will overcome and man will evolve to the stars and beyond.
Trump and his ilk is a disease that, like Ebola or smallpox, we may one day fully control and set aside, knowing that anti-biotic resistant strains remain a risk in the universe as we know it.
225
Just a note about atheists (I happen to be one, with a slight mystical flavour, but as a seeker have a lot of sympathy with a variety of religions, including an intimate familiarity with the fine teachings of Jesus, which Christians should review, the gospels being short, repetitive, and clear).
They are among the most ethical and thoughtful people I've known all my life.
One reason we push sometimes is because atheism until recently, and even still, has been stigmatized and attacked and persecuted. There are many public offices that cannot be held by Atheists (the West Wing notwithstanding). We practice tolerance, even the angry ones.
It ill befits anyone talking of persecution to exclude us.
They are among the most ethical and thoughtful people I've known all my life.
One reason we push sometimes is because atheism until recently, and even still, has been stigmatized and attacked and persecuted. There are many public offices that cannot be held by Atheists (the West Wing notwithstanding). We practice tolerance, even the angry ones.
It ill befits anyone talking of persecution to exclude us.
In a country of 300 million people, we already know that cyberspace has very dark corners--think child pornography, human trafficking and other noxious and illegal trade, the worst sort of racist, sexist screed from all sides.
That the anonymity of the media empowers those lurking in these corners or draws out the worst of those on the margins isn't surprising. But I suspect that a few hundred or even a thousand ugly tweets is just the amplification of a statistically insignificant minority and not representative of some larger movement underway.
It is also a logical fallacy to think that because a certain type of anti-Semite is found in the Trump contingent that this is reflective of him or his backers more broadly. After all, the BDS movement houses many an anti-Semite also, yet their support of Hillary or Bernie seems not to require a blanket condemnation.
That the anonymity of the media empowers those lurking in these corners or draws out the worst of those on the margins isn't surprising. But I suspect that a few hundred or even a thousand ugly tweets is just the amplification of a statistically insignificant minority and not representative of some larger movement underway.
It is also a logical fallacy to think that because a certain type of anti-Semite is found in the Trump contingent that this is reflective of him or his backers more broadly. After all, the BDS movement houses many an anti-Semite also, yet their support of Hillary or Bernie seems not to require a blanket condemnation.
7
In previous posts, both here and elsewhere, I have stated that Trump is incapable of containing the filth, bile, and vicious bigotry he has deliberately ginned up and stoked, all in fealty to his massively insecure, deficient ego. We cannot be surprised that he fails to condemn such behavior, instead blithely attributing it to his "passionate supporters," as if that passion somehow ameliorated the evil swirling around this appalling, putrid, ignorant boor of a man. What is far worse is the fawning sycophancy of the Republican establishment, for whom absolute power "Trumps" everything else - their manifest failure and refusal to condemn such bile is truly terrifying. Like others here, I have personally experienced more than my share of anti-Semitism over the years, both overt and covert, and it should chill anyone with a scintilla of conscience, morality and integrity to their very bones. I condemn the entire Republican party for its contemptible cowardice and craven pandering to their worst, racist, xenophobic, bigoted base. Donald Trump is their very own monster - it is up to them to destroy him.
9
It figures. One of the weaknesses of the political demigod who thinks that they can pick and chose their nativist targets for their followers, are often times surprised themselves at the blow back from their raciest skeerds. Take the GOP patron Saint Ronny Reagan, for instance. When he was first running for President Reagan kicked his campaign off by making appearances at Skokie, IL-Site of white riots , which were ostensibly focused on bussing black students into their all-white enclaves, in and around the Chicago suburbs. Reagan's speeches at that time, as I recall, were full of the same type of winks and nods to the White Power movement that had began to reemerge following the efforts of Jimmy Carter, to put teeth into the Voting Rights laws in the South and Northern Rust Belt. Although perhaps the most racist and classist President of the modern era, Reagan became concerned over the divisions in society that his earlier actions helped create during his watch, and was in fact coerced into signing sanctions on South African Apartheid, renewal of the Voting Rights Act and instituting the Martin Luther King National holiday. But as we know today, Reagan's late blooming concerns for instigating divisions in the American Dream came a little too late, and were certainly too small in effect.
4
Some of the worst anti-Semitism is taking place on American college campuses, where the demand for "safe spaces" is accorded to everyone but Jewish students. Anti-Semitic students are storming Hillel events, the Jewish students' organization; they storm lectures by visiting Israeli speakers (including Arab Israelis who support Israel). They employ sterotypical images of Jews with hooked noses and carrying money bags. They claim Israelis have killed 5 million Palestinians and the rest of the ignorant student body doesn't know any better. It's just a matter of time until Jews are murdered on campus for being Jews.
16
Jonathan,
I have far less fear of the Trump supporters than I do of the Wills, Hannitys , O'Reillys and Walkers. I lived much of my life in amongst the Trump people. They know the roles they are supposed to play and who is writing the script.
They know that Winthrop W. Wallstreet the Third who is screaming about beaners and threatening deportation on Wednesday may be the Masked Avenger Tito El Toro Martinez on Thursday speaking in Spanish and railing against the gringos who stole our land and corrupted our culture.
Yes there are are antiSemites out there and I have lived in small communities throughout the US and Canada where the citizens may still not believe I never had horns. Donald Trump is their choir master and the nice thing about World Wrestling Entertainment is you don't have to think about your part.
I worry about the collapse of the American economy and who the captains of industry will blame for the disaster. I worry about the AEI and its 50 years of practice scapegoating liberals and intellectuals for the 50 year decline of America's working class. I worry about the media that has always repeated the party line.
It was Wlliam F. Buckley Sr's children who burned the croos in front of a Jewish resort in 1937. It was the elite of American society who sponsored the Bunds and later on the McCarthy witch hunt.
In 2016 Trump is ALL theater, I am fearful of 2020 when it may be a Cruz in command. If democracy and a shared prosperity returns we Jews will prosper.
I have far less fear of the Trump supporters than I do of the Wills, Hannitys , O'Reillys and Walkers. I lived much of my life in amongst the Trump people. They know the roles they are supposed to play and who is writing the script.
They know that Winthrop W. Wallstreet the Third who is screaming about beaners and threatening deportation on Wednesday may be the Masked Avenger Tito El Toro Martinez on Thursday speaking in Spanish and railing against the gringos who stole our land and corrupted our culture.
Yes there are are antiSemites out there and I have lived in small communities throughout the US and Canada where the citizens may still not believe I never had horns. Donald Trump is their choir master and the nice thing about World Wrestling Entertainment is you don't have to think about your part.
I worry about the collapse of the American economy and who the captains of industry will blame for the disaster. I worry about the AEI and its 50 years of practice scapegoating liberals and intellectuals for the 50 year decline of America's working class. I worry about the media that has always repeated the party line.
It was Wlliam F. Buckley Sr's children who burned the croos in front of a Jewish resort in 1937. It was the elite of American society who sponsored the Bunds and later on the McCarthy witch hunt.
In 2016 Trump is ALL theater, I am fearful of 2020 when it may be a Cruz in command. If democracy and a shared prosperity returns we Jews will prosper.
6
If the time isn't now to take such anti-Semitism, whether casual or dangerous, seriously, then please tell us when.
436
My serious response is, 'yesterday.'
2
Faced with selecting the ugliest component of this article, I'm at a loss. Is it the ugliness spewed from the mouth of the candidate himself? Is it the unleashing - nay, PERMISSIVENESS - of the anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, anti-ad infinitum Pandora's Box of hate? Is it the failure of anyone, really, ANYONE, to put a muzzle on this tufted would-be dictator?
I'm deeply saddened, sickened, and disappointed that Jonathan Weisman, Julia Ioffe, and no doubt countless others have been on the receiving end of this. I'm similarly affected when I see how easy it is for the Tufted One's minions to parade Holocaust imagery. Three weeks ago, I walked in under "Arbeit Macht Frei," and I realized how lucky I was to walk back out. I saw the horrors (and "horrors" is not a word that does it justice) of what happened in those camps. That people can toss casual references to this and think it's OK is beyond comprehension. I point a finger at Twitter, which has made it all too easy for haters, ignoramuses, and vile people in general to hide behind clever (or not so clever) anonymous monikers and spew forth all day.
Speak up, decent people of the world. Help make it stop. We're better than this.
