In media especially, the popular use and meaning of antisemitism has been so thoroughly degraded and twisted that it’s not only largely useless, but I think should actually be a watchword for ‘more investigation of this claim is needed’.
But that doesn’t mean that the original and accurate meaning and the thing it actually describes does not exist or is not a problem, or that we should accept it’s shameless misuse and attempted perversion.
Wasn’t the original meaning/usage nazis trying to sound smart and scientific? Maybe this is wrong of me, but I think the word needs to be scraped for something more accurate.
Similarly, I am extremely grossed out by the common usage of the term “ethnic cleansing” to describe acts of violent displacement and genocide of people. It’s uncritically accepting the framing and language of the perpetrator of the crime, that they are doing a “cleansing” act by killing “unclean” people. That even leftists use the term gives me big heeby-jeebies.
idk that compound always made the “cleansing” part sound really gross to me, like a nazi was saying it and winking, rather than any association with cleanliness. If you don’t hang out with newage crystal healing weirdos you probably don’t even hear the word “cleanse” outside of the genocidal context.
the term is not used with a wink though, as a satirical critique of perpetrators of genocide. It is used straight, as a flat description of the process of “genocide lite”. Like even international legal documents will call it “ethnic cleansing” which is not appropriate whatsoever in my view, to accept the Nazi phraseology in such explicit ways
It’s weird, I have too had issues with the term, but never really thought of it in the sense of accepting the language of the perpetrator. I just hate it in the context of Palestine, where it is sort of used by libs to, as you say, soften the accusation of genocide. This of course rests on the false premise that the Israeli don’t want to outright genocide Palestinians, but simply “drive them out”, as if Palestinians were just generic “arabs” who will immediately assimilate and become Egyptians, Jordanians, Syrians etc. if they flee, and not a unique people with a unique culture and a homeland - which the Israelis want to destroy and build fucking beach resorts on. It’s kind of a bullshit term for people too chickenshit to call a genocide what it is.
Anyway, not sure I added anything to your point, I just thought your almost etymological objection to the word was interesting. Just another reason to call a genocidal spade a genocidal spade.
Both can essentially be the case.
In media especially, the popular use and meaning of antisemitism has been so thoroughly degraded and twisted that it’s not only largely useless, but I think should actually be a watchword for ‘more investigation of this claim is needed’.
But that doesn’t mean that the original and accurate meaning and the thing it actually describes does not exist or is not a problem, or that we should accept it’s shameless misuse and attempted perversion.
Wasn’t the original meaning/usage nazis trying to sound smart and scientific? Maybe this is wrong of me, but I think the word needs to be scraped for something more accurate.
Similarly, I am extremely grossed out by the common usage of the term “ethnic cleansing” to describe acts of violent displacement and genocide of people. It’s uncritically accepting the framing and language of the perpetrator of the crime, that they are doing a “cleansing” act by killing “unclean” people. That even leftists use the term gives me big heeby-jeebies.
idk that compound always made the “cleansing” part sound really gross to me, like a nazi was saying it and winking, rather than any association with cleanliness. If you don’t hang out with newage crystal healing weirdos you probably don’t even hear the word “cleanse” outside of the genocidal context.
the term is not used with a wink though, as a satirical critique of perpetrators of genocide. It is used straight, as a flat description of the process of “genocide lite”. Like even international legal documents will call it “ethnic cleansing” which is not appropriate whatsoever in my view, to accept the Nazi phraseology in such explicit ways
It’s weird, I have too had issues with the term, but never really thought of it in the sense of accepting the language of the perpetrator. I just hate it in the context of Palestine, where it is sort of used by libs to, as you say, soften the accusation of genocide. This of course rests on the false premise that the Israeli don’t want to outright genocide Palestinians, but simply “drive them out”, as if Palestinians were just generic “arabs” who will immediately assimilate and become Egyptians, Jordanians, Syrians etc. if they flee, and not a unique people with a unique culture and a homeland - which the Israelis want to destroy and build fucking beach resorts on. It’s kind of a bullshit term for people too chickenshit to call a genocide what it is.
Anyway, not sure I added anything to your point, I just thought your almost etymological objection to the word was interesting. Just another reason to call a genocidal spade a genocidal spade.