This Is A Quick Post Since This Subject Caught Me By Surprise And I Don't Know How To React Now, But

This post is very relevant today!

How to Criticize Israel Without Being Anti-Semitic

If you’ve spent any time discussing or reading about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I guarantee you’ve heard some variation of this statement:

OMG, Jews think any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic! 

In the interests of this post, I’m going to assume that the people who express such sentiments are acting in good faith and really don’t mean to cause pain to or problems for Diaspora Jewry.  For those good-faith people, I present some guidelines for staying on the good side of that admittedly murky line, along with the reasoning why the actions I list are problematic.  (And bad-faith people, you can no longer plead ignorance if you engage in any of these no-nos.  Consider yourselves warned.)  In no particular order:

Don’t use the terms “bloodthirsty,” “lust for Palestinian blood,” or similar.  Historically, Jews have been massacred in the belief that we use the blood of non-Jews (particularly of children) in our religious rituals.  This belief still persists in large portions of the Arab world (largely because white Europeans deliberately spread the belief among Arabs) and even in parts of the Western world.  Murderous, inhumane, cruel, vicious–fine.  But blood…just don’t go there.  Depicting Israel/Israelis/Israeli leaders eating children is also a no-no, for the same reason.

Don’t use crucifixion imagery. Another huge, driving motivation behind anti-Semitism historically has been the belief that the Jews, rather than the Romans, crucified Jesus.  As in #1, this belief still persists.  There are plenty of other ways to depict suffering that don’t call back to ancient libels.

Don’t demand that Jews publicly repudiate the actions of settlers and extremists.  People who make this demand are assuming that Jews are terrible people or undeserving of being heard out unless they “prove” themselves acceptable by non-Jews’ standards.  (It’s not okay to demand Palestinians publicly repudiate the actions of Hamas in order to be accepted/trusted, either.)

Don’t say “the Jews” when you mean Israel.  I think this should be pretty clear.  The people in power in Israel are Jews, but not all Jews are Israelis (let alone Israeli leaders).

Don’t say “Zionists” when you mean Israel. Zionism is no more a dirty word than feminism.  It is simply the belief that the Jews should have a country in part of their ancestral homeland where they can take refuge from the anti-Semitism and persecution they face everywhere else.  It does not mean a belief that Jews have a right to grab land from others, a belief that Jews are superior to non-Jews, or any other such tripe, any more than feminism means hating men.  Unless you believe that Israel should entirely cease to exist, you are yourself Zionist.  Furthermore, using “Zionists” in place of “Israelis” is inaccurate and harmful.  The word “Zionists” includes Diasporan Jews as well (most of whom support a two-state solution and pretty much none of whom have any influence on Israel’s policies) and is used to justify anti-Semitic attacks outside Israel (i.e., they brought it on themselves by being Zionists).  And many of the Jews IN Israel who are most violent against Palestinians are actually anti-Zionist–they believe that the modern state of Israel is an offense against God because it isn’t governed by halakha (traditional Jewish religious law).  Be careful with the labels you use.

Don’t call Jews you agree with “the good Jews.”  Imposing your values on another group is not okay.  Tokenizing is not okay.  Appointing yourself the judge of what other groups can or should believe is not okay.

Don’t use your Jewish friends or Jews who agree with you as shields.  (AKA, “I can’t be anti-Semitic, I have Jewish friends!” or “Well, Jew X agrees with me, so you’re wrong.”)  Again, this behavior is tokenizing and essentially amounts to you as a non-Jew appointing yourself arbiter over what Jews can/should feel or believe.  You don’t get to do that.

Don’t claim that Jews are ethnically European.  Jews come in many colors–white is only one.  Besides, the fact that many of us have some genetic mixing with the peoples who tried to force us to assimilate (be they German, Indian, Ethiopian, Italian…) doesn’t change the fact that all our common ancestral roots go back to Israel.

Don’t claim that Jews “aren’t the TRUE/REAL Jews.“  Enough said.

Don’t claim that Jews have no real historical connection to Israel/the Temple Mount.  Archaeology and the historical record both establish that this is false.

