History is also about intersections. It has
repercussions on contemporary world and interactions. I wasn’t aware much about
Blacks and Jews and the context of intersectionality. Indeed, I wasn’t much aware
about genocide of Jews either. I came to know about Concentration Camps in
school history (most likely in 10th or 9th standard), it
was a minor mention in international history. What I recall was me thinking it
to be a place where people went to concentrate. One word that was drilled into
me was: concentrate. I recall an English teacher (in KV Jaipur) who taught English
in Hindi and used very few English words. And the word she used quite often was
“concentrate” as she randomly hit notebook on the head of anyone giggling,
talking so on. It was only later, in my 20s, I came to know about cruelty of Hitler,
Nazis. Then I watched documentaries, read books, as also watched movies to get
the full impact of the horrific events. I recall feeling extremely uneasy
watching footages. What I wasn’t aware of was semantics used and the gravity
and import of it, and recently I too have been keenly working on these usages
and the contexts. Whoopi Goldberg incident is helping to get the grip. Last week
I read Maus by Art Spiegelman that was banned in some school in USA by
the Christian inspired administration (note I stopped using terms like far
right/far left, no more fueling binaries. Looking for context of issues, and not
polarization into baying groups). I immediately ordered a copy online. I am
also reading much postponed Victor Frankl. Yesterday while thinking I recalled
reading this (pic herein). It’s an instance of blatant racism on Black (Afro-American)
by a Jew who had ironically survived the holocaust (ofcourse there is a context
of him being paranoid about food/groceries but nevertheless there is something
here). Black-Africans who were captured and sold as slaves have a history of horror
and trauma of centuries that is beyond human imagination. And they still suffer and face discriminations,
and what makes it singularly revolting is that it is because of something a
human being is born with -the color of skin, and not because of believe system
or voluntary choices. It is therefore is blot on humanity. It is in this
context I find the rebuke of Whoopi Goldberg quite painful. There is a context
that is being willfully neglected. It is much complicated than one cares.
The more I read more I am convinced that Jew as a race is a construct. “Features” of Jews are caricatures based on prejudices that were generalized hence capitalized by Nazis to create the other. There doesn’t seem to be any other explanation however hard one tries. Religion is a construct, and any attempt otherwise is a violation of human right, a sinister attempt to segregate human, and negating contemporary reality. In the last few days I was trying to understand why this view a “profound ignorance”, none forthcoming. It is as if these are commonly agreed, understood and is a closed matter. Upstart like me has no business to poke, indeed not qualified or too insignificant. I keep an open mind.