I'm deeply saddened, sickened, and disappointed that Jonathan Weisman, Julia Ioffe, and no doubt countless others have been on the receiving end of this. I'm similarly affected when I see how easy it is for the Tufted One's minions to parade Holocaust imagery. Three weeks ago, I walked in under "Arbeit Macht Frei," and I realized how lucky I was to walk back out. I saw the horrors (and "horrors" is not a word that does it justice) of what happened in those camps. That people can toss casual references to this and think it's OK is beyond comprehension. I point a finger at Twitter, which has made it all too easy for haters, ignoramuses, and vile people in general to hide behind clever (or not so clever) anonymous monikers and spew forth all day.
Speak up, decent people of the world. Help make it stop. We're better than this.
1003
The muzzle for this potential dictator is the General Election. America needs to show itself and the world that Trump and his followers will not triumph here; not now, not ever. Beat them in the election and then let them whine away their hatred in the darkness of their own soul.
3
"That people can toss casual references to this and think it's OK is beyond comprehension."
I agree with all you say here. The one part I want to comment on is the sentence above. Many of these "people" don't merely think it is ok to make casual reference to the Holocaust. No, Charlemagne, many of these "things" are true hardcore Jew-hating beasts, just like their predecessors of the Nazi regime. Maybe Trump has done us a favor. He has flushed them from their lairs. It is up to us now to deal with them, not to just get them to skulk back into their holes. If they commit crime, the government must prosecute them. If they threaten us or anyone else, let us find the means to break them.
I agree with all you say here. The one part I want to comment on is the sentence above. Many of these "people" don't merely think it is ok to make casual reference to the Holocaust. No, Charlemagne, many of these "things" are true hardcore Jew-hating beasts, just like their predecessors of the Nazi regime. Maybe Trump has done us a favor. He has flushed them from their lairs. It is up to us now to deal with them, not to just get them to skulk back into their holes. If they commit crime, the government must prosecute them. If they threaten us or anyone else, let us find the means to break them.
1
You stop this by burying Donald Trump under a mountain of votes. This means that all our republican friends need to stop voting for party regardless of the candidate.
2
What upsets me most about Trump even as a subject at this point, is the immediate effect on my own state of mind toward anger, sadness and disgust. Early on I could "not help" checking all of the articles out of curiosity; attention is the motive of children, but remarkable what destructive effects are possible in today's forum... This person has done a great deal of harm to the weakest audience, already, and it is possible much worse is to follow...
35
I am horrified, but not surprised. That Trump is this hateful , this much of a bigot, this much of a malevolent fool has been known since he first opened his mouth. The only way to stop it is to stop him
105
Being able to speak to large numbers of people anonymously brings out the worst in people. I am often tempted to fire back. The only way I found to avoid entertaining my vicious side is to use my actual name when adding my 2 cents.
34
An episode of This American Life from 2015 dealt with this phenomenon. A writer contacted the hate-filled misogynists who had responded to her essays. It's shocking how so many of these people almost immediately rescind their comments and apologize once they actually speak to the target of their abuse. Not surprisingly, they often seem to be deeply unhappy with their own lives.
TAL episode: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/545/if-you-dont-h...
TAL episode: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/545/if-you-dont-h...
6
Thank you for this article, which exposes the price that journalists are paying by working in the age of Twitter: personal abuse and death threats.
If the NY Times requires or encourages its journalists to maintain a twitter account, understanding that such an account exposes its journalists to abuse and death threats, then this requirement or encouragement facilitates that abuse.
Female ESPN reporters are encouraged to have twitter accounts, meaning that they need to read vicious tweets urging their rape and murder.
http://espn.go.com/espnw/voices/article/15412369/women-sports-media-igno...
I think the NY Times, ESPN, and other such media organizations, if they are requiring or even encouraging twitter accounts among their journalists, would do everyone who values journalism a service if each organization hired an individual whose job it would be to clean the twitter feeds of abuse before they are published and before the journalists read them. Each abusive tweet should be reported to Twitter so the associated account can be deleted. Quickly these trolls, seeing that their efforts **to intimidate journalists** are entirely frustrated, will stop wasting their time. Just as they rarely waste time posting to the NY Times comments.
Please, Mr. Weisman, I admire your courage. If you must, keep your current account as a record. But I would encourage you to establish a new Twitter account that the Times would keep clean of abuse. Journalism would benefit.
If the NY Times requires or encourages its journalists to maintain a twitter account, understanding that such an account exposes its journalists to abuse and death threats, then this requirement or encouragement facilitates that abuse.
Female ESPN reporters are encouraged to have twitter accounts, meaning that they need to read vicious tweets urging their rape and murder.
http://espn.go.com/espnw/voices/article/15412369/women-sports-media-igno...
I think the NY Times, ESPN, and other such media organizations, if they are requiring or even encouraging twitter accounts among their journalists, would do everyone who values journalism a service if each organization hired an individual whose job it would be to clean the twitter feeds of abuse before they are published and before the journalists read them. Each abusive tweet should be reported to Twitter so the associated account can be deleted. Quickly these trolls, seeing that their efforts **to intimidate journalists** are entirely frustrated, will stop wasting their time. Just as they rarely waste time posting to the NY Times comments.
Please, Mr. Weisman, I admire your courage. If you must, keep your current account as a record. But I would encourage you to establish a new Twitter account that the Times would keep clean of abuse. Journalism would benefit.
34
RM - What would removing the hatred from sight accomplish? Even if the volume diminished because the reactions was not there, the sentiment that inspired it would still be alive.
I think it is better to expose it than cover it up. I thank Mr. Weisman for this courageous article, and I encourage other recipients of this kind of vileness to speak up as well. Put it all on the front page of the NYT's every day, instead of the breathless (and free) coverage of every inanity of DT's campaign.
I think it is better to expose it than cover it up. I thank Mr. Weisman for this courageous article, and I encourage other recipients of this kind of vileness to speak up as well. Put it all on the front page of the NYT's every day, instead of the breathless (and free) coverage of every inanity of DT's campaign.
1
I have been a journalist, Nancy. Four reasons.
1. I cannot imagine, as a condition of employment, having to come to work every day to the nastiest, most brutal, most offensive threats directed at me personally. You are undoubtedly a very strong and principled individual, and I respect that. But please imagine the chronic stress if you had to face death threats or rape threats featuring your photograph every day. An employer who expected you to "suck it up" and ignore such threats is in fact requiring you to suffer a very hostile work environment, especially given the alternative I presented above.
2. No matter how courageous journalists are, you must perceive the disincentive to provide honest coverage of Trump if the journalists know that they will be victimized on Twitter. Indeed, Trump seems to be counting on this, having unleashed the same on almost any public figure who criticizes him, journalist or not. This is a huge disincentive to reporting on Trump. We need more honest reporting of Trump, not less.
3. Removal of these abusive posts before they are seen by the journalist or the public will cause the trolls to stop. Putting the troll comments on the front page of the NY Times would be the best incentive to more and more abusive trolling.
4. All of us would again be willing to follow Mr. Weisman on Twitter, and not just those with a very strong stomach. In short, his Twitter feed would serve his purpose, and not that of the trolls.
1. I cannot imagine, as a condition of employment, having to come to work every day to the nastiest, most brutal, most offensive threats directed at me personally. You are undoubtedly a very strong and principled individual, and I respect that. But please imagine the chronic stress if you had to face death threats or rape threats featuring your photograph every day. An employer who expected you to "suck it up" and ignore such threats is in fact requiring you to suffer a very hostile work environment, especially given the alternative I presented above.
2. No matter how courageous journalists are, you must perceive the disincentive to provide honest coverage of Trump if the journalists know that they will be victimized on Twitter. Indeed, Trump seems to be counting on this, having unleashed the same on almost any public figure who criticizes him, journalist or not. This is a huge disincentive to reporting on Trump. We need more honest reporting of Trump, not less.
3. Removal of these abusive posts before they are seen by the journalist or the public will cause the trolls to stop. Putting the troll comments on the front page of the NY Times would be the best incentive to more and more abusive trolling.
4. All of us would again be willing to follow Mr. Weisman on Twitter, and not just those with a very strong stomach. In short, his Twitter feed would serve his purpose, and not that of the trolls.
1
RM, thank you for your reply. I was insensitive in not considering the toll such unrelenting attacks would have on a journalist or anyone in the public eye for that matter. Your four points are well taken.
I do not participate in social media, and frankly cannot understand why anyone does. If a twitter or FB presence is a requirement of employment, then you are right, the employer has an obligation to protect/support their employee from the harm such presence may do, and not make vulnerability to personal attack a condition of employment.
However, Mr. Weisman's article was a surprise to me, as I am sure it would be to a great number of people who live more private lives. I am incensed by what he reports, and I think many more people would be if they were aware of it.
