I recommend the book "Black, White and Jewish" by Rebecca Walker, Alice Walker's daughter by the Jewish civil rights lawyer Mel Leventhal.
I believe it is instructive that Alice Walker hasn't spoken to her own daughter in years. This is documented in numerous articles, including in The Times, over the past two decades.
Alice Walker is a horrible human being. I agree that The Times Book Review shouldn't have provided anything other than the information in the interview that isn't given for any other writer profiled.
What I suggest is that The Times Book Review in the future confine these weekly interviews to authors who are decent human beings.
81
Alice Walker is not the first gifted artist who coincidentally is an antiSemite. She is preceeded by Henry James, Richard Wagner and others throughout history. AntiSemitism is a state of mind , a belief system, and a view of reality that needs no affirmation or denial by the antiSemite. It is identified by the their words and deeds that illuminate their state of mind. it is an often a covert belief that only becomes public by mistakes in judgment and indiscrtions. The antiSemite condemns herself by her own words, actions and extremes of denial when her public actions and thoughts are identified as antiSemitic.
This does not mean Walker is antiSemitic because Jews say she is. It means that the antiSemitic content and tone of her public remarks, her approval of the antiSemitic work of Holocaust deniers, and her fevered denials of her racism are persuasive enought to identify her antiSemitism.
71
There is a clear difference between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. Israel does some very bad things, but it does not deny its neighbors the right to exist. One might be justified in supporting the BDS movement and warning that Israeli is creeping toward Jewapartheid, but looking for conspiracy theories about a world-wide Jewish plot, or denying the Holocaust is another matter entirely. Ickes is a man on a mission to disinform, to use clever arguments based on half-truths or outright lies. Has Alice Walker, who has suffered, suffered at the hands of Jews, or has she lost her ability to distinguish fact from fiction?
29
Sick of the racists sick of the bigotry and to be honest I want to know who the racists and bigots are. Everyone has a right to their thoughts and their speech. Not going to debate that. But I'm glad Ms. Walker and Mr. Icke are called out. It arms me with the knowledge of who my enemies are, who views my ethnicity, color or race inferior or threatening. It's a dangerous world with lots of information spinning around us. I appreciate the heads up.
83
T.S.Eliot was accused of having anti-semitic sentiments, we didn't stop reading "Prufrock". At least most of us didn't. A writer's personal problems and opinions are probably many and varied, and have very little to do with the book I might have in my hand, bearing their name.
Alice Walker has her politics, her emerging ideas, and this is one I wish she had never voiced, especially since she writes
with such trenchant observation about bigotry and racism. But asking our writers to be pure and for the T.S.Eliots and historical writers (and founding fathers such as Jefferson) to uphold in all their writings, interviews, affairs, a set of principled beliefs consistent with the most enlightened of our age?
It seems an awful lot to ask of human beings. Why not enjoy, say, Lowell's poems and just forget his crazy 'nazi ramblings at Harvard' when to his shock and mortification they had to come for him with a net, and then months off, recovering. He hated those episodes. So if Walker thinks Icke is a visionary...maybe a simple 'that's interesting', surely the death of an idea in conversation between academics, will certainly suffice to edge off the subject to safer climes.
14
I don't agree with the ADL that the Times has a responsibility to warn their readers that a By the Book interviewee may have a book on their bedside table that is anti-Semitic. I assume we are all adults and can handle that information without heading to our respective corners and whipping ourselves into a froth. Anytime I see that an interviewee has Philip Roth on their nightstand I wonder how they can read anything by such a woman hater.
29
Im concerned that concern for Palestinian human rights and/or criticism of Israeli government and/or settlements is being considered “antiSemitic”. Its as if nothing short of total eradication of Palestine and Palestinians is acceptable.
29
Just because an author writes or two good works doesn’t make her infallible or a genius.
53
Alice Walker's bigotry has been laid bare. She should be shunned. Regardless how bright or accomplished a person may be, they can still be seduced by hate-mongering that confirms their prejudices.
48
Alice Walker, despite being a Pulitzer Prize winning author, has immersed herself in fictional and conspiratorial stories as both an author and a reader. It's ludicrous for her to claim that the brave are those who speak their "own understanding of the truth". Are we to believe that she would subscribe to Trumpian or Giulianistic logic? Shame, shame on you, Alice Walker for forgetting your past in the segregated south and be assured that many of us Jews who have long supported civil rights in this country are also critical of the treatment of Palestians. Being Jewish does not make us all guilty of the Israelis sins just like being Black should not constitute a reason to be targeted unfairly and disproportionatly by the police.
35
Have we now devolved to a point where someone – well known or not – is judged on her bedside book?
She was reading a book. Was that because she already agreed with the author's views? We don't know. Was she just familiarizing herself with the author so she could form her own views? We don't know. But she's automatically "seriously anti-Semitic."
There are two subjects here, each worthy of serious conversation:
1. Is there something wrong with me if you find one of the books in my home library objectionable? Maybe there's a book about film with a blackface photo from the '20s. Maybe a history of William Shockley outlines his breakthrough transistor work but also has a chapter about his views on eugenics. Maybe I own a barbecue cookbook and you don't eat red meat – OMG!
2. Jumping to judgment. Even if this guy's book reveals repugnant views, isn't that worth a conversation rather than automatic judgment that shuts off any comment? A conversation might either reverse his thinking or at least enlighten anyone who is listening.
25
I think an important thing to note here is that Icke is a madman. He is anti-semitic, but that is only one element of the grand conspiracy he is constantly proposing. The "we are ruled over by Reptilians" stuff was a punchline a decade ago, and Icke is probably the person most associated with the "theory", but that barely scratches the surface of the absurdity of his writing.
His books are almost entirely unconstrained mad ravings. The fact that Alice Walker enjoys such material is a mystery to me. You have to embrace an incoherent set of (yes, very often hateful) ideas to be true believer of David Icke.
57
There is a long history of antagonism between Blacks and Jews. Anyone remember Jesse Jackson's 1984 reference to Jews as "Hymies" and to New York as "Hymietown" in remarks made to a Washington Post reporter?
It has long been known that there is a strain of anti semitism among American Blacks. The interesting question is why Alice Walker thinks the way she does. Where does it come from?
37
Don't know Ick, don't know his work, but considering how vocal and irrational some groups get when you even suggest that the Palestinians are being treated unfairly, I suspect that a lot of Ms. Walker's antisemitism might simply be rabidly right-wing authoritarians denouncing a well known and beloved figure's free speech with typical activist hyperbole.
16
I wonder: How many on this commentary have read Ickes book?
(I haven't.) What attracted Alice Walker to be sympathetic to his book? How many people know enough about Alice Walker to conclude that she is antisemitic, i.e., hates Jews. Is this controversy a question about the sympathy Walker has to Palestinians under the yoke of "the Jewish state"? If so, that is indeed an issue that could exacerbate antisemitism.
11
Ms. Walker has the audacity to espouse anti-Semitic sentiments and support a blatant anti-Semite, justifying it because she is a "person of color." We all know she has been lauded for her work merely because she is a person of color. Those who are color blind recognize she is second rate as well as a hateful racist.
26
I see that many readers confuse agreement with their own points of view with the concept of freedom of speech. About Walker's poem on Jews and blacks, we might want to consider that some Jews were slave-holders in the pre-Cival war south and that some Jews have been notorious for their anti-black views throughout the twentieth century. But my main objection to all this is on the sacred right enshrined in the first amendment to our constitution, which has protected Nazis marching in Skokie, the white supremacist press, and the kind of prejudiced comments the Anti-Defamation League often makes against Palestinians.
17
Another anti-Semite. That makes an even dozen I have crossed paths with in one way or another today. The fact she is a famous author, or that her famous book was turned into a movie by a Jew involved in a fantastic Holocaust remembrance project, makes her anti-semitism all the more reportable. But, she’s just one amongst billions.
37
It would be nice if Oprah were to weigh in on this matter.