Don’t accuse Diasporan Jews of dual loyalties or treason.  This is another charge that historically has been used to justify persecution and murder of Jews.  Having a connection to our ancestral homeland is natural.  Having a connection to our co-religionists who live there is natural.  It is no more treasonous for a Jew to consider the well-being of Israel when casting a vote than for a Muslim to consider the well-being of Islamic countries when voting.  (Tangent: fuck drone strikes.  End tangent.)

Don’t claim that the Jews control the media/banks/country that isn’t Israel.  Yet another historical anti-Semitic claim is that Jews as a group intend to control the world and try to achieve this aim through shadowy, sinister channels.  There are many prominent Jews in the media and in the banking industry, yes, but they aren’t engaged in any kind of organized conspiracy to take over those industries, they simply work in those industries.  The phrase “the Jews control” should never be heard in a debate/discussion of Israel.

Don’t depict the Magen David (Star of David) as an equivalent to the Nazi swastika.  The Magen David represents all Jews–not just Israelis, not just people who are violent against Palestinians, ALL JEWS.  When you do this, you are painting all Jews as violent, genocidal racists.  DON’T.

Don’t use the Holocaust/Nazism/Hitler as a rhetorical prop.  The Jews who were murdered didn’t set foot in what was then Palestine, let alone take part in Israeli politics or policies.  It is wrong and appropriative to try to use their deaths to score political points.  Genocide, racism, occupation, murder, extermination–go ahead and use those terms, but leave the Holocaust out of it.

In visual depictions (i.e., political cartoons and such), don’t depict Israel/Israelis as Jewish stereotypes.  Don’t show them in Chassidic, black-hat garb.  Don’t show them with exaggerated noses or frizzled red hair or payus (earlocks).  Don’t show them with horns or depict them as the Devil.  Don’t show them cackling over/hoarding money.  Don’t show them drinking blood or eating children (see #1).  Don’t show them raping non-Jewish women.  The Nazis didn’t invent the tropes they used in their propaganda–all of these have been anti-Semitic tropes going back centuries.  (The red hair trope, for instance, goes back to early depictions of Judas Iscariot as a redhead, and the horns trope stems from the belief that Jews are the Devil’s children, sent to destroy the world as best we can for our “father.”)

Don’t use the phrase “the chosen people” to deride or as proof of Jewish racism.  When Jews say we are the chosen people, we don’t mean that we are biologically superior to others or that God loves us more than other groups.  Judaism in fact teaches that everyone is capable of being a righteous, Godly person, that Jews have obligations to be ethical and decent to “the stranger in our midst,” and that non-Jews don’t get sent to some kind of damnation for believing in another faith.  When we say we’re the chosen people, we mean that, according to our faith, God gave us extra responsibilities and codes of behavior that other groups aren’t burdened with, in the form of the Torah.  That’s all it means.

Don’t claim that anti-Semitism is eradicated or negligible.  It isn’t.  In fact, according to international watchdog groups, it’s sharply on the rise.  (Which sadly isn’t surprising–anti-Semitism historically surges during economic downturns, thanks to the belief that Jews control the banks.)  This sort of statement is extremely dismissive and accuses us of lying about our own experiences.

Don’t say that since Palestinians are Semites, Jews/Israelis are anti-Semitic, too.  You do not get to redefine the oppressions of others, nor do you get to police how they refer to that oppression.  This also often ties into #8.  Don’t do it.  Anti-Semitism has exclusively meant anti-Jewish bigotry for a good century plus now.  Coin your own word for anti-Palestinian oppression, or just call it what it is: racism mixed with Islamophobia.

Don’t blow off Jews telling you that what you’re saying is anti-Semitic with some variant of the statement at the top of this post.  Not all anti-Israel speech is anti-Semitic (a lot of it is valid, much-deserved criticism), but some certainly is.  Actually give the accusation your consideration and hear the accuser out.  If they fail to convince you, that’s fine.  But at least hear them out (without talking over them) before you decide that.

I’m sure this isn’t a comprehensive list, but it covers all the hard-and-fast rules I can think of.  (I welcome input for improving it.)

But wait!  Why should I care about any of this?  I’m standing up for people who are suffering!