The hate filled trolls may stop somewhat when their targets are unresponsive, but that doesn't mean the hate goes away, it would just go more underground to fester in the little circle that bred it in the first place. Perhaps that would be enough - do you think so?
Given his utterances I had a dim view of anyone who supports DT, but this was a revelation. That Mr. Trump has not repudiated these views and this behaviour is very telling. I am glad that Mr. Weisman wrote this article, and would still like to see some sort of wider reporting of it's presence at least in the context of this election.
I do not participate in social media, and frankly cannot understand why anyone does. If a twitter or FB presence is a requirement of employment, then you are right, the employer has an obligation to protect/support their employee from the harm such presence may do, and not make vulnerability to personal attack a condition of employment.
However, Mr. Weisman's article was a surprise to me, as I am sure it would be to a great number of people who live more private lives. I am incensed by what he reports, and I think many more people would be if they were aware of it.
The hate filled trolls may stop somewhat when their targets are unresponsive, but that doesn't mean the hate goes away, it would just go more underground to fester in the little circle that bred it in the first place. Perhaps that would be enough - do you think so?
Given his utterances I had a dim view of anyone who supports DT, but this was a revelation. That Mr. Trump has not repudiated these views and this behaviour is very telling. I am glad that Mr. Weisman wrote this article, and would still like to see some sort of wider reporting of it's presence at least in the context of this election.
Anti-antisemitism will never disappear, but the dumbing down of America and our education system is creating a populace who doesn't even know enough history to realize they may be repeating it.
198
Clearly Trump cannot be permitted to become President. And any Republican elected official who supports him needs to be defeated as well. Sinclair Lewis's novel "It Can't Happen Here" is required reading this summer.
164
Thank you for publishing this, Jonathan - I say this even though it made me physically sick to read it. We need to remember what is at stake in this election - to choose Donald Trump as president does not mean merely empowering him, but all those who cower in the protection of his shadow, making their presence known through emails like the ones you and others have received. A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for the hatred he decries yet provokes.
1552
Indeed, what is really at stake is the idea of allowing democracy to spread hate. We have to stop democracy from working or else we'll lose it! And by "we" I mean those of us who deserve to rule others because we are morally good.
6
Yes, this was no doubt hard to write down and harder to publish. Thank you. But why is this material not aired, in substantial and unalduterated doses, at every media interview of not only Trump but also prominent Republican officials? Why should it be dealt with by the victims in terms of private and personal wounds, as it seems to be here? This should be all over the news, not the personal column space.
2
What worries me is what will happen when he does lose (because I refuse to believe that a majority of voters are that stupid/evil/whatever to let him reach the White House), now that these pathetic excuses for human beings have become emboldened.
2
It's despicable that Mr. Weisman blames Trump for any of this. It's completely unethical for a so-called journalist to blame someone for having their name hijacked by an anonymous bigot.
7
Easy solution: Mr. Trump should forcefully criticize such ugliness. But how would that square with his campaign against p.c.?
33
Why despicable to report this abuse and attribute it to Trump?
We need to know that this hatred is resurging in our country and that the leading Republican candidate for president, whose supporters are perpetrating the venom, is not denouncing or renouncing their views. He actually feeds them so they feel free to spew their hate, knowing their new leader who won't condemn them might lead the nation and protect them from consequences.
Sickening, indeed. And Trump doesn't care.
We need to know that this hatred is resurging in our country and that the leading Republican candidate for president, whose supporters are perpetrating the venom, is not denouncing or renouncing their views. He actually feeds them so they feel free to spew their hate, knowing their new leader who won't condemn them might lead the nation and protect them from consequences.
Sickening, indeed. And Trump doesn't care.
20
You are ignoring the fact that Donald Trump has encouraged this kind of communication, by using it himself, by refusing to repudiate those who do (or delaying that repudiation), by offering to pay legal bills of people who use hate speech and violence. Are these acts invisible to you? The author is stating - correctly - that this encourages others to behave similarly, and allows them to feel protected in doing so.
14
If you join in support of the Southern Poverty Law Center you will receive regular updates on the nightmarish intolerance that is all too common in our country and also the heroic efforts that combat it. Just a suggestion.
66
Thank goodness there exists an organization that can tell me what is happening on Twitter especially if I disapprove of it.
1
Never again, never forget. The age old specter of exclusion and persecution still is there, not far under the surface of American society. There will always be those malcontents who look for a scapegoat for their own misfortune and shortcomings - those are the blatant bigots - but it also lingers in the rarefied society of the WASP well to do. The beast sleeps, but abides.
24
If we really don't want Nazis to triumph again, we'd better get moving on preventing a Trump presidency, by any means necessary.
1
We may even have to setup a system of camps to force these bigoted monsters into.
2
Can we just turn off Twitter for the duration of the year? What purpose does it serve?
28
Year? Your second sentence calls for a permanent outage.
The problem with any of the technology that we are awash in is that zero forethought goes into the ramifications of it's creation. The lowest common denominator of society sure knows where to take IT, once they get their hands on IT. Whatever IT is.
The problem with any of the technology that we are awash in is that zero forethought goes into the ramifications of it's creation. The lowest common denominator of society sure knows where to take IT, once they get their hands on IT. Whatever IT is.
That small men, like those spewing their racist filth at Mr. Weisman, are attracted to bullies like Donald Trump is nothing new. His "tell it like it is" brand of lying makes them feel powerful, makes them feel like they belong, makes them feel less guilty about being the fearful, wretches that they are.
While no politician can possibly be held responsible for the opinions or actions of all their supporters, it is fair to judge a politician for activating and legitimizing the beliefs of those whose world view is based on hate for his own political gain. Trump is certainly guilty of that.
While no politician can possibly be held responsible for the opinions or actions of all their supporters, it is fair to judge a politician for activating and legitimizing the beliefs of those whose world view is based on hate for his own political gain. Trump is certainly guilty of that.
110
Trump is indeed guilty of that, but we as a nation are guilty of bypassing and ignoring a significant portion of the population that has completely missed out on any economic gains of the last twenty years, and yet has experienced all the economic pain. Their anger is misdirected, but it does not spring from nowhere.
There are significant numbers of people that have been lied to by the right, and lied to by the left, and they no longer have any agency in this nation. This primary season has seen those results for both Republicans, and to a lesser extent, for Democrats.
There are significant numbers of people that have been lied to by the right, and lied to by the left, and they no longer have any agency in this nation. This primary season has seen those results for both Republicans, and to a lesser extent, for Democrats.
6
What lies have these people been told?
Last I checked the Republican President Bush cut taxes for the wealthy, reduced regulations for corporations, and cut social services for the poor: Just like he promised. The Republican's in Congress promised the same things but were blocked by a Democratic President Obama.
President Obama created a national health care program primarily for the working class/ lower middle class, created a stimulus package that included tax cuts that primarily benefited the middle class, and proposed an infrastructure jobs program that was designed to create good paying jobs. The Republicans in Congress blocked or attempted to block those programs as well as standing in the way a minimum wage increase. The only thing the Republican's and Democrats agreed to do together was to create some kind of financial regulations which Bernie Sanders people argue are ineffective.
Not sure how any of this justifies anyone supporting an unqualified, hate baiting, egomaniac millionaire who if elected would empower Republican Congressmen who would propose and pass more tax cuts for the wealthy, block efforts to help the middle class and the poor, and increase the wealth gap. This would just continue the wage stagnation that we are told so many Trump supporters are angry about. That doesn't make any sense.
Last I checked the Republican President Bush cut taxes for the wealthy, reduced regulations for corporations, and cut social services for the poor: Just like he promised. The Republican's in Congress promised the same things but were blocked by a Democratic President Obama.
President Obama created a national health care program primarily for the working class/ lower middle class, created a stimulus package that included tax cuts that primarily benefited the middle class, and proposed an infrastructure jobs program that was designed to create good paying jobs. The Republicans in Congress blocked or attempted to block those programs as well as standing in the way a minimum wage increase. The only thing the Republican's and Democrats agreed to do together was to create some kind of financial regulations which Bernie Sanders people argue are ineffective.
Not sure how any of this justifies anyone supporting an unqualified, hate baiting, egomaniac millionaire who if elected would empower Republican Congressmen who would propose and pass more tax cuts for the wealthy, block efforts to help the middle class and the poor, and increase the wealth gap. This would just continue the wage stagnation that we are told so many Trump supporters are angry about. That doesn't make any sense.
