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Heaven On Earth
Interview on IBA on Global Forum on Anti-semitism
For those who want, I have an interview up for the next 24 hours that ran live last night on Israel Broadcast Authority with Elli Wohlgelenter.
Not one of my more brilliant interviews… especially at the end.
Richard,
You’re being too self-critical.
You’re conveying many important facts and a few analyses in a credible, accessible way.
The whole broadcast is captivating.
Yishar Koach!
Somebody interviewed at the conference warned about the influence of the Internet in facilitating dissemination of Judeophobic notions. However, I consider the Internet more friend than foe, as RL does too, I think. After all, without the Net it would have been much harder to refute the al-Durah hoax [spread by MSM, especially France2]. The Net erodes the information distributing monopoly of the MSM. And that is more important than the forums that the Judeophobes and falsifiers have. The MSM is most dangerous when it is a monopoly.
However, if a blog such as Israel Matzav is taken down, then that would be ominous.
RL,
I thought your interview was fine. I was waiting for a gaffe towards the end, but none ever came. You gave insightful, nuanced answers. I saw nothing wrong with the interview. If anything, I wished we could have heard more from you.
It wasn’t a bad idea to have videos of others on the show, but you should have had more time to comment on what they said. Especially the last guy interviewed, the one who spoke about potential friends for the Jews around the world.
He’s the one I took issue with. He may have been right about India, possibly about China (they do have some Jewish studies programs in China, unbelievably (www.gluckman.com/ShanghaiJewsChina.html and http://www.oakton.edu/user/~friend/orghistory.html).
But Japan? Indonesia? Not a chance. Indonesia did warm up a degree or two right after Oslo. I think the prime minister at the time sent his daughter to Israel to study. But I understand that fundamentalism is on the rise there, even if their Islam was traditionally tolerant. And they’re simply too closely tied to the Muslim world.
As for Japan, that country has always kept itself at arm’s distance from Israel while cultivating close ties with the Arabs, probably because they’re so desperately dependent on Arab oil. Also, there is an ample offering of antisemitic literature in Japan. The Japanese are no candidate for friendship with Israel, except maybe the small community of Japanese Christians.
One thing’s for sure: When it comes to public relations, Israel has the greatest challenge to face but, it seems, the least politically astute elite.
RL,
The only thing that troubled me was that in discussing the “atmosphere on campus” while it is acceptable to excuse students because of ignorance it is unacceptable to permit the “intellectuals” guiding them to get away so easily.
One must admit, to some degree, that those “intellectuals” taking part in the demonisation of Israelis, and subsequently Jews, have a predilection for antisemitic feelings and in the current climate feel themselves at ease to go along openly espousing such sentiments in support of the mob.
By the way I noticed that in the Haiku on Arab Exports post someone (#47) has plagiarised my comment(#6). Hmph! :-)
Cynic,
It was so brilliant that it had to be repeated (not that I’d do it).
I didn’t perceive the “intellectuals” got away so easily. There was quite a bit of a somewhat understated harsh critique. One did have to be tuned to the subtleties I’m sure you got.
E.G.
(not that I’d do it).
So it wasn’t quite so brilliant?
The IBA broadcast is for the masses who gather their thoughts in sound bites to forget them only seconds later without the necessary recall to analyse the subtlety at play.
I’m sure that RL’s time and effort was not entirely aimed at the choir.
The broadcast also has to get the attention of the other media and entice them to spread the message, necessarily unwittingly in many cases, and for that it has to be brutal with lots of blud’n goots.
Richard the interview was great and it was a pleasure to meet you in Jerusalem. Coming from the UK I found it very encouraging that so many good minds are taking this poison so seriously.
Cynic,
Usually, unless I can add my own brilliant touch, I’m happy to concur or differ with others’ brilliantly stated comments.
RL’s style is what it is and I happen to like it. I’m sure he stroke a chord for some people. But one can’t have ‘em all, certainly not in one broadcast. Even if he expresses many people’s beliefs, RL is not, to the best my knowledge, anyone’s spokesman. He’s an Academic specialist, not a mirror-image of Gideon Levy…
(Re-posting, the original seems stuck in the filters)
E.G.,
(Re-posting, the original seems stuck in the filters)
I thought you had resolved that problem? :-)
In anatomy-of-progressive-double-speak-fisking-frank-….
I replied to your last comment there. (Good grief. seems like a year ago.)
I’m not objecting to RL’s style just making a point that appearing on TV must mean “hoping to reach a wider audience”. So that means less subtlety and more blatancy.
There must be clout sufficient to draw the attention of the other media as well.
Your first two paragraphs in your comment #5 in the news-media-arab-honor-shame-and-operation …
thread make the points necessary for marketing facts and ideas.
Cynic,
Maybe it’s the age, or the pause in posting (The Filters’ Revenge – sounds like a film title), or some E.T. intervention…
From that paleo thread:
I got a wisp of the vapours when I realised that a neocon had got onto their page.
So you’d like to watch RL getting this kind of fair and balanced treatment?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNsr7HAAGHE
They are mocking Johnson & Jackson, oops! my name for London & Kirschenbaum. (easier to get out)
From what I can gather they will not have RL on, or will not permit him to get a word in edgewise.
When they don’t agree with the guest’s opinion the viewer gets no idea of what the opposing view is.
Many a time I’ve asked myself why they bother to invite the person to appear on their show in the first place.
What I’d like RL to do is dish it out in spades.
As for the filter thingy, as I said in reply to a comment of yours in another thread:
Well it becomes an Al-Gro
aniad when trying to pass an Al-Ard!Statler and Waldorf for me.
What I’d like RL to do is dish it out in spades.
Yemini does it:
http://www.mideasttruth.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=26
Cynic,
And I replied on the “Fort Hood” thread too.