17
Alexandra Alter's article assuages some of the bewilderment i experienced after reading the "Inside The Times" piece on Thursday. Thank god, I did not see the original Book Review interview, so was spared an extra week of agitation.
The historian, Timothy Snyder, in a recent talk at the New York Historical Society, described how factual history is degraded in Putin's Russia. He gave the example of how in a panel discussing WW2, a Holocaust denier would be seated next to a historian, eyewitness etc.. The interchange would be interpreted as a range of opinions. I was dismayed to see the New York Times adopt this this bizarre principal of distortion.
While on the subject of Alice Walker, I recall her participation in one of those now defunct New York Times Literary lunches, in the mid 1990s, held in conjunction with the New York Book Fair. I remember a particularly hot October Sunday (this was before global warming) and my excitement at seeing Alice Walker read and then asking her to sign the book I dutifully purchased. I remember too, her sour refusal to personalize it. It left an odd sort of impression.
This is a wonderful example of us having again to weigh the power of art against the sometimes ugly face of the creator. However, in this case, Ms Walker is no Wagner, Pound or even Celine. Come to think of it, her "greatness" was probably all Spielberg's making.
In my mind, she is consigned to the dustbin of literature.
29
Shame on her. One would think that a person with their roots based in a minority which has been abused for centuries would be more sensitive to and empathetic with other abused minorities. Anti-Semites come in all shapes, sizes. genders and races.
30
This article goes into detail on the subject, and concludes that Icke is a "lunatic, but not anti-semitic":
http://semiticcontroversies.blogspot.com/2012/12/is-david-icke-anti-semitic.html?view=magazine
"However to summarise this issue: we can point out that Icke believes that the attitudes that the jews are not actually a problem as they are a people who have been mislead by the jewish-reptile cross-breeds among their elit. Who have then directed them to follow ludicrous laws and believe in their own inherent superiority over gentiles so that they can be persecuted in order to create a fascist jewish state and further that the jews aren't really a people anyway, but rather have been made to believe they are by the evil reptilians.
I am afraid such ideas aren't anti-Semitic, but they are lunatic!"
8
Based on Walker's endorsement of a book that basically amounts to an anti-Semitic conspiracy, and her abhorrent poem about the Talmud, can anyone deny that she is an anti-Semite?
It is high time for this bigot to be shunned by all people of good will. Any prizes she has received should be revoked; any speaking invitations still pending should be withdrawn; and there should be no more soft-ball Times interviews that mainly serve to provide a forum for her hatefulness.
Racists should be stigmatized and denounced. Is this really controversial?
30
For many years, Alice Walker has thought too highly of her own mediocre work. And so why does anyone believe her judgment of the hateful work of David Icke?
22
Woe be to anyone who expresses any thought that questions anything about people who are above questioning.
8
Alice Walker is Anti-Semitic, that is abundantly clear now to the world now, but the NYT should have known this. Why did they give her a platform via the article? She deserves to be dumped into the dustbin just as other artists who espouse racist ideas have been dumped by the Times. Why give her the platform.
36
A self important cipher applauding the work of a barely mentionable one.
Odious.
27
If Ms. Walker unapologetically endorses a book that contains blantant bigotry, does that not make her a bigot, too?
21
Ms. walker seems to have a soft spot for an anti-Semitic bigot. Denying the holocaust is as bad as denying the fact that slavery happened. Anyone who believes either theory should be shunned.
39
So Alice Walker is a racist. Bluntly, most people could care less what she believes. She wrote a well received book for which she got a reward. It turns out that her anti-Semitic/racist views are who she is. She is entitled to have truly stupid beliefs, even if at some point she wrote a good piece of literature. If people want their designated icons to be different than who they really are, it’s their problem.
8
Alice Walker supports anti-semite, Icke’s book. Apparently, her anti-Semitism was known for some time, I had no idea. What a shame, I just lost all respect for her. I have no interest in her or her work.
29
Walker's "Duty to Study the Talmud" (alicewalkersgarden.com) has a number of other lines that come from some of the most infamous distortions about the Talmud - like that it's OK to have intercourse with a three year old girl, and "the best of Goyim should be killed". She instructs the reader how to follow the trail of the Talmud's "poison", using Google and YouTube, as if that validates the accuracy of what is found.
Ms Walker is a great example of how a talented writer can be seriously deficient in the capacity for critical analysis of facts. She may sincerely believe that she is not anti-Semitic, but her conscience should compel her to question the depth of her demonization, and how far it is disconnected from reality.
No, Ms Walker, the Talmud does not say that "young boys are fair game for rape". Some soul searching is in order.
29
I wonder what Ms. Walker would say about Mr. Ickes if his book said that blacks in America were OK with slavery, that they sold themselves to their white masters and that they had a hand in the despicable lynchings that are a part of our shameful racial history. I guess she would say he speaks his own brand of truth. Anti-Semitism is anti-Semtism no matter what a fool like Ms. Walker has to say about it.
35
Most artists and quite a few scientists are utterly naive about politics. And anyway, conspiracy theories should be thought of as a genre of literature. Therefore, for Walker to praise Icke is just one artist praising another.
1
A quibble here: the film "The Color Purple" starred Whoopi Goldberg who received an Oscar nomination. Ms. Winfrey's role in the film was a small, though notable, supporting role.
4
Sadly, all four of my grandparents were racists. My Jewish grandparents hated African-Americans. My Catholic grandparents were anti-Semitic. Moving through the world, we must fight falling into the trap of racial hatred constantly. But I would never ban a book from my reading list because of the author's views. I read Breitbart a few times each month;I need to know what's out there. Ideas can be scary but lose at least some power when faced head-on.
22
One can be critical of Israel’s policies and supportive of Palestinian autonomy without being antisemitic, and it disturbs me that Ms. Walker’s stance regarding those issues is being presented as supporting evidence of her prejudice. In doing so one is playing the same game the antisemites are playing: using Israel as a kind of judgmental shorthand, a way of branding people. Many on the left use legitimate criticism of Israel as political cover for their antisemitism, while many on the right will seize upon any criticism of Israel as evidence of that bigotry - leaving those of us in the middle, people who are critical of Israel while still recognizing its right to exist, with no place to go, since our voices are drowned out by the bigots on both sides, making nuanced discussion of the issues impossible, which is exactly how the extremists want it.
It does seem as if Ms. Walker may be one of those antisemites who’s hiding her prejudices behind a legitimate critique of Likud. That should definitely be condemned. But there’s also a long-running pattern of labeling black people antisemitic because they align with Palestinian or Muslim activists.
Blacks have excellent reasons to be distrustful of the white power establishment, and Jews had excellent reasons to take advantage of the access to white privilege the West has granted them since WWII. As a result we’ve been pitted against one another. Let’s be careful not to add fuel to that fire as we call out prejudice.
12
@James Jacobs, I agree wholeheartedly with your first sentence. I have strong views about Israel, but those negative views on the country’s politics, policies and ethics do not extend to Jewish people as a whole. It is absurd to assume that fact-based criticism of a government equals across-the-board prejudice against a people. I remember actress Vanessa Redgrave was pilloried because she spoke out on support of the Palestinian people. How dare she.
11
She's 74 years old and her net worth is estimated to be between $300 million and $500 million.
I'm sure she's quaking in her boots right now.
6
The by the book column is about what certain authors are reading. Whether you are a celebrated author or not, in America you are free to read whatever you want to read. There really isn't that much more to say.
6
@Paul Cantor
And people are free to criticize you for what you read as well. There is a lot more to say.
25
Victor Orban (Hungary), Daniel Ortega (Nicaragua), Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel), Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar), Winnie Mandela (South Africa) and now Alice Walker (USA)--just to name a few--people originally lauded for their ethical principles and leadership in the struggle for human rights over time can become blinded, lose their way and become corrupted. Why this happens--power, influence, political necessity, notoriety--all of it and more can seep into a person's consciousness and convince them that they are specially annointed in some authoritative way--bound up with their charisma and fame, the noxiousness begins to spread. It's an infection to which we, with our vulnerable craven egos, are all susceptible. Democratic systems seek to guard against this age-old disease by fragmenting and dividing political, social, economic and personal power in order to prevent the consolidation and subsequent breakout of the poisonous influence that follows; something we see in different eras as we see it spreading today among us. The outcome, which is rarely unchecked once it overruns certain limiting constraints, is always disasterous. Currently we are very close to a point of no return.