6
@tacitus0. Trump is guilty as charged as you say. That said, put aside who told lies, and deal with Doug of N.J.'s main point. The white working class, who could once look forward to good manufacturing or construction jobs not requiring four year college degrees now face economic marginalization. Trade deals are a very mixed bag. Even Sen. Sanders says as much. It is too easy to say that only the bigots, the crazies, the hate-filled show up at his rallies. They are a core, but there are others. That the latter's support is misplaced is obvious. But who can doubt they see no respect for their situation in Sanders or Clinton. Yes, Sanders gives them token concern but his "shtick" is bashing billionaires and Wall Street, "free" public college, and higher taxes for all. Any wonder they drift to the demagogue?
1
Really Michael S.?
"at worst an overly ambitious politician too loath to reject support without a closer look."
I think there is a much greater downside to Trump as a person and politician:
-The constant lying
-The spreading of insinuation and conspiracy theories as fact
-The implicit embracing of violence by his followers
-The endorsing of neo-fascist policies
I am still waiting for a reputable news organization to ask him about the Obama birth certificate circus, or the implication that Ted Cruz's father was somehow involved with Lee Harvey Oswald, the Mussolini re-tweets, etc. and nor let him off the hook by saying he was just repeating what someone else had said.
And yes the internet is, and has been, full of ne-Nazis and anti-semites forever. But where once they we easily ignored as the fringe now they have a chance to be in the mainstream and follow a leader that, while not endorsing their extremism, is loathe to denounce them and their tactics.
With the exception of an acknowledged Klan member like David Duke name another politician who would not have denounced this behavior almost immediately.
"at worst an overly ambitious politician too loath to reject support without a closer look."
I think there is a much greater downside to Trump as a person and politician:
-The constant lying
-The spreading of insinuation and conspiracy theories as fact
-The implicit embracing of violence by his followers
-The endorsing of neo-fascist policies
I am still waiting for a reputable news organization to ask him about the Obama birth certificate circus, or the implication that Ted Cruz's father was somehow involved with Lee Harvey Oswald, the Mussolini re-tweets, etc. and nor let him off the hook by saying he was just repeating what someone else had said.
And yes the internet is, and has been, full of ne-Nazis and anti-semites forever. But where once they we easily ignored as the fringe now they have a chance to be in the mainstream and follow a leader that, while not endorsing their extremism, is loathe to denounce them and their tactics.
With the exception of an acknowledged Klan member like David Duke name another politician who would not have denounced this behavior almost immediately.
81
The fact that Trump will not denounce these people loudly, forcefully, and often disqualifies him to be president. He allows this stuff to take root, and his silence is criminal. Have we already forgotten Nazi Germany? My uncles fought and died in World War II. They are rolling over in their graves. Tragic!
72
Uh, he's the presumptive nominee by the Republican Party for President of the United States. I don't see many (I'm being kind) in the GOP denouncing him for what he's said and done.
1
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
This goes double when the evil is being done in your name -- I'm looking at you, Mr. Trump. Everyone who thinks that hate-filled antisemitism (is there any other kind?) has no place in America or American politics needs to take a stand.
I speak for every decent person in America when I say that, when it comes to this kind of disgusting behavior, you're either with us or you're against us. There is no middle ground.
This goes double when the evil is being done in your name -- I'm looking at you, Mr. Trump. Everyone who thinks that hate-filled antisemitism (is there any other kind?) has no place in America or American politics needs to take a stand.
I speak for every decent person in America when I say that, when it comes to this kind of disgusting behavior, you're either with us or you're against us. There is no middle ground.
1385
Well said and I will stand with you!
You got that Trump?
I guess there is nothing a tormentor likes better than an easy target. Everybody and every group thinks they are doing it right; political correctness recalls 'whitened sepulchers'. 'You're either with us or you're against us' has proven a motto in advance of mass murder (Salem witch trials one small example, at least in art). To what degree is it fair to judge a man by his worst supporters? I'm in doubt as to whether I will vote for Trump, but he does represent a real difference in leadership that means hope to many in this country. One remark he made with regard to medical care was to the effect that 'under my presidency, we won't have people dying in the street'. That is not a monstrous statement.
1
I think if you're trying to take Trump down, you have to appeal to the reading comprehension level of a much wider range of readers. This article is not an easy read, especially for older people who aren't Twitter friendly, and certainly not for large swaths of the uneducated and misinformed who call themselves Trump supporters. Literate, rational people who can traverse a tricky read aren't the people you need to get the message to. Dumb it down if you want the dummies to dump the dummy.
20
Part of the trouble here is that, once again, there is no parallel on the other side. There are no Black Lives Matter leaders remaining silent while members of the group call for murdering white people in retribution for slavery. There are no members of the ACLU calling for the revocation of voting rights for ... I don't know... Presbyterians based on the outlandish adherents to their faith.
I've said it before and I'll say it again before November. No Republican leader or conservative commentator should be surprised by the hate of the Trump campaign. They've been feeding these monsters every single election cycle since Nixon's Southern Strategy. As ye reap, so shall ye sow, alleged Christians on the Right.
I've said it before and I'll say it again before November. No Republican leader or conservative commentator should be surprised by the hate of the Trump campaign. They've been feeding these monsters every single election cycle since Nixon's Southern Strategy. As ye reap, so shall ye sow, alleged Christians on the Right.
54
Anti-Semitism has never gone away, its just not "mainstream" any more. And the lunatic fringe have been liberated by the Internet, and maybe by Donald Trump.
24
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Martin Niemöller
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Martin Niemöller
72
This has been going on for quite some time - I can personally attest to what happens to openly Jewish Twitter users who criticize Trump. Jewish conservatives such as Jonah Goldberg and Bill Kristol have been the target of such abuse since Trump declared his candidacy, and pro-Trump pundits and provocateurs like Ann Coulter have openly flirted with the so-called "Alt-Right." Yet, mysteriously, no media outlets (apart from conservative publications like the National Review and Free Beacon) gave it much attention until Trump had all but wrapped up the nomination. Why?
472
To Hapax. It`s because there`s money to be made so don`t rock the money boat.
Donald Trump would just be a vile little man without his billions.
37
And now he is a vile little man with his billions.
8
He's still a vile little man. And many are saying he has much less money than he claims.
5
albert - He is a vile little man with them.
3
Donald Trump should never be a national leader. He is eager to incite and manipulate prejudice against those who are not like him, be they Muslim, Hispanic, women, people of color, Jewish, you name it. He dismisses his hatefulness and cynicism by equating decency with "political correctness."
Trump feeds off of peoples' lowest instincts. He's the farthest thing from a President.
Trump feeds off of peoples' lowest instincts. He's the farthest thing from a President.
53
I'm as appalled as you (Mr.Weisman) are by the antisemitism that's come your way. And FWIW, I'm a Sanders supporter. And I'm a Jew.
But you sound as if you--like the NYT editorial page and the Democratic leadership--support open borders. And so I have to ask you: do you have any idea how much immigration there is? Have you thought about how too much immigration could really be taking jobs from American workers? (See Nicholas Kristof's Compassion that Hurts, 4/9/06.) Can you try to put yourself in the shoes of a low/no-skilled American worker, whose job category--construction, or hospitality, or whathaveyou--has been flooded by immigrants, whose wages have fallen due to the oversupply of cheap labor, and who has no financial security?
And if you do all that, can you perhaps understand why Trump is so popular?
Now does it make sense that the NYT could have contributed to Trump's popularity by failing to report that since the millennium, there are an additional 9.3 million jobs, 18 million immigrants, and 16.5 million working age Americans? Or failing to report that the vaunted senate immigration reform bill would have nearly tripled legal immigration, while doing nothing to stop illegal immigration?
If the Clinton Admin had taken the advice of the Barbara Jordan commission on immigration, and roughly halved legal immigration while strictly enforcing immigration laws--no sanctuary cities!--Trump might never have happened.
But you sound as if you--like the NYT editorial page and the Democratic leadership--support open borders. And so I have to ask you: do you have any idea how much immigration there is? Have you thought about how too much immigration could really be taking jobs from American workers? (See Nicholas Kristof's Compassion that Hurts, 4/9/06.) Can you try to put yourself in the shoes of a low/no-skilled American worker, whose job category--construction, or hospitality, or whathaveyou--has been flooded by immigrants, whose wages have fallen due to the oversupply of cheap labor, and who has no financial security?
And if you do all that, can you perhaps understand why Trump is so popular?