You should care because nonsense like the above makes Jews sympathetic to the Palestinian plight wary and afraid of joining your cause.  You should care because, unfortunately, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has correlated to an uptick in anti-Semitic attacks around the world, attacks on Jews who have no say in Israeli politics, and this kind of behavior merely aggravates that, whether you intend it to or not. 

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a real minefield in that it’s a clash between oppressed people of color and an ethnoreligious group that is dominant in Israel but marginalized and brutalized elsewhere (often nowadays on the exact grounds that they share ethnoreligious ties with the people of Israel), so it’s damned hard to toe the line of being socially aware and sensitive to both groups.  I get that.  But I think it is possible to toe that line, and I hope this post helps with that.  (And if a Palestinian makes a similar list of problematic arguments they hear targeted at them, I’d be happy to reblog it, too.)

So, TL;DR version:

Do go ahead and criticize Israel.

Don’t use anti-Semitic stereotypes or tropes.

Don’t use overly expansive language that covers Jews as a whole and not just Israel.

Don’t use lies to boost your claims.

Do engage Jews in conversation on the issues of Israel and of anti-Semitism, rather than simply shutting them down for disagreeing.

Do try to be sensitive to the fact that, fair or not, many people take verbal or violent revenge for the actions of Israelis on Diasporan Jews, and Diasporan Jews are understandably frightened and upset by this.

May there be peace in our days.

So many intrusive thoughts.

But I have to say this about Elsa because I feel like people really don't realize this, but her lack of control was COMPLETELY a mindset thing. It was COMPLETELY an anxiety thing.

I understand a lot of people see her powers as metaphor for autism/being queer/mental illness and all sorts of things. ALL VALID.

Buuuuuuut I have a special connection with her magic because the way her magic functioned when she couldn't control it was incredibly similar to the way my mental illness functioned. I had really chronic intrusive thoughts as a kid that were so bad, I had to get on medication for them. Still on those meds to this day.

I am going to talk about the cycle of fear with her magic.

The way the intrusive thoughts worked for me was a cycle.

Intrusive thought -> Fear I am dangerous -> Push thought down -> Thought grows more intense -> Combined Fear/Resistance creates push for impulse/compulsion -> Fear of being dangerous grows -> Thought grows more intense and harder to control -> Fear turns to anxiety -> Self-loathing -> Growing belief that I am a monster

For those who aren't educated on this, I never hurt anybody or myself. This isn't sadism, psychopathy, or anything that could turn into a violent disorder. This is a form of OCD called harm-OCD and the reason this particular form of OCD is so intense is because the compulsion to release the anxiety/fear/intensity of the intrusive thought is to act on it. Which people with this disorder FLAT OUT REFUSE to do. But if you have OCD, you know how hard it is to resist the urge for the compulsion... but with this version, YOU HAVE TO. On average, people with this disorder are harmless and are in pain because they just want to be a good person.

It's also a very good metaphor for how Elsa's powers function when she was afraid. Because the key here is that the more you resist, the more powerful it becomes.

Elsa has magic -> Elsa accidentally hurts Anna -> Anna almost dies -> Fear will be your enemy -> Elsa fears fear itself -> trauma-induced symptoms develop from her sister almost dying/parent's panic/hurting somebody else sets in -> Anxiety forms around the fear of hurting others -> Mental illness impacts her way of thinking -> Self-belief she cannot control herself becomes a complex -> Magic "misbehaves" -> Elsa gets scared/represses as a form of control -> Magic intensifies -> Elsa grows more scared -> Magic intensifies

There is a difference in the development of my own problem vs Elsa's problem, but the point is we both have this "dangerous" force inside of us we cannot control, that is only worsened by fear.

The comparison continues on, also, in how to handle these "dangerous forces" (outside of medication). The way to handle them is both with love. In Elsa's case, she had to let in love in, Period. Isolation was the worst possible strategy for her when she was a kid. She needed people to believe in her, not fear her. This I can attest to because my parents didn't understand what was going on with me either, and one parent in particular was afraid of me.

In Elsa's case, it was about trusting herself. Love brings trust. And it functioned the same as intrusive thoughts because just like her magic, trusting yourself is key for the thought to pass.