8
Remember the good old days when Vanessa Redgrave was booed for her Palestinian views after Playing for Time? So,we can't take Alice Walker's views as just her opinion and be done with it? We have to trash her after all she has given us including the new classic The Color Purple? And we don't need Whoopi to defend her.Whoopi has enough folks not liking her View opinions and how she runs the very weak broadcast,inherited from Barbara Walters. We can handle some more criticism of Israel policies,its walls and not demean those who have an opposite take. And I am not blind that Ms.Walker may be wrong in some of her beliefs.But she earned the right to speak freely,decades ago.
5
@mark isenberg
No one is questioning her right to speak freely. All anyone here is doing is noting what she said and its meaning. No one is trashing her unless calling out a person's prejudices is trashing them. She doesn't get a free pass just because she is Alice Walker. We all put our pants on one leg at a time.
21
This book is not only not scholarly, it borders on being delusional. It's particularly alarming that Alice Walker who is an artist of great ability and intellect, is endorsing this book.
African Americans and Jews have been joined by a similar wounding . The questions that the writer of this book has asked are not only not courageous, they are incendiary and insulting when one considers the history of the last 80 years in Europe and America .
Perhaps Ms. Walker who is an avid reader ,should go back and read some of Dr. King's writings; she might then be reminded that bringing people together is more important than building division, regardless of race , color, or belief .
Almost always ,bridges are more useful than walls .
13
I think the Times’ response is a bit disingenuous. It has a strong tendency towards authors who stay safely within the liberal middle-brow sensibility. In this case it may have relied too much on Walker’s reputation and too little on journalistic due diligence.
17
Alongside questions others fear to ask, let's place moral realities others seldom mention.
I remember a long-past editorial or op-ed, perhaps in The New York Times, entitled "Some of Our Best Friends". It was about the pain of observing the bad blood between two sets of Americans who have suffered prejudice for many years: African-Americans and Jews. The ill will apparently is traceable to the presence of Jewish shopkeepers and pawnbrokers in predominantly black urban neighborhoods, where they are liable to be regarded as economic predators. More recently, similar social conditions have given rise to similar friction between African-Americans and Korean-Americans.
I can't judge which parties are the more responsible for these estrangements, but I am sure that even certified victims of prejudice are not certified to be innocent of prejudice. All of us must examine ourselves on that head as we live our respective lives.
7
Wow. There’s another heroine with feet of clay. I wonder if she was always this insane, but hid it better... I’ll certainly begin re-evaluating her work now.
15
This is so disappointing. Alice Walker has lost the plot.
12
It’s a shame Walker has amnesia around the Jewish contribution to the civil rights movement. It’s a shame that Walker doesn’t understand that hate speech poisons the air for all communities. I recommend that Walker revisit who she once was; this civil rights activist now undermines her own ideals.
25
Why anyone pays the slightest attention is a mystery to me.
2
Simple question: If Ickes wrote the same stuff about people of color instead of Jews, would Alice Walker still think that he was brave for asking these kinds of questions and making these kinds of claims?
Ms. Walker can think what she wants, but could perhaps think a little more about what she says.
37
Ms. Walker- nice book . Tell Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, who walked the walk and were murdered , that you talked the talk.
30
In "Beyond the Melting Pot," written in the 60s, Moynihan and Glazer mentioned some (now called) African Americans adopting bits of antisemitism to be seen perhaps as part of the mainstream on account of antisemitism being endemic in Western society. It was suggested that this group had "arrived" in adopting some antisemitic views.
So it is nice to see how far this all has evolved. A black intellectual now seems to proudly take on the mantle of Martin Heiddeger for the new millennium. This shows how far African Americans have advanced since the time of Moynihan and Glazer.
5
There is something really scary going on here, and it’s not the rabid writing of that crackpot Icke. I have not read his book (just read about it) and have no plans to do so. Ditto Somaly Mam’s fictional non-fiction book. But I defend Walker’s right to read whatever rubbish she chooses to. Walker is not a naive or unintelligent woman. She divulged what books were on her nightstand (if they were, indeed, there) knowing that talking up Icke’s book would trigger backlash. Whatever her reasoning behind that share, and whatever her true beliefs, she is under no obligation to be a pristine, perfect paragon of righteousness for her readers and fans. She’s a writer, a creator. Not a politician or spiritual leader. I’m not sure getting out the virtual pitchforks is the way to respond to her reveal. It worries me how easy it is these days for the mob — via social media — to take a public person down for not meeting fan expectations. I admit I love the writing of some authors who were pretty horrible people in their private lives. You can like Walker’s work and not like the person who wrote it. She is flawed in her outlook. She is a hypocrite and a hater. She is also a talented and successful writer. Take her or leave her. That is the full package.
8
It’s amazing that Alice Walker who has clearly chosen to endorse the theories of a notorious anti-Semite in the New York Times and on her blog, forgets that she was happy to have Steven Spielberg, a Jew, both direct and co-produce The Color Purple, one of the finest movies ever made. I invite her to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum un Washington, DC. I think she may find it a usefully enlightening experience. It is just as valid and relevant as the African American Museum of History and Culture, also on the Mall. It saddens me greatly that talented artists traffic in anti-Semitism. The most notorious in France was Louis-Ferdinand Céline. Unfortunately, hatred of the other tends to be visceral and unavoidable, especially in these challenging times. It’s our obligation to fight racism wherever it is regardless. That obligation starts in our homes, in our families, even on Facebook and in the halls of government. It also must be fought in the newspapers and in other news media. Let’s hope the New York Times, à newspaper founded by American Jews, has the moral courage to do so.
9
What if someone wrote a racist book claiming that African Americans are genetically inferior and precipitated their own lynchings? Would Ms. Walker state that the author is " brave enough to ask the questions others fear to ask, and to speak his own understanding of the truth wherever it might lead." I hope not.
I am stunned and extremely disappointed by her actions.
35
The Holocaust must be treated as any/all other history - including being subject to inquiry and revision, forever. And NEVER demonizing anyone for saying so, or recommending a book in which the author says so.
3
Reading about Ms. Walker and her embrace of the twisted Mr. Icke reminded me of a passage from Richard Wright’s “Black Boy”. “To hold an attitude of antagonism or distrust toward Jews was bred into us from childhood; it was not merely racial prejudice, it was a part of our cultural heritage.” Sadly, this still seems to be the case in parts of the Black community and is reflected in the embrace of Farrakhan who also peddles outlandish theories about the Jews. This kind of irrational bias and scapegoating is dangerous and must be called out and addressed from without and within. While this certainly tarnishes Ms. Walker’s legacy, it highlights the larger problem in all communities in this diverse country, where clinging to a particular divisive prejudice based on race, religion or ethnicity is “part of [the] cultural heritage.” No group is immune and none is without blame. But each needs to honestly access and address where we/they fall short.
52
This is extremely disappointing. I almost wanted to think she maybe was developing some dementia, but apparently she's held these views for some time.
77
Alice Walker has the right to read what she wants. If she wants to read sick, discriminatory books she has the right to do so. We have the right to judge her for her choices. End of story.
149
@Ladysmith, that’s not really the main subject of the story here, or even the most interesting part. The NYT was criticized for publishing Walker’s purported reading list just as she gave it. It is shocking that any organization or individual would expect a newspaper to clean up the content of an interview, so that readers won’t be insulted or angered.
11
@Ladysmith
I don’t trust anyone who closes a pronouncement “end of story” any more than I do a writer who limits the field of thought through close-minded prejudice. Both shut down discussion.
5
@Ladysmith
and maybe the NYT should not publicize her sick choices...
8
We expect our cultural heroes to be better than us, and it always comes as a shock when they’re not.