Now does it make sense that the NYT could have contributed to Trump's popularity by failing to report that since the millennium, there are an additional 9.3 million jobs, 18 million immigrants, and 16.5 million working age Americans? Or failing to report that the vaunted senate immigration reform bill would have nearly tripled legal immigration, while doing nothing to stop illegal immigration?
If the Clinton Admin had taken the advice of the Barbara Jordan commission on immigration, and roughly halved legal immigration while strictly enforcing immigration laws--no sanctuary cities!--Trump might never have happened.
17
And if you do all that, can you perhaps understand why Trump is so popular?
No. NO I cannot fathom it. I cannot fathom that much hate. I cannot fathom that much distrust. I cannot fathom that much know-nothing. No. I cannot understand how a monster such as Trump is so popular. NO.
No. NO I cannot fathom it. I cannot fathom that much hate. I cannot fathom that much distrust. I cannot fathom that much know-nothing. No. I cannot understand how a monster such as Trump is so popular. NO.
4
And Sanders is for limiting legal immigration and strict enforcement of immigration laws?
2
What "reading between the lines" allows you to imagine that this writer supports open borders. And interesting that yo go all the way back to blame Bill Clinton's administration. Couldn't possibly be those Republican big businessmen who hire illegals and also use H2B visas to get low cost employees, right?
3
Why does Twitter allow its users to abuse and threaten people in this manner? If these threats were mailed using the USPS, would they be treated more seriously? Hate speech wrapped in the First Amendment is despicable, and deadly. We need to look at anonymous online threats as criminal acts, and respond accordingly, rather than just shrugging and thinking well, what can be done. The sad fact is that the Internet, heralded as a new utopia, has spread hatred and terrorism around the world - a terrible comment on our human souls, but true nonetheless. It's time to stop ignoring that reality and to start trying to figure out what to do about it. Especially because the hatred that Trump epitomizes and has given voice to is not going to go away after the election, no matter what happens.
752
Hate speech is the only speech that needs protecting.
4
Though what is described in this essay is clearly hate speech, the Red Guard on college campuses is narrowing the definition of 'hate speech' to the point where it's almost impossible to criticize anyone, or to express an opinion or question what they have designated as 'truth', without being denounced as a hater, bigot, something-or-other-'ist', etc. That's why the First Amendment defends 'hate speech'.
That said, much of what is described here is indeed actionable as making terroristic threats; also, although the government can't censor speech, I think Twitter certainly can decide what it will and won't allow.
But before you can prosecute the perpetrators of these 'anonymous threats', you have first to find them, a challenge in itself, and then to disentangle the case from issues not only of the First Amendment but of jurisdiction and other technicalities.
That said, much of what is described here is indeed actionable as making terroristic threats; also, although the government can't censor speech, I think Twitter certainly can decide what it will and won't allow.
But before you can prosecute the perpetrators of these 'anonymous threats', you have first to find them, a challenge in itself, and then to disentangle the case from issues not only of the First Amendment but of jurisdiction and other technicalities.
5
And if you do this, there will be consequences for suppressing peoples' speech.
1
Not too surprising. I wouldn't think Trump is extremely anti-Semitic, just casually, as when he stated the people he liked best for handling his money were short guys with yarmulkes. But his ignorant, fascist yammering appeals quite strongly to the unintelligent, angry bigots out there, so it makes sense that neo-Nazis would be fully behind him.
If calamity strikes, the nation is put in more peril than ever before, and Trump buys the presidency, then really I'd advise, if people are not upper-income white males, people should consider emigrating. Trump is going to condone all sorts of bigotry and suppression, and he will pull for turning this country as fascist as possible. He may cancel the 2020 elections and we'll get a racist buffoon as president for life.
So yeah, people should be terrified of what's coming. The Nazis are marching in America, strengthening by the hour, and this time they're in the most powerful country on earth. All thinking people, worldwide, should be very, very afraid.
If calamity strikes, the nation is put in more peril than ever before, and Trump buys the presidency, then really I'd advise, if people are not upper-income white males, people should consider emigrating. Trump is going to condone all sorts of bigotry and suppression, and he will pull for turning this country as fascist as possible. He may cancel the 2020 elections and we'll get a racist buffoon as president for life.
So yeah, people should be terrified of what's coming. The Nazis are marching in America, strengthening by the hour, and this time they're in the most powerful country on earth. All thinking people, worldwide, should be very, very afraid.
61
I agree with you about 2020.
Look what he did with the debates. There was supposed to be one last debate. Trump didn't want to do it. OK, the debate was cancelled.
He gives Hillary a name "Crooked Hillary." Soon people all over are quoting it. Chris Matthews is talking about Vince Foster on MSNBC. Vince Foster....from over 20 years ago and once again he is in the news. Because of Trump. He is someone who gives the National Enquirer credence. This is who may win the presidency.
Look what he did with the debates. There was supposed to be one last debate. Trump didn't want to do it. OK, the debate was cancelled.
He gives Hillary a name "Crooked Hillary." Soon people all over are quoting it. Chris Matthews is talking about Vince Foster on MSNBC. Vince Foster....from over 20 years ago and once again he is in the news. Because of Trump. He is someone who gives the National Enquirer credence. This is who may win the presidency.
5
I have read Mr. Weisman's thoughts and Michael S.'s comment. I think I understand both of their observations. I want to agree with Michael S. in that there will always be creepy crawlies to denounce and dismiss. However, I would like to suggest that Mr. Weisman may not have denounced the neo-nazis because they were not in a place of great influence or majority before. Michael S. has missed a relevant piece of understanding when he accuses Mr. Weisman of taking the fact of anonymous trolls to rally a partisan political diatribe. Mr. Trump is not anonymous and has a lot of people following him that are in the anonymous troll category. Trump has created an environment where ideas are no longer exchanged, but instead the exchanges consist of personal attacks, we are all left more than worse off. We are left with leadership, that as Michael S. suggests, too loath to reject support without a closer look. That is not only an ignorant place to be, but also dangerous. Edmund Burke's quote comes to mind: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." I, for one, recognize Mr. Weisman as a good man trying to sound the alarm. And I am grateful. Michael S, whatever Mr. Trump is, I think we all know that by now, he is not to be dismissed or ignored. And he is legitimizing those who are full of prejudices, not ideas.
28
I'm not sure it's particularly useful or effective to focus only on the grievances of one group when attacking Trump's despicable appeal to tribal hatreds, especially when the group being focused on is pretty good at defending itself. I mean, think about it, if Trump had suggested that Jewish immigrants were "rapists" and "drug dealers" that would have been the last we would have heard from him --- ever. But Mexican immigrants? Well, hey, who's really going to get all hot and bothered about protecting them.
We, ourselves, should guard against devolving into identity politics as we attack those who manipulate identity politics to gain power. Trump's sundering of the body politic, generally, should be condemned in the strongest terms regardless of whether it's one's own ethnic group, religion, gender or whatever which is being held up for ridicule by those who use fear and hate to satisfy their own pathetic lust for status, power and recognition.
We, ourselves, should guard against devolving into identity politics as we attack those who manipulate identity politics to gain power. Trump's sundering of the body politic, generally, should be condemned in the strongest terms regardless of whether it's one's own ethnic group, religion, gender or whatever which is being held up for ridicule by those who use fear and hate to satisfy their own pathetic lust for status, power and recognition.
25
I know not every Trump supporter is anti-Semitic or even racist, any more than every policeman beats black people, or every person on welfare is lazy, or that every member of a given political party is stupid or blind.
That said, I expect Trump won't put any distance between himself and potential voters until after the election. Then, either securely as President or securely as defeated candidate, he has all the time in the world to denounce anyone he really doesn't want to be associated with and buddy up in photo ops with people he's savaged in the campaign. He's looking at votes as investors, and until he is guaranteed a position, he'll keep from burning any bridges. Even disgusting ones.
That said, I expect Trump won't put any distance between himself and potential voters until after the election. Then, either securely as President or securely as defeated candidate, he has all the time in the world to denounce anyone he really doesn't want to be associated with and buddy up in photo ops with people he's savaged in the campaign. He's looking at votes as investors, and until he is guaranteed a position, he'll keep from burning any bridges. Even disgusting ones.
7
Jews are exceptional in many ways. Unfortunately, one of the most characteristic is that the bigotry to which they are routinely subjected is just as routinely brushed aside, downplayed, and ignored in the traditional media and its cybersocial successors.