In my case, one thing you can do is sit with the thought. Give it the space it needs. Do not resist. Because I am not violent and just because my thoughts are violent does not mean I am. It is that innate trust that can be built if you apply this strategy to intrusive thoughts because it is resistance that gives it it's power.

Self-trust and external love and support is a big part of what can help both of these examples to go in a positive direction. As a result, Elsa's magic - or my thoughts - can finally flow easily without any fear of hurting anyone.

New Fanfiction Edits

Good morning, afternoon, or evening.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my post.

As a warning, this is a long post.

Earlier, I posted that while my new Black Widow fanfiction is 4 years in the making, it still needed some edits. I have made those edits, but I promise I did not make many changes.

It is still a crossover between Earth-616 and Earth-730834. As in, Alexei Shostakov in my new fanfiction is Alexei Shostakov in Earth-730834.

Marvel Database

Alexi Shostakov (Earth-730834)

1 appearance(s) of Alexi Shostakov (Earth-730834) 1 image(s) of Alexi Shostakov (Earth-730834)

In addition, I have adapted Earth-616 characters, to my interpretations that are appropriate for the story.

The protagonist is still Alexei's illegitimate daughter olga. Olga is my adaptation of Earth-616 Black Widow comics character Oleg Mihalovich.

In addition, the protagonists daughter is still ava. Ava in my fanfiction is still my adaptation of Ava Orlova aka the red widow, a well-known Earth-616 character.

*FYI I have not listed Olga and Avas last names. The reason is because Olga's last name changes in different stories based on her family situation and marital status, and on Avas last name, I will explain that in a further post in which I discuss adaptations of other characters. Thank you for understanding.

In addition, Olga is still an emergency medicine resident then physician, and the story is still set in a rural area in the northern great plains.

In total, I have not made many changes in the process of editing my new fanfiction.

In future posts, I will explain what changes I do make, and once I clear those out, start posting about the story, in the form of concise rough drafts. So please stay tuned for upcoming posts!

Thank you for taking the time out of your day or night to read my post, and thank you for reading it to the end. Have a good day or night.

no because the bone i have to pick with marvel over the development of female characters. why do we only explore their characters when they’re dead, or going to die. seeing maria in such a personal way with her glasses on and minimal makeup just for her to die? getting black widow when natashas already dead? exploring wanda’s character when they make the switch to villian/anti-hero? not when she’s trying and she’s hurting? but steve has three movies, and bucky has an entire backstory, and we just keep adding onto tony’s long list. these women are constantly a second thought, or a last resort to boost engagement, and i’m sick of it.

The fact that the Jewish community right now have so little non Jewish people supporting them is so fucking depressing. The bar is so low it goes to “not celebrating the death of innocent hostages” and “acknowledging that just because people are born or live in a country doesn’t make them evil”. I’m so sorry that you have to go through this. I’m so sorry that support from non Jewish people is ridiculously scarce. I’m sorry that leftists spaces are so rancid. I’m sorry that the world has ignored you and your suffering. No amount of apologising will change the harm that’s already been done, but I want to support Jewish people as much as I can. I want to hope for a better world

so true

that coffee kid from encanto and tweek 🙏

New Fanfiction

Good morning, afternoon, or evening.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my post.

I am sorry that I haven's posted in a long time. I have been very busy with schoolwork, and haven't carved out the time to write blog posts.

Over six months ago, I finally got around to posting previews of my Black Widow fanfiction, titled "The Widows Caretaker". I had stated that it was four years in the making, so I had been waiting a long time to publish it. Well, four years was not enough time to perfect it, at least to my standards. So, I have edited it again, to make it make more sense. I will explain why in further posts shortly.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day or night to read my post. Have a good day or night.

EVEN more Thunderbolts social media AU stuff. I'm addicted to making these. I love these goofballs so much.

What if I make a Ava Orlova RP blog…?

She’s a character from a Black Widow book series.

Beth and Rip start fostering kids. Not through the system or anything, Beth just keeps stumbling across traumatized children... hospital kid, ditch kid (who I think could still be alive)... Tate, probably, eventually. Beth keeps bringing home strays and Rip just sighs and makes up another bed because a) it's for Beth and b) he was one of those traumatized orphans.