58
@Peter Silverman
Well, at least we expect them not to enthusiastically consume and praise hate literature.
26
Sometimes even the most celebrated people can fail. Problem is, she's digging her heels and it's a sign that she is too concerned about being 'right'. But she's wrong on this. She said "read everything" and to that I agree. But just because one reads everything, does not have to mean the one must support everything, that one must never criticize anything, or that one must have to relate to or believe in the author's intent. She said she "believes" Icke is not anti-semetic. But it seems that's because she just wants to believe that, not because it's actually true.
In her original interview I saw red flags. Saying that Bob Woodward wasn't "Shakti" enough was an absurdity beyond words. It reeked of misplaced, new-agey cultural appropriation and tone-deafness. She can have her lizard people. I'll keep my feet firmly planted on the ground, thank you very much.
27
i have always loved Alice Walker and felt an affinity with her.
With age, the clarity of mind diminishes...she's 75.
Is is possible that touches of 'dementia' are appearing.
A little compassion for her suffering might be in order.
Believing in 'lizard people' is living close to the edge,
if not in fact over it.
6
The article asks if this will “tarnish her image”. It should destroy her image. She should not be welcome on campuses or around polite company. She’s done.
35
Why should someone be prosecuted for having an opinion? In the current environment even criticizing Israel is grounds for someone being "done". I say it's gone too far, and this is a witch hunt.
4
Years ago, I read a book of Alice Walker’s essays and as a result, admired and respected her. What happened?
8
As someone who has long opposed Israeli expansion and those who aggressively discourage ways of bringing Palestinians into what should be the non-secular rights-protected nation of Israel, I have always been disgusted by Ms. Walker's prejudice, which undercuts her writing and moral force completely.
There is just nothing to rationalize here. The tragedy of prejudice is that it always enables bad tendencies on either side of an emotional and irrational divide to impose it upon others.
27
For whatever it is worth, I just went up on the websites of several of my local libraries and learned that very few of her books are currently checked out.
13
May one not both accept Alice Walker knows a good book, and that it may be antisemitic? May nobody read various works because in total or part they are wrongheaded, or written by the wrongheaded? A book is an experience of art built in words, the assemblage of which may be very valuable no matter the theme. And is an adult not able to differentiate the great prose itself, from the bad idea? And since when is prior constraint appropriate in any reading? You study a book, and if it offends you put it down. Obviously one should respect Walker and at least take a good look.
I am reminded of Nabokov & Lolita, which is as beautifully written a work in English as any book, ever. Perhaps a top ten book of all time of all book ever. And then there's the fuss over the subject matter. Alas the book is so beautifully constructed the subject matter is inconsequential. I highly recommend the audio version with Jeremy Irons reading.
8
@CK
"May one not both accept Alice Walker knows a good book, and that it may be antisemitic?"
If a book propagates anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, doesn't that make the book bad?
"May nobody read various works because in total or part they are wrongheaded, or written by the wrongheaded?"
The issue at hand is not that the book should not be read per se, but rather that Walker endorsed it without any nuance or recognition of its anti-Semitic overtones. Walker is regarded as a literary and cultural icon. For her to wholly endorse an objectively problematic book is dangerous, because there are millions of people who look up to her.
"And is an adult not able to differentiate the great prose itself, from the bad idea?"
You're giving "adults" too much credit - there are a lot of "adult" anti-Semites in the world. The book propagates anti-Semitic conspiracies. Adults with anti-Semitic leanings can seize on this and use it as proof that Jews control the world. This makes the book dangerous.
40
@CK I agree and disagree with Naomi, below. I won't pursue that discussion.
I do believe, however, that your "Lolita" analogy is misleading. From "The Merchant of Venice" to "Huckleberry Finn" to "Lolita," critics, even within a generation, have been divided on the (for lack of a better term) "political" merits of the case. Always have been, always will.
That is totally different from debating the political/literary merits of, say, "The Turner Diaries," "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," and "Mein Kampf." Just as, say, "flat earth" theories no longer merit serious discussion, the tracts enumerated above (and which Ickes's work is on a similar par with) do not warrant consideration of any sort other than historical/sociological. It's a classic "false equivalence" tactic that somehow every text, artwork, artifact, or meme are equally worthy of considered cogitation.
In my own view, the Academy, itself, encouraged this sort of troubling equivalence during the heyday of deconstruction through the 80s and 90s--with an accidental and ironic result.
19
I guess it comes down to this: can a book be both good and occasionally anti semitic? I say yes absolutely. Just as countless classics, both last and present, drip of racism. This policing of thought is really getting out of hand.
5
David Icke may well be an extreme anti-Semite. Jewish Lizard People running the world in secret sounds pretty extreme to me. If this report is at all accurate, then he is far out of bounds.
However, it is possible to respond to even this in ways that are counter productive. I think too many have.
Attempts to suppress something also get it attention and sympathy, even if not deserved on the merits. It is the attempt to suppress that gets the reaction, not the merits of the thing one is attempting to suppress.
Abuse of a major figure of undoubted real merit must be done with utmost care. Alice Walker earned and deserves respect. If you fail in that, you harm your own cause.
There may be issues about Ms. Walker and antisemitism, but her views on Palestine are not outside bounds, and her major role in the NAACP as well as the content of much of her work suggest sensitivity to such issues. Be careful.
What would work better would be reasoned response to the Lizard People nut, exposing him and leaving the outrage to the reader.
More measured discussion of Ms. Walker would support that, instead of her reputation seeming to support Icke.
20
@Mark Thomason
No. Ms. Walker is a great writer and an anti-semite. Her work on behalf of Palestinian rights doesn't make her an anti-semite and is not at issue here. Her admiration for Icke's work is anti-semitic because that is the point of his work. There is no reason to refrain from calling her out on it. If she does not wish to be an anti-semite she can stop being one. If she does not wish to correct her behavior everyone should know about it. If her support for Icke's work discredits her she is responsible for it. Actions have consequences including speech acts.
14
@Mark Thomason I was born Jewish in an atheist household by NYC teachers who worked in the civil rights movement. I don't care that Walker has the book near and dear to her, since I believe in free speech. However, Walker is a known racist and anti-Semite. You can read her all you want. I will have nothing to do with her. To me, there are so many talented human beings in the world, why would I spend my time on an old woman who thinks it's okay for her to be racist because she's black. Might not be a popular view, but it's how I feel. LG
15
@Mark Thomason
No, Rosanne Barr and Donald Sterling, two Jews, had their careers and reputations destroyed for offending blacks.
No, there aren't "maybe" issues about her anti-Semitism any more than there are maybe issues about Richard Spencer's racism.
15
“brave enough to ask the questions others fear to ask”
Others fear to ask because of what happened to even Alice Walker when she touched the subject.
28
@Mark Thomason
You won't come right out and say what you're thinking, in order to insinuate deniably that there are thought police who will play the anti-you-know-what card at any opportunity.
An admirable display of courage and forthrightness, if I do say so myself.
5
Is this a thinly veiled suggestion that people are generally afraid to espouse anti Semitic views for fear of the consequences? Is that wrong? Should everyone feel comfortable espousing racist views? Anti Semitism is simply a specific form of racism, and no, it's not OK. And don't conflate objections to Israeli policies with ant Semitism. They are two distinctly different viewpoints, unless one wrongly uses issues like the situation in Palestine to justify their own hatred.
17
@Mark Thomason
In your first comment, you refer to some kind of “suppression” happening here. In this comment, you state that “others fear to ask because of what happened to even Alice Walker when she touched the subject.“
As far as I know, no books or ideas have been suppressed here. As far as I know, what “happened to Alice Walker“ is that in an interview with the national newspaper of record she voluntarily offered up praise for a book widely regarded as a crackpot compendium of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories (Jewish lizard people secretly running the world, etc.). That put both the ideas in the book and the fact of Walker’s admiration for it on the table for discussion. And now all of the above is being openly discussed and ideas are being exchanged, both on this forum and elsewhere.