Jews have flocked to these shores since Colonial times because the system laid down by the Founders was, at least in theory and often in practice, blind to religious affiliation. Unfortunately, religious neutrality was not matched by racial neutrality, and the legacy of slavery drew a glaring streak of inconsistency through the "all men are created equal" theme that underlay the Declaration of Indepdendence and the Constitution. When the discrepancy reached kindling temperature in the 1960's, identity politics was born, and with it, the politics of group differences. As a result, "the common good" lost priority to the particular interests not only of social and economic, but also of ethnic, groups. Jewish numbers in America, while not insignificant, are not very large, and with candidates for office now pandering to (or railing against) ethnic group X, Y, and Z, promoting "the general welfare" is deemed a laughable anachronism that has ceded place to locking up the votes of said groups X, Y, and Z--most of which have greater numbers than that of American Jews. So, unfortunately, we can expect to see more of these ugly manifestations.
Jews have flocked to these shores since Colonial times because the system laid down by the Founders was, at least in theory and often in practice, blind to religious affiliation. Unfortunately, religious neutrality was not matched by racial neutrality, and the legacy of slavery drew a glaring streak of inconsistency through the "all men are created equal" theme that underlay the Declaration of Indepdendence and the Constitution. When the discrepancy reached kindling temperature in the 1960's, identity politics was born, and with it, the politics of group differences. As a result, "the common good" lost priority to the particular interests not only of social and economic, but also of ethnic, groups. Jewish numbers in America, while not insignificant, are not very large, and with candidates for office now pandering to (or railing against) ethnic group X, Y, and Z, promoting "the general welfare" is deemed a laughable anachronism that has ceded place to locking up the votes of said groups X, Y, and Z--most of which have greater numbers than that of American Jews. So, unfortunately, we can expect to see more of these ugly manifestations.
10
Sad but true. We the people has become we, my group, not yours.
1
There is still some anti-Semitism, of course, but it is easy to over-estimate it. What we really have are people with serious psychological problems, who are alienated and deranged, isolated from normal society, who may act out with the "KKK" and "nazi" groups, and most frequently send around the types of social media messages to which you refer.
There are not a very large number of these people (although, certainly, far too many), but they crave the anger, upset, hysteria, and condemnation that they inspire. So, they write lots of things in digital media and, once in a great while, turn up on the streets, a few of them, with signs and ugly uniforms. They count on our over-reaction, and they often get it.
They are the lunatic fringe that define societal boundaries by trespassing over them. Cultures have always had them as the signposts of offensive or forbidden behavior, and we always will. The best we can do is ignore them, unless and until they create physical danger. Even Trump will not create violent, fascistic instrumentalities of oppression through such deviants (he will merely ruin our economy and put most of our foreign affairs in peril).
There are not a very large number of these people (although, certainly, far too many), but they crave the anger, upset, hysteria, and condemnation that they inspire. So, they write lots of things in digital media and, once in a great while, turn up on the streets, a few of them, with signs and ugly uniforms. They count on our over-reaction, and they often get it.
They are the lunatic fringe that define societal boundaries by trespassing over them. Cultures have always had them as the signposts of offensive or forbidden behavior, and we always will. The best we can do is ignore them, unless and until they create physical danger. Even Trump will not create violent, fascistic instrumentalities of oppression through such deviants (he will merely ruin our economy and put most of our foreign affairs in peril).
7
Oh, dear...open your eyes.
4
We have upended our country over the actions of a small handful of the "lunatic fringe" on Sept. 11, 2001. We have suspended civil liberties, given the government license to spy on us and embarked on an illegal war that drained the national coffers. Over the actions of less than two dozen jihadists armed with box cutters.
A disaffected Muslim couple in San Bernandino kill 14 at a Christmas party, and the entire country collectively decides that Obama is soft on terrorism and can't keep our country safe.
So, I, for one, worry about "these people", even, as you say, there is not a very large number of them. There are many more of them -- native, white anti-Semitic, bigoted sons of the USA -- than there are Muslim terrorists roaming this country. And forget the box cutters: The alt-right is armed to the teeth.
A disaffected Muslim couple in San Bernandino kill 14 at a Christmas party, and the entire country collectively decides that Obama is soft on terrorism and can't keep our country safe.
So, I, for one, worry about "these people", even, as you say, there is not a very large number of them. There are many more of them -- native, white anti-Semitic, bigoted sons of the USA -- than there are Muslim terrorists roaming this country. And forget the box cutters: The alt-right is armed to the teeth.
14
Wow. He is inciting physical danger and in my opinion, building a wall to keep a whole nation's people out is a fascist instrument of oppression, for example.
Ignore is not the answer. Listen, be appalled at the thought of him as our president, and get out and vote against him in November. And tell everyone you know to do the same. Help the people who are amused by Trump understand that he is not funny. Maybe they just don't know what they are doing, being uninformed of history, etc. But it surely is the time to speak out and stand up for our country.
Ignore is not the answer. Listen, be appalled at the thought of him as our president, and get out and vote against him in November. And tell everyone you know to do the same. Help the people who are amused by Trump understand that he is not funny. Maybe they just don't know what they are doing, being uninformed of history, etc. But it surely is the time to speak out and stand up for our country.
4
Every time my Christian friends hesitate to introduce me with my obviously Jewish last name, I know. Every time someone comments on my unstraightened hair, I know. Every time a supposedly close Christian friend brings up the topic of nose jobs, I know. Or when another comments that I'm too loud or boisterous. It's not as bad as the comments about Jews swimming in the pool from my childhood, many decades ago. But let's not kid ourselves people, even here in New York, home of so many Jews, anti-Semitism is alive and well.
486
There is definitely anti-Semitism in New York.
1
We all have grievances, Mr. Weisman's statement is devastating by revealing the specific targeted horror he has been subjected to by supporters of Donald Trump. To cower in the shadow of his words with platitudes is to evade the significance of the meaning right now, TODAY
There's a difference between stereotyping, even negatively, and anti-Semitism. Seems to me that a lot of people are confused about that with regard to all religions, races and even genders. Stereotypes tend to come from something real. The danger (and often,but not always, nastiness) of stereotyping is that people are categorizing and assuming all in that group are the same, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they hate that group.
1
Welcome home, Mr. Weisman. I'm sorry that it was surprise at certain words that awakened something in you. There is more to being Jewish than being hated. At least you recognize the hatred for what it is. Many many Jews will not acknowledge it. This is not the first time. Thank you.
12
Now let's hope that Mr. Weisman will develop some (positive) connection to the Jewish people and religion after this experience.
2
There always has been anti-semitism, there always will be anti-semitism. It exists everywhere in the world, including the United States. It never goes away, always hiding below the surface until the next demagogue comes along to stoke the flames of ignorance. Usually the demagogue is a coward and a bully who suffers from egomania and appeals to the basest instincts of humanity. God Bless America. Something we still produce in this country is hatred on a WHITE scale.
25
There is zero evidence or indication that Donald Trump is anti-Semitic.
However, Trump's supporters are a different story - an intellectually downtrodden bunch first reduced to a stew of cognitive dissonance, religious incoherence and cultured stupidity by the Republican Party through decades of intellectual abuse and then magically swept off their feet by Trump and the political sensibility of Trump's Birtherism.
The Birther Scandal - the heart and soul of Donald Trump's political ascendancy - was a vicious act of propagating prevarication completely worthy of Goebbellian-inspired fascism -- a direct appeal to racist white spite, rage and ignorance completely divorced from fact, reality and human decency...all with the goal of hijacking political power.
The use of Birtherism was an experimentation in white spite, and it worked like a charm, and Donald Trump expanded that Birther spite to a broader rainbow of white spite to as many non-whites as possible in order to foster his Faustian follies.
Mr. Trump has excelled with the anti-Mexican, anti-Muslim, anti-Chinese, anti-Obama, anti-everything white spite voter base, so it's no surprise that anti-Semitism got sucked into the Trump tsunami of antipathy.
Donald Trump is neither a white supremacist or an Aryan, but he keeps close political company with white supremacists and Aryans and their votes.
Isn't that good enough to never let the narcissistic, attention-craving Trump anywhere near the halls of political power ?
However, Trump's supporters are a different story - an intellectually downtrodden bunch first reduced to a stew of cognitive dissonance, religious incoherence and cultured stupidity by the Republican Party through decades of intellectual abuse and then magically swept off their feet by Trump and the political sensibility of Trump's Birtherism.
The Birther Scandal - the heart and soul of Donald Trump's political ascendancy - was a vicious act of propagating prevarication completely worthy of Goebbellian-inspired fascism -- a direct appeal to racist white spite, rage and ignorance completely divorced from fact, reality and human decency...all with the goal of hijacking political power.