It’s all good, and the opposite of suppression.
11
Many are shocked that Alice Walker peddles in anti-Semitic canards and calls the viciously anti-Semitic David Icke, "brave enough to ask the questions others fear to ask." As a civil and criminal rights attorney with over 25 years of experience, I'm disappointed, but not the least bit surprised. Early in my career I was shocked to hear some of the things that came out of my clients' mouths. People who suffered greatly from racism, and had actionable claims, would nonetheless say the most disturbing things while discussing how to proceed with their cases, most specifically about Gays and Jews. I heard every Homophobic and anti-Semitic canard I'd ever heard, and many I'd never heard before.
If you do this work you come to a fundamental understanding that the idea that suffering builds character, or teaches people anything, let alone compassion, is inherently false. Lionizing individuals who suffer and then come to understand other types of suffering is incredibly important, but they truly worked to achieve that. Unfortunately, those who suffer bigotry are often incredibly bigoted. They're interested in protecting what they perceive to be their own grievances, and the grievances of those like them.
Finally, suffering often damages people in ways not easily recognizable. It can easily make a person brittle, intolerant, and paranoid. These are the very sorts of things that feed bigotry and conspiracy theories. It would be nice if all who suffer became saints, but most don’t.
214
@Robert B Thank you for such a cogent response. You were being kinder than me.
9
@Robert B,
Thank you so much for your excellent and thoughtful comment.
11
The first amendment allows free speech, including hate speech.
Hate crimes are outlawed.
But this is a third thing. This is hate and egregious lies mixed together to spread fear and paranoia, and cultivate violence. It needs its own name and its own laws, because it can be far more insanely dangerous and incendiary than a lie or hatred alone.
Terrorism seems to be the right word.
51
@common sense advocate Ms. Walker endorses the book of a person who trafficked in obvious hate speech, so what she's doing is less serious than what Icke engaged in, so her support of this bigotry should require no new laws, just a calling out, which thankfully is what's happening.
4
@Bird Dog - agreed, I was speaking of the aptly-named Icke - and calling out Ms Walker for supporting his thinking is the right thing to do
1
it is unfortunately ironic that someone who contributed to the exposure of one form pf bigotry and fought against it for as long as Ms. Walker did, finds herself embracing a different form of the same monster.
122
@Jim, I’m not sure why anyone would assume that Walker, or any other black writer (or any other black person, for that matter) would naturally be free of prejudice toward other races or ethnic groups. Bigotry exists in all factions. It’s the human condition. I’m white and lived for many years in a black and Latino neighborhood. I was the odd one out there, and I was treated with overt hatred daily. I remember a young black girl spitting on me. She was I. Her late teens. So young, and already so full of hate.
5
About Mr. Icke Ms. Walker says, in part: "I do believe he is brave enough... to speak his own understanding of the truth wherever it might lead.”
His 'own understanding of the truth'? That doesn't take bravery. As Mr. Icke and Ms. Walker prove, ignorance is sufficient.
109
I am glad this side of Alice Walker has been brought out into the light for all to see. I used to admire her and her writing greatly. Now I will avoid her writing, because knowing how casually she accepts anti-Semitic conspiracy theory writings as "truth seeking" puts all her writing in a new (and unacceptable) light for me. She is free to express her opinion and I am free not to read another word by or about her.
178
Let not forget that Trump, the so-called 'leader of the free world', is a major disseminator of conspiracy theories and even uses them to inform his policy making decisions that affect the lives of millions of people.
Why are we wasting time demonizing Alice Walker. Someone who writes books for a living and prefers to read things you may not agree with.
18
@james33
There is enough time to condemn all things that deserve condemning.
8
@james33 We are not demonizing Ms Walker but letting people know all sides of this famous writer as she is a public figure and gets a soapbox as such. People who provide support to those who espouse dangerous ideas are in themselves dangerous and need to be called out.
7
@james33
She has been doing this for decades. What was your excuse then?
Rosanne Barr and Megyn Kelly are two people who recently lost their jobs for offending blacks. So obvious Trump being in power isn't stopping anti-black racists from having consequences so why should it stop black racists for having them?
5
It seems to me that anti-Semitism is entrenched in Western culture as a habit of thought. And we chose to take it up as an bigotry option - or not. Otherwise it makes no sense. All the anti-Semitic clichés that are passed around make no sense - if you pay attention you see that they're remarks with no substance. People just say them because over the years they've heard other people say them.
Sigh. I am so disappointed. Alice Walker was one of my heroines many years ago.
An excellent book, "Constantine's Sword" by James Carroll, tells much of the history of anti-Semitism.
55
@kbw Constantine's Sword is excellent.
4
Alice Walker's comments about David Ickes' supposed bravery reminded me yet again that bravery without insight and compassion does not a hero make, and neither does the act of writing books confer good judgement of character on an author. Qualities such as bravery and loyalty really require context to be judged properly. Maybe Ickes is "brave", but, by that logic, so are suicide bombers who kill dozens of innocent bystanders, and I certainly don't admire those.
84
First, "It remains unclear whether the controversy will tarnish Ms. Walker’s legacy, or shape the way readers and scholars approach her celebrated body of work..." Really? This completely changes my perception of her and her work, and not in a good way.
Second, the New York Times does not have the responsibility to comment on the book. People can do their own homework and think for themselves. The beauty of this is that Alice Walker revealed her true colors and now we know the ugly truth about what she believes. I pray that she can find the wisdom to confront her own prejudice.
112
@JH Yes, she has shown her true colors. Now she deserves the same treatment as others who have done the same. I have radically changed my opinion of the value of Alice Walker's work, just as I have changed my opinion of the value of Woody Allen's work.
I used to teach both of them in my college classes. I am now sorry I have, and I will never teach either of them, or other writers who have exposed as the worthless people they are.
6
Is it a secret, or is it taboo, the subject of racial /ethnic prejudice of a minority group against another minority group? Are we supposed to pretend that prejudice and mistrust are only the faults of the dominant group? ( cis white males or whatever )
animosity and mistrust are everywhere, just as love and charity are everywhere
72
Yet another painful reminder that brilliance in one domain does NOT equate to brilliance in any other domain. Nor does it preclude the possibility of the absolutely ugliest forms of base ignorance. Evidently.
133
I disagree that readers should have been warned with extra, "contextual" information about the Icke book in Alice Walker's "By the Book" interview. Are Times readers adults? Presumably yes. Presumably we're intelligent enough to figure out for ourselves whether or not a book is anti-Semitic, racist, or whatever it is. If we choose to read the books Alice Walker has on her nightstand, or any other personage has on their nightstand, we'll evaluate them for ourselves. I don't want a contextual "warning" about any book from the New York Times. I'm old enough to figure it out for myself and presumably your other readers are too.
56
@Cunegonde Misthaven
On the contrary, I read a paper like the Times precisely for context, on any topic. It's not a dirty word.
2
@Cunegonde Misthaven I agree! I have read a few things by David Icke and watched him on YouTube. He seems humane and caring. And gasp I do not think he is anti-Semitic. I think he is talking about a secret cabal where some of the members are Jewish, or maybe all of them, but that the vast majority of Jewish people are not involved and know nothing about it.
Yes, to me he speaks of things which seem very difficult to believe, but he feels he is trying to save mankind. And he backs up his theories by proof he has found. I think he actually cares deeply about all human beings, even the so called fallen ones, my words not his.
I tell you it is difficult keeping the threads strait and I did not dig too deeply. He has some stunning first hand accounts of women who allegedly had Manchurian candidate kind of early childhood training and they sound chillingly true. Anyway I think everyone should make up their own mind.
He does talk about the illuminati , I cannot remember much, but I always wondered if they are so powerful with their satanic rites and all, why haven't they just killed most of us off long ago? I always wondered what is it about us simple humans, that keeps them at bay? I am reminded of these evil creatures when I think of the GOP as it is now. Are they the so called illuminati? And let us not forget the White supremacists and their horrific bigotry. They embrace all the bad stuff David Ickes is trying to stop.
2
I think most of us who are troubled by Ms Walker's endorsement of Icke's disturbing and crazy ideas are not opposed to his "right to share his own thoughts." Nor do I, personally, have any problem with the Times reporting Ms Walker's opinions on the quality of said thoughts, without editorial comment. We readers can decide for ourselves what Ms Walker's defense of this nasty crackpot says about her. What I do find offensive is her self-justification "as a woman, and a person of color" that equips her to judge what is anti-Semitic. Women's experiences and perceptions of harassment and devaluation are valid measures of sexism; a black person's experiences and perceptions of abuse and mistreatment at the hands of white people are valid measures of racism - and I would have thought she would agree. Apparently, though, Ms Walker thinks that the responses and feelings of Jewish people are *not* valid in identifying anti-Semitism when they see it... but hers are? Well, her books certainly won't be on any nightstand of mine in the future.
227
By the Book is a list of what a noteworthy person is reading. It's a feature I like to read, not because I agree with the person's choices. It's useful to me that I learned who David Ickes is, and his preposterous ideas.
38
@Petaltown Most readers only learned of Ickes's preposterous ideas because of the outrage caused by Alice Walker's endorsement. Most people do not have the luxury or the inclination to read every book recommended by a celebrity. On the other hand, anti-Semites and conspiracy theorists already knew about the book. The result is that their views were validated by Alice Walker, while Ickes's work was raised from obscurity and brought to national attention.
6
Either speech is free or it is not.
Which will it be? Censorship or freedom of speech?
By the way, all the ink (or electrons) devoted to this story will probably lead some people to look at Mr. Icke's works to see what all the fuss is about, people who would never have known or thought about him otherwise.
Sometimes it's best to let bigots demonstrate how reprehensible they and their ideas are.
23
@Mon Ray Freedom of speech as detailed in the U.S. Constitution restrains the Government from censorship. It doesn't stop anyone else and it shouldn't. The NY Times doesn't review every book. It makes editorial decisions every single day about what to include and what not to include. If they elect not to include his book because they perceive that it has no value (and it doesn't), that's not censorship. That's editorial judgement.
Ickes has the right to write and publish his book. And everyone else has the right to call it out for the lies within it and the hateful garbage that it is from a man who I would guess is a quite sick individual.
The holocaust is not an opinion, it is a FACT. It cannot be denied anymore than one can say that there was no World War II or no war in Vietnam.
8
@Mon Ray
You're off topic. No one is suggesting censorship.
Also, your post is contradictory. If you're in favor of freedom of speech, then isn't it a good thing if this coverage brings more readers to Icke?
2
i see both sides of this. And my takeaway is that no one author should be so highly esteemed that their every proclamation or review is concretized and held as truth. It is only their opinion, based on their own likes, desires and biases.
Now we know more about Alice Walker. And that is the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
27
@Peter
“Both sides,” as Trump commented regarding Charlottesville?
Please describe and defend the perspective favoring the anti-Semitic writings. But please read them first. Many commenters have not.
5
Personally I don't care if Alice Walker is antisemitic, nor do I care if there are people out there -- as I'm sure there are -- who dislike her on the basis of her skin color. This is an extremely common part of human nature, so much so as to probably be a normal one. The question is, do you operationalize this, by being mean-spirited or cruel to others in your daily interactions? If not, then you're free in my book to believe as you wish. And she's undoubtedly right to point out that these strange people who want to punish others for what they think, and the opinions they have -- a vast majority, no doubt, of NY Times readers, not to mention, employees -- themselves pose a huge risk to freedom of opinion and freedom of speech, through their anxious and sanctimonious attempts to censor others. It was easy enough in the fifties and sixties for these people to oppose right-wing censorship of Lenny Bruce; but now they turn out to be the censors themselves! Pretty amazing.
15
@BostonReader I don't think the NY reader types you refer to want to censor the speech. We do believe if it qualifies as hate speech and is dangerous in that it's asking people to believe untruths about others it invariably will lead to some people taking harmful action against these others. Thus we believe we must vigorously condemn that hate speech. Simply put we don't want to censor the speech; we who see it as hateful and dangerous feel we have a duty to speak out against it.
14
@BostonReader
The correct response to bad speech isn't censorship - its more speech. Calling Walker out on this is more speech. Censorship is the government suppressing speech by making it a crime and that is what the constitution protects against. It doesn't protect Ms. Walker from the consequences that may be pursuant to her making her anti-semitism clear. You can say or believe anything you want. What you don't get is a free pass for saying and believing hateful things. She doesn't have to operationalize her beliefs. Other people will do that for her because they feel she has given them permission. And for THAT she deserves to be roundly criticized. That criticism is also an exercise of free speech.
6
@BostonReader So Alice Walker's endorsement of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories is a matter of free speech. On the other hand, those who are critical of her are not exercising their own right to free speech, but are engaged in "sanctimonious attempts to censor others" and are accused of McCarthyism? It's your logic that's amazing .
8
I suppose it's human nature, but a virulent side to our nature: People loudly decry hate and discrimination against their own group, then enthusiastically hate and incite hatred against others.
Walker also reminds that education and "culture" don't inoculate from the virus.
Critical when we see it to call it for what is.
55
So much of today's journalism could be solved by asking three little words:
"What's your evidence?"
Lizard people? What's your evidence?
It's not difficult at all.
38
They ask: At what age the education of a person/child must start?
A: Some 25 years before they are born.
Which brings into question: who are Ms. Walker's parents?
7
Alice Walker is just an author. She's not and never has been known as a great thought leader. If she thinks David Icke has any kind of truth to tell, I'm disappointed in her, but there are a lot of cranks out there.
37
“It is a sad day for freedom of inquiry, thought, and speech, when an attempt is made to frighten people into lying about what is on their nightstand,” she (Walker) wrote.
I don't know if she is receiving death threats and such. I hope not. She and Icke are indeed free to say what they wish. But the flip side of free speech is that if people say nonsense or worse, they WILL be called on it.
I'm glad to know the truth about Alice Walker. I wouldn't have if her speech right had been violated.
She will now be somebody that I put out of my mind completely, someone who deserves to be forgotten by society.
81
@J Jencks
Responding to Walker:
Alice, it was also a sad day when you decided to ingest the poisonous garbage you placed on your nightstand. But a good day when we learned about what you have read and praised, because now we know more about the ideas that inform your creative output.
So do not be “frightened,” any more than those who have been dehumanized and targeted by the whipped-up readers of “Protocols of the Elders” and its cousins might be.m
And be comforted that no one has in fact urged you to “lie about what is on your nightstand.” You are safe, Alice. Very safe.
3
How long has she had this admiration for this guy’s work- is it a recent evolution in her thought? Does she actually believe in the “lizard people” conspiracy? Its just not sane. What happened?
27
as a result of this article i am ridding my book shelves of works by Alice Walker. bigotry is not welcome in my home.
70
This is very disappointing. And the Times should not have published the original article. Hatred of Jews is alive and well, and anti-Semitism more virulent and dangerous than ever before in American history. It does not matter if someone is a remarkable, talented, famous individual. If they endorse or publicize these views as true, they make the world more dangerous for those of us who are Jewish. We have seen where this goes and many of our ancestors didn’t make it out alive.
65
If the Times hadn't printed the original article, there would have been no platform for this discussion, which includes your comment. Instead, many eyes have been opened that would have remained veiled. I suspect, if nothing else, this will make another revival of the musical "The Color Purple" that more unlikely. Either way, placidly ignoring the roots of hatred does nothing to uproot them.
5
@Emily
I agree. If someone was extolling slavery and the benefits pf lynching, I doubt the Times would be interviewing them even if they did write an award winning novel over 30 years ago.
3
Ms. Walker has the right to be as antisemitic as she wants to be. Her rights under the First Amendment to hold abhorrent views cannot be denied. However, the rest of us do not have to give her a platform to spread her venom nor listen to her hatred. It is past time for her books to be withdrawn from school and university curricula, except as needed to study her antisemitism.