The use of Birtherism was an experimentation in white spite, and it worked like a charm, and Donald Trump expanded that Birther spite to a broader rainbow of white spite to as many non-whites as possible in order to foster his Faustian follies.
Mr. Trump has excelled with the anti-Mexican, anti-Muslim, anti-Chinese, anti-Obama, anti-everything white spite voter base, so it's no surprise that anti-Semitism got sucked into the Trump tsunami of antipathy.
Donald Trump is neither a white supremacist or an Aryan, but he keeps close political company with white supremacists and Aryans and their votes.
Isn't that good enough to never let the narcissistic, attention-craving Trump anywhere near the halls of political power ?
782
The birther nonsense alone is enough to keep him out of the White House. When he did that, I vowed never to watch the Apprentice again. The man is repulsive to me, and he has only reinforced his repulsiveness by the day. If he thinks he can win this election without women or Latino votes, he is sadly mistaken. There is nothing he can say or do to change this woman's mind. And going after Susanna Martnez was priceless in its idiocy.
32
I totally disagree with your assertion that there is no evidence of Trump being a racist, etc. There is every bit of evidence in what he says and what he doesn't. He allows his followers to say and do whatever they feel like whether it's insults, lies, conspiracies, along with skirting & condoning violent acts, etc.
Am very dismayed many have decided to back him and believe that what he says is true even though the so-called truths are so outlandish, it would be like me telling someone I can cure them of any disease as long as I keep telling them I could.
Trump is a crude, insensitive, loud-mouthed cur who continues to belittle the office of the presidency and all it represents.
Am very dismayed many have decided to back him and believe that what he says is true even though the so-called truths are so outlandish, it would be like me telling someone I can cure them of any disease as long as I keep telling them I could.
Trump is a crude, insensitive, loud-mouthed cur who continues to belittle the office of the presidency and all it represents.
21
Nailed it man. We absolutely cannot allow a man that empowers and appeals to the darkest elements of our society to ascend to the highest political office.
14
I don't mind telling you, publicly, that I nearly cried when I read this. I suppose all this ugliness existed before this campaign began, but it was hidden from casual view, at least, until Donald Trump's campaign dragged it out into the bright light where we could all see it. And, make no mistake, it's truly horrible and disturbing to most of us. I'm deeply sorry that you're experiencing it.
241
"The propagandist's purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human." A. Huxley.
Of course, the dehumanization of others ultimately results in the dehumanization of one's self, which then gives one a license to act in inhumane ways.
If a Muslim, Jew, Liberal, Woman, Mexican or other disfavored group are subhuman, then there's nothing morally wrong about treating them accordingly.
A tree is know by its fruit. Wise words for those assessing Candidate Trump.
Of course, the dehumanization of others ultimately results in the dehumanization of one's self, which then gives one a license to act in inhumane ways.
If a Muslim, Jew, Liberal, Woman, Mexican or other disfavored group are subhuman, then there's nothing morally wrong about treating them accordingly.
A tree is know by its fruit. Wise words for those assessing Candidate Trump.
307
Your mother was right. Never think that anti-semitism has been eradicated or has become passe. It is alive and never dies. Jews must forever go about the world looking over their shoulders constantly. This is not paranoia, this is reality as continually confirmed by history. The fact that Holocaust deniers even exist in the face of tons of historical evidence is but one testament to continuing ignorance, racism and hatred.
975
To styleman: My father was 20 years old when he was sent to Europe during WWII. He saw the concentration camps there. When I was a young adult, I finally asked my father what he thought of people who said it never happened. He looked at me with pained eyes and shook his head, not saying a word....for there are no words for it. He is still alive and well at 91 years of age. He gave me an oral history of his experiences there that I will never forget.
37
Never Forget! I grew up with elder neighbors who bore the horrific number tattoos of prison camps. Antisemitism, like all bigotry and hatred needs to be abolished from our hearts. Good luck to all of us who believe in equality.
11
Thank you, KLL.
And thank you to your father.
And thank you to your father.
8
Sometimes I think the U.S. needs to get divorced from its abusive spouse.
18
Here we have it, Trump riding the wave of the disaffected working class buffeted by globalization and automation and pent up racial resentments finding an outlet in such bombastic rhetoric as “no one knows the system better than me” or "I am speaking with myself number one because I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things". How stupid, gullible and misguided can people be? I guess we're soon to find out.
116
"Trump riding the wave of the disaffected working class buffeted by globalization and automation and pent up racial resentments"
If only this were true, but sadly in my decidedly middle-class, educated-beyond college neighborhood I hear people chatting quietly in the gym, at the car wash, etc. about their intent to vote for him
If only this were true, but sadly in my decidedly middle-class, educated-beyond college neighborhood I hear people chatting quietly in the gym, at the car wash, etc. about their intent to vote for him
4
The disaffected working class can also turn to Bernie Sanders rhetoric. They choose Trump because that is not the main issue. They like Trump because he expresses their racist beliefs out loud. I feel no pity for these people.
9
Hugely important piece. But very complex. 1) You say, "I grew up in Atlanta in the 1970s, when friends spoke of “Jewing down” a price and anti-Semitism was casual." I worked in Atlanta last year, and people I'd just met at a restaurant casually said to me, "No offense, but my husband is such a Jew about money!"
Meanwhile, on Facebook, I'm mocked by "friends" who say, "What's the big deal about D. Trump? So, he'll be a bad president. We've had bad presidents before."
Willful blindness.
Meanwhile, on Facebook, I'm mocked by "friends" who say, "What's the big deal about D. Trump? So, he'll be a bad president. We've had bad presidents before."
Willful blindness.
530
Someone mentioned to me that they bought a car and that they "Jewed them down." This was last year. I had to mention that I was a Jew and I didn't like the term. She got upset about my offense but I didn't care. I spent too many years just being quiet and not wanting to come out as Black or Jew or biracial or lesbian AGAIN. It is so damn tiring. The joke is, if one looked at me, you would not be able to tell me apart from any other straight white American woman.
11
This anti-semitic, Trump-incited bile is out there and in the most surprising places. I recently wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper of my small coastal New Hampshire town, criticizing Trump for something or other (there was lots to choose from). The letter elicited comments from one reader who spewed out the vilest anti-semitic hate speech I'd ever seen in print. None of the content of the letter had anything remotely to do with Jews and my name is recognizable instantly as being Irish. I'm sure the reader represents other voices out there. Before I asked the editor to remove the posts (which he did) the commenter advised me that I would be tried for treason once Trump was in the White House.
272
Trump gets uglier by the day. I am constantly reminded these days of Bread & Puppet creations that seem over the top, specifically a business man abundantly dishonest and conniving and narcissitic, a big buffoon with a trophy wife and a love of fanning the flames of hatred. How can he be real? And how can a Bread & Puppet worker man - Bernie - be giving this pompous obscene man a helping hand? A Vermont nightmare to be sure.
76
The statement by the Republican Jewish Coalition is appalling in its' false equivalency. There,in fact, lurks the division born of politics between those who recognize the dangers of complacency and those that choose to ignore the grotesque on-line rumbles of exclusion, violence, and genocide. America has its own anti-Semitic river of slime intruding into electronic media...much of which is emboldened by the right and especially the Trump campaign.
83
Anti-Semitism is alive and well in the US and has never really been eradicated. It just became less fashionable over the years to voice it in public. And it is found far beyond and much deeper than just among "fringe" (??) Trump supporters.
Here is but one example of hundreds or more incidents of anti-Semtism than can be discovered spending 5 minutes on the internet and this one has nothing to do with Mr. Trump:
http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/327980/jewish-student-attacked-at-...
The plain fact is that the US is and was racist and not just anti-Semitic. There are usually public norms which mitigate public manifestations, but even they now and again are ignored.
Here is but one example of hundreds or more incidents of anti-Semtism than can be discovered spending 5 minutes on the internet and this one has nothing to do with Mr. Trump:
http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/327980/jewish-student-attacked-at-...
The plain fact is that the US is and was racist and not just anti-Semitic. There are usually public norms which mitigate public manifestations, but even they now and again are ignored.
35
Important perspective on the bigotry backing Trump's presidential bid. Republican leaders mistakenly believe they can control the monster they are nurturing. Frightening and destructive.
188
It's a shame that the only thing stopping Trump from being president appears to be a Clinton once again mired in controversies that were all self-made.
She may simply not be the better choice.
She may simply not be the better choice.
7
clinton at least has an upside
22
Oh, no. She's the better choice ... the least of which are two or three seats on the U.S. Supreme Court.