47
@Regina I wouldn't go that far. I now think of her alongside Richard Wagner. Their artistic creations may touch the sublime, but their beliefs touch the subhuman.
4
@Regina
Shall we throw out the operas of Wagner also?
1
I for one had no idea about Icke. Laura Miller is absolutely correct when she says, "A lot more people know the ugly truth about Walker and Icke now." Can you imagine how Steven Spielberg who directed the screen version of "The Color Purple" and "Schindler's List" and has been leading an anti-hate campaign, must feel about Walker now?
55
JD, I think Steven Spielberg, and those of us who admire his films, understand that he is not responsible for Ms. Walker’s personal views.
It’s easy to forget that it took some serious chutzpah for Spielberg to step outside the genre he was known for and use his leverage to make the film version of The Color Purple back in 1985 - especially coming off the massive box office success of the first two Indiana Jones films in 1981 and 1984.
I think he deserves credit for tackling difficult subject matter like domestic abuse, racism and misogyny in a film with a primarily African-American cast - and that was 33 years before the praise lavished upon Disney / Marvel for making Black Panther.
Whether it’s Alice Walker or Icke, it’s important to call people out for views that promote intolerance, bigotry or anti-Semitism. But I think we need to remember that in the pre-internet era people didn’t necessarily have the tools available to quickly scour every single thing a person ever said, thought or wrote with a few clicks on a phone, tablet or computer.
So I don’t believe Spielberg has any reason to feel “bad” about having adapted Ms. Walker’s novel for the screen 33 years ago, if she did harbor anti-Semitic views back in the 80’s I don’t recall it being spoken or written about publicly.
Now that the Times article has helped to shed light on Ms. Walker’s personal views, we are all intelligent enough to decide how that alters our opinion of her as an artist, and her writings.
7
Although she certainly pretends to be... Ms. Walker must not really understand Jungian psychology very well as her Shadow seems to be seriously out of control.
14
I agree with this line in Walker’s post: “The ignorance of many humans, especially in our country, is abysmal.” She’s proof—and “ignorance” is being too generous.
88
Ms. Walker is utterly disingenuous. No one is trying to frighten anyone into lying about what is on their nightstand. However, if she has that particular book and then also praises it, she should have the tenacity to expect and handle criticism for it. I suspect that she is affronted by anyone subjecting her to any negative appraisal of her ideas. I suspect that what really frightens her is that the mainstream has finally called her out on her anti-semitism.
88
Re "In a statement addressing the widespread outrage over [Alice Walker's] praise for a book with anti-Jewish overtones...":
If the descriptions of the book cited in this article are accurate they can hardly be described as "overtones". Strange choice of words to begin an article that documents the anti-Semitic content of a book.
32
...and her ex- husband is Jewish. Her daughter wrote a memoir called “Black, White and Jewish.”
21
I find this unspeakably sad.
35
If in fact she is anti-semitic - let her follow her own advice of Icke and own it. "“I do believe he is brave enough to ask the questions others fear to ask, and to speak his own understanding of the truth wherever it might lead,”"
5
@Barb
When people start talking about the existence of lizard people, loved ones arrange a psychological evaluation. Seldom do they call it pursuing their truth. Well, never actually would one validate a belief in lizard people and paranoid delusions as any kind of truth.
5
In at least 16 democratic countries, holocaust denial is a crime.
As a toddler, I learned to walk in the open space of a farmhouse whose owners hid my family for several months in Vichy France.
As a lawyer, I don’t see anything in the first amendment or any other statute that should prevent holocaust denial from being prohibited in this democratic country.
27
@R.Singer I disagree, as where would you draw the line?
There's no evidence that the Holocaust *didn't* happen--quite the contrary, obviously. But there's no evidence for the existence of God or gods either, but by your logic, no one should be allowed to promote the existence of them. By your logic people who speak about Creationism should be considered criminals.
I'm an atheist who wholeheartedly supports science and gets frustrated with people--especially in government--naively or maliciously espousing their unproven beliefs as fact. But I still support the right of people to say those beliefs.
As a commenter wrote above, it starts with parents, educators, and society--modeling for our kids how to determine for themselves, rationally, what's true and what's not.
10
No words to express how ashamed of Alice Walker I am.
After decades of actively supporting her & her issues, of actively fighting for her, she pulls a stunt like this?!
You're on your own, lady. I'm out of here!
85
Negative publicity is still publicity.
10
Well this is weird and upsetting. One would think Ms Walker would abhor racism directed at those of any minority group. Also what company puts up its hand and says it will publish works such as Mr Icke's in our time? Dissemination of unsavoury views is harder if they are not published - and sorry, but I don't support the publication of any and every silly thing someone is inclined to believe and express. Some of us are less intellectually sophisticated and developed than others and might believe such rubbish.
14
It is extremely rare for an individual to possess just one extreme prejudice against just one group.
Usually the the anti-Semite will, with equal irrationality, despise several other minority groups, as well as have a tendency toward conspiracy theories. I wonder if a deeper discussion with Alice Walker would reveal more of how her mind works?
14
Seems incredibly strange not to mention in this piece that walkers daughter Rebecca is half Jewish. Makes walkers comments even more puzzling and distressing.
39
@Leeat: her anti-semitism may in part, come from bitterness & anger at her ex husband or because of an acrimonious divorce.
2
I wonder if Walker accepts Icke's "bravery" in declaring climate change as a hoax.
23
This story seems to bring back to the fore the question of how do you evaluate work produced by an artist who is a reprehensible person. My view is that it should be judged independently. In my opinion, Ms. Walker is one of the most overrated writers on the planet. Her anti-Semitism which is of a strain far removed from the country club variety (no surprise) also borders on insanity,
21
I think the Times book editor is seriously off base in her comments. If the Times is publishing a news story about an anti-Semitic event or spokesperson, contextualizing it is essential. But providing such context is all the more critical in a "soft" feature-type piece that asks the interviewer's old warhorse question, "So, what books are on your nightstand?"
This question serves almost as an inspirational cue for readers to consider the book favorably, especially when the interviewee is as famous as Walker is. So merely to note the interview subject's response without comment or context when the material is as virulent as the book in question here is, is to bypass the critical responsibility journalists carry to always provide sufficient context for readers to understand controversial, incendiary material.
If I'm the editor and the reporter brings a draft to me that mentions a book I know to be associated with anti-Semitic views, I will tell him him or her to go back to Ms. Walker for additional commentary on such a controversial choice, and then to fill in with enough material about that book for the reader to better understand the implications of Walker's endorsement. Failing to do so does readers, not to mention the Jewish community, a glaring disservice.
And now I should add my commendations for the Times's expansive airing of this situation here, which may, in the end, wind up providing more context and shedding more light on it than it may have originally received.
100
I'm paraphrasing but I saw Saul Olinsky on TV back in the very early 1960s and he said: Just because a group has suffered injustice doesn't mean that they are automatically immune to bigotry.
183
I read The Color Purple—but that is about as much as I ever knew of Alice Walker. She wrote a great novel, and I assumed she would write others and go about her life with a deserved reputation as a first-rate writer and intellectual. I had no idea that she traffics in anti-Semitic fantasy and thinks it’s brave and original thought. Bizarre. Not sure why she should get a pass—do we go around saying that Ezra Pound’s fascism and anti-Semitism are irrelevant to his poetry? I don’t think so. It becomes a problem that must be dealt with in any fair and informed reading. Walker joins that dubious club, no?
171
@Juniper I agree. And great novelist doesn't equate to intellectual, necessarily. The Color Purple is a great work of fiction, in my opinion, but that is as far as I am prepared to go. If Ms Walker sees fit to sign on to conspiracy theories that traffic in anti-Semitism, duly noted and her commentary will be dismissed accordingly.
49
@Juniper The difference with Pound is that 1) he's dead 2) Walker has been hailed as a civil rights and anti-racist leader for decades despite her obvious bigotry. It seems blacks are the only group who can be obviously racism while being labeled "anti-racist/civil rights activists". No one who expresses even the most minor negative opinion about blacks is allowed within 5000 ft of any progressive or social justice movement.