49
Email issues shared by a herd of executive branch leaders republican and democrat alike over 15 years vs the hate filled fear driven Trump campaign? Zero equivalence. False narrative. Self delusional drivel.
27
It has to be asked, and it's not the first time I'm sure, but "is racism only racism (and antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, etc.) when it is conscious?" If you look at the defenders, excusers, rationalizers and apologists that seem to be everywhere these days, this seems to always be the crux of their arguments.
21
When Bush won in 2004, right wing hate radio took that as a sign that it was open season on gays. The spewing of hate started the very next morning.
It's scary to think what will happen if Trump wins in 2016. It will make that 2004 reaction seem quaint.
It's scary to think what will happen if Trump wins in 2016. It will make that 2004 reaction seem quaint.
215
Mr. Weissman, I too share your fear. Remember, Germany in the 1930s was arguably the seat of the most educated and refined culture in Europe, and look what happened.
291
I love the idea of Twitter. But recently I find myself actively avoiding it - the constant ugliness, and resulting outrage, are too much to deal with. It makes me feel sick to my stomach.
54
I have been saying this in various forums for months now but it seems many people in America suffer from the complacency noted in this article. Anti-Semitism is alive and well, and easily exposed in the Midwest and south. I've been repeatedly shocked by things some of my seemingly reasonable and educated colleagues and coworkers have said about Jews, after moving to relatively liberal Illinois from Massachusetts in 2005...my name does not give away the Jewish part of my heritage, they assume I must agree with their vile comments. Sanders is unelectable because of these hateful, dated attitudes. But liberals seem blind to all of this, particularly those who live on the coasts...as was I before experiencing it firsthand. Please wake up to the sad reality.
80
I am sorry for Mr. Weisman and the other Jewish journalists he mentions to have received this onslaught of vile anti-semitic rhetoric. Even for Trump there must be some bottom line to what is acceptable when it comes to hate speech from his supporters. He has cynically tapped into deep wells of fear and hate among white voters who feel disenfranchised and left behind by large social and economic changes here and abroad. Trump opportunistically rode this wave of fear and hate to the Republican nomination. But if he has any moral core deep under all the bluster and hate-mongering he spews, then he needs to step forward and disavow the darker currents that he has unleashed in his followers if he expects to be taken seriously as a candidate for President. Even John McCain drew a line with the racist rhetoric that he would tolerate from his supporters in 2008. And Trump should always understand that the hate he encourages in his supporters can quickly turn upon him.
46
I think it's clear that Trump does not have a "moral core." Quite evident when he pretended not to understand why he was being asked to disavow support from David Duke or other white supremacists.
10
hate-speech is the refuge of self-imploding, spineless bigots,
whose perceived survival can only occur upon the destruction of the other.
the internet and current ubiquitous social media allow these
fundamental cowards to shout their venom seemingly without consequences.
evil can only triumph
when the good remain silent and inactive.
please continue to expose these critters whenever necessary.
your voice is vital to our survival.
94
Not sure if this is what you meant, but it is incredible to me that calling out Trump on his lies, on his bigoted statements seems to have no effect on him, nor on the enthusiastic support his followers have for him. Frightening to observe the absolute lack of response.
11
Further, it is utterly incomprehensible to me that someone like Jimmy Kimmel could invite Trump to his program, then sit and laugh and chat with this hate monger. Was he privately hoping to reveal disgusting aspects of this person's character? Was he obliquely offering support? Is he so shallow that he did it strictly for ratings and market share? We were mystified and appalled.
1
What a spectacle to witness the incredible freak happenstance of this mealymouthed buffoon as an actual presidential candidate ... a sure blow to american prestige in the eyes of the world. Harnessed to the racism, bigotry, hypocrisy, shameless double-talk, phony piety and social obsessions that define him, Trump is not a force for good. It is the demagoguery, bile, and misogyny that has already spewed out of his maw that makes him one of the ugliest phenomena in the history of American politics. This improbable turn of events desperately begs for a definitive rebuke of everything Trump stands for with his resounding defeat at the polls in November.
329
Trump only says what the ultra-right, fascist republican politicians have felt and believed since this country was founded (and in my opinion I include nearly all I've known in my lifetime). All his supporters are just the bigoted racist american folk you and I have known for years. Trump articulates this filth more directly than other republicans: that is why they denounce him - not that they disagree with him.
3
These angry, lost souls see Trump as a benevolent uncle who shares their grievances. But why are Trump supporters so angry and lost? What are we not addressing in the American culture that keeps minds stuck in this fragile state of desperate blame and frustration? Is it the poor quality of public education? The erosion of the middle class? When people are lost they are drawn to meaningless ideology shouted by the loudest person in the room to find direction to their lives. It's not enough to acknowledge this is happening. What do we do about it?
92
First thing to do about it is to condemn anyone using violence and hate speech to achieve a political end, whether legitimate or misguided. Trump has not only unleashed this behavior in his followers, but has promulgated and stoked it. Long term remedies would take decades, and a grand cooperation of our elected leaders on multiple levels, Federal, State and Local. Let us pray.
258
My observation of co-workers and acquaintances who are Trump supporters (or at least Trump-curious) is that they hedge their support for his most bigoted statements. Preserving appearances? Maybe, maybe not. I'm inclined to believe the best of them, but either way, the "what do we do about it" is the same.
Every time someone expresses support for Trump, challenge them to explain why it's would be okay to have a racist, sexist bigot in the Oval Office.
Every time someone expresses support for Trump, challenge them to explain why it's would be okay to have a racist, sexist bigot in the Oval Office.
37
The first thing to be done is to face it down.
10
Jews who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s in suburban America, even those like me who came from families that were not terribly religious, were taught to crack the code of anti-Semitism. The lessons were drilled into our heads by our parents and during Hebrew school lessons where most of us stared out the window longing to be outside. "Never again," we were made to repeat, while thinking to ourselves, "It could never happen here." Well, it's happening here. Trump isn't the disease, he's the symptom of a cancer that's been festering unchecked in this country for far too long. The language we're hearing, highlighted by instances such as these, is the code we've been trained to listen for and break. The anonymity of the internet just makes it that much that easier to spew and disseminate. Ignore at your peril.
550
Many who are fighting oppression would like to think that oppression is largely structural and cultural, not the individual bigoted response of a person wishing another bad things, except in rare cases.
We are finding this is not so, courtesy of Donald Trump's enabling the thug legions as do all demagogues; and that bigotry of all sorts can be found in some, defending their naked hatred as if it were clothed in common sense, patriotism, or re-establishment of a lost but 'just' cause. It is an attack on women, the poor, the dispossessed, the gay, the lesbian, the queer, the trans-gender, and any other not having enough social standing to fight back these amateur troublemakers' mindless onslaught.
We are finding this is not so, courtesy of Donald Trump's enabling the thug legions as do all demagogues; and that bigotry of all sorts can be found in some, defending their naked hatred as if it were clothed in common sense, patriotism, or re-establishment of a lost but 'just' cause. It is an attack on women, the poor, the dispossessed, the gay, the lesbian, the queer, the trans-gender, and any other not having enough social standing to fight back these amateur troublemakers' mindless onslaught.
13
The internet is full of loathsome trolls. YouTube is full of neo-nazi anti semitic videos. The anonymity and free access bring out all the creepy crawlies. To take that fact and rally it in a partisan political diatribe is unfortunate - why weren't you denouncing the neo-nazis before the campaign?. Whatever Trump is he is not an antisemite - at worst an overly ambitious politician too loath to reject support without a closer look.
37
Equivocation is the defense mechanism of choice among those today who think of themselves as conservative. It is used frequently as an efficacious tool to rationalize the most noxious implications of their loyalties and beliefs. It works by allowing a person to change the subject, rather than address a valid point. And then feel vindicated...
132
I disagree. Trump may or may not be specifically anti-semite, but he is undoubtedly sending the message that 'outsiders' are responsible for 'ruining America' and that the solution is bullying, harassing, and deporting them. Exactly who is viewed as an outsider may change from day to day and from one group of his supporters to another, but that is not the issue here. The danger is in the unabashed hatred he is encouraging among his supporters. It could turn against anyone.
146
I suppose I'm puzzled as to why the author should have been denouncing neo nazis prior to the campaign. It's such a given that one would be apposed to them that I can only surmise your aim is to erode the credibility of the author.
94
McKibben told me, “I have no fear of debating these people on the issues, but this is just intimidation.” He added, “It’s bad enough to do this to anyone who runs for office. But to do it to anyone who dares protest?”