23
@Tara Pines, New Haven and Jupiter
Great points. As I am sometimes prone to simplistic and casual “-isms” they make consider why
1) the conspiracy theories persist, and
2) minority’s protection from criticism of bigotry
I can only offer
- Their successes and my resentment of their strong “community” and it’s peceived power
- Our guilt over their history and fear of the reaction
2
The truth indeed is sometimes hard to swallow. When a literary icon such as Ms. Walker shows her true colors we are left to scratching our heads about how to separate her anti-Semitic ideas with her writing. All humans have flaws. Today they are heightened because of the Pretend King Trump who lashes out "freely" without shame towards anyone who is not white or Christian. The hard part is understanding why it matters that she is making money and being allowed to state her negative viewpoint. If we believe that it is wrong to be anti-Semitic then we must denounce it wherever it resides regardless of the person's status. We cannot hold back. Some will no longer buy her books. Some may denounce her in public. But it must be so. We don't separate the criminal who has committed murder because he/she is a genius. Don't kid yourself into believing that harm is not done by people who hate. We can no longer afford to remain silent these days, not now, not ever.
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I would wonder if the story merits a closer look. She seems entitled to a closer look before judging her. Maybe that closer look will come out bad for her, but I would be reluctant to condemn her, without having looked closer.
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@David Martin - You're right. A closer look is warranted before coming to judgment. There are some other people who warrant a closer look as well. Al Franken is one that comes immediately to mind. I wish he could have received a closer look before being condemned. He appeared to be on a path to do a great deal of social good.
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@David Martin
No one is condemning HER. By suggesting that Icke's books are worth reading she makes her anti-semitism clear. Facts are stubborn things. This is now a fact about Alice Walker. She lives with it or fixes it but we can't make it go away for her. Only she can do that.
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@David Martin ...this is the closer look. you're seeing her true colors. there's no more deep diving to be done here. She's supporting an anti-Semite who can't even stop being antisemitic while claiming not to be. When someone tells you who they are, believe them.
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I do not think the Times had a responsibility to critique Walker's reading choices. Personally, I do not care what other people read, I care about what I choose to read, however if I were to look at someone else's nightstand for, inspiration or my next read, I would do my own due diligence, read reviews or just the inside description of the book on the flap. I do think Walker is overly dramatic when she say's that, “It is a sad day for freedom of inquiry, thought, and speech, when an attempt is made to frighten people into lying about what is on their nightstand,” because nobody asked her to lie. They asked, she answered, there was push back. Okay, this is also true about me: if someone asked what was on my nightstand and then critiqued my choices I would be thinking, "who asked you?". I think we all need to care a lot less what other people think but also be able to be responsible, accountable for what we ourselves think. So, I think Icke, after doing my own research is anti-Semitic.
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@Jeff Freeman
"Personally, I do not care what other people read, I care about what I choose to read."
I care about what people read -- and whether they read. When, like Alice Walker, they are considered intellectual leaders, isn't it useful to know the sorts of authors they admire?
Anthony Trollope was a bit of an anti-Semite, but his was a casual anti-Semitism that came out in his characters' dialogues -- he didn't deliberately set out to discredit Jews and make that the thesis of his novels. Ditto for Agatha Christie. That Alice Walker admires an author who in his worldview deliberately demeans Jews -- well, that's different.
I've never been a fan of Ms. Walker. Her writing just never caught my imagination. Perhaps that's a fault within me. But Ms. Walker's calling a bigot "brave" is an interesting turn. It is, of course, part of a whole, this resurgence of Jew-hating by a supposedly liberal segment of society.
The ugliness of the undereducated right-wing bigots, and the ugly bigotry of the intelligentsia.
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@B. Let me clarify: I am not interested in what a celebrity reads or what someone I do not read myself, also not a Walker fan, reads. That I don't care what Walker reads does not mean I do not care that she makes a defense for a blatant anti-Semite.
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Another article that misses the point: "while Ms. Walker's views were no secret, they hadn't been subject to such intense public scrutiny before." This is because no one bothered to report it, including the New York Times. In a day and age where certain types of hateful thought are ok while others are not, we should all be mindful that if we continue with this mindless groupthink, then Walker should be banned or "cancelled" for her views. I don't think she should, of course, but she is an example of someone whose hateful thoughts long have been given preferential treatment.
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Antipater, I don't know exactly what you mean by "banned" or "canceled." But I do know that I will never again be able to take Ms. Walker's opinions seriously.
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@polymath
Read here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/28/style/is-it-canceled.html
Learning more about Walker's through all this...I'd actually be interested to hear an opinion from Stephen Spielberg. Was he aware of her views before directing The Color Purple? If not - would he still choose to make it today? The movie itself is quite good. I haven't read the book, but it is probably even better.
If we're going to shun artists who have offbeat, even reprehensible views in their personal lives, the world is poorer for it. But perhaps we should think twice before lionizing them - they are people, with all the flaws inherent.
Oh- I want to be the person who decides what is acceptable or not. Nobody would disagree with my choices, I'm sure. Happy to help....
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@Brian Spielberg isn't responsible for Ms Walker's thoughts on other people's writing or for her world view. I don't imagine her thoughts on these conspiracy theories were even in existence when Spielberg's movie was in development.
Ms. Walker is responsible for what she supports and promotes; her own work and the work of others. She can be both a talented novelist and a crackpot supporter, simultaneously. Humans are complicated, and rarely perfect.
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@New Haven
I'm not at all suggesting that Walker as author be shunned. I'm just curious if this was known to Spielberg at the time, and if not, would it have influenced his choosing this particular film of the hundreds he must sift through.
If you re-read my post, I actually agree with you...it's possible for someone with reprehensible views in some area to make great contributions in others. And their fame as artist doesn't make their views worthy of extra attention in other spheres. While I may agree with DeNiro's views re Trump, who really cares? And Ted Nugent for him? Useless noise. I also don't listen when Kyrie Irving says the world is flat. Except for amusement value, of course.
The arts are seeded with people whose world views are often vile, especially regarding anti-Semitism.
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I read the prior Times articles on this subject, and this is the first one that made clear that yes, Alice Walker is indeed seriously anti-semetic, and it’s not just an unfortunate blind spot.
It’s sad and strange when a woman who has written about empathy and racism lacks empathy for other groups and is happy with racism as long as it’s not directed at her own ethnic group.
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@Gus
Sadly, too many blacks forget that Jews helped lead the way during the Civil Rights era and continue, more than other groups, to fight for the rights of black people.
I'm hard pressed, nevertheless, to think of a leader of the black community who hasn't made derogatory remarks about Jews.
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@Gus...I liked The Times' response that it just publishes the interview,. On the other hand, it sure looks as if Ms Walker has had some kind of head injury...
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B, as an African-American I certainly haven’t forgotten that New Yorkers Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were with James Chaney when they were pulled over, abducted and brutally murdered in Neshoba County, Mississippi in June of 1964 after having travelled there to speak with members of a local black Baptist church that had been bombed and register disenfranchised voters.
There are those of us who also haven’t forgotten that the Urban League counted a number of influential Jewish people as early supporters when it was founded in New York in 1911.
Some of us remember that men like Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marched with Dr. King in Selma in 1965, or that Jewish store owners in the south were among the first merchants to address black customers respectfully as Mrs. or Mr. when they came to shop as early as the late 1800’s.
My parents, older relatives and family friends first taught me about the role of Jews in the Civil Rights struggle. As an amateur war historian I know that black U.S. soldiers from the 761st Tank Battalion were amongst those who liberated Buchenwald and Dachau in 1945 - some of whom openly wept when they saw the emaciated survivors.
So I respectfully take issue with your generalization that “too many” African-Americans have forgotten the role of Jews in the Civil Rights movement.
And please stop perpetuating the well-trampled myth that Louis Farrakhan and Jesse Jackson represent all black people - many of whom consider anti-Semitism repugnant.
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