Sunday, May 24, 2009

Anti-Semitism on Facebook


Se avessi 5 Colpi e una Pistola a chi Sparerei!
I Comunisti, bruciare i negri, Ebrei, Cinesi merda and Arbitri Italiani.

Translation: If I had five bullets in my gun, I would shoot: Communists, I would burn black people, Jews, Shitty Chinese and Italian Referees.

*Vomit*

This was what I found when I clicked on the facebook page of one of my "Italian family members." This person wore a kipa and was the ring-bearer at my Jewish wedding. I sit at the table with him for Christmas and Easter lunch despite the fact that I am Jewish...I respect his traditions.

He's young...

No excuse.

I sat chewing this over for about six days, wondering whether or not I should comment this little poll of his.

Last night I couldn't sleep, so at 2:00 am, I turned on the computer and left the following comment:

You will never know how painful it was for me to read this. Do I leave a comment? Do I not leave a comment?...So, would you like to begin shooting me, Jordan or Sofia? Don't worry- You're cool...

I deleted his name from my list of facebook friends.

Hate exists and it is rampid on facebook.

That shit makes me sick.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why doesn't your husband deal with it? It's his family, isn't it? Why does he allow family members to speak like that?

Unknown said...

Dear Anon,
I can fight my own battles. And it wasn't spoken, it was chosen and posted, which somehow is worse. Really sad.

Li-Li's Mom said...

I struggle with that too. If you aren't part of the solution, are you part of the problem? I think your comment was perfect.

The toughest thing is to know what would result in doing more good. Do you shut your door entirely without comment, which would mean you no longer see that toxic hate spewed, but it still exists for others? The plus: you don't rile him up by giving him something to feed on -- attention.

Or is there anything you could do, say, write that might change that person's perspective, open his eyes, make it real and not just some edgy statement that makes him part of some (horrible) community without -- by remaining part of the conversation --implicitly or tacitly continuing the foul dialogue?

I think you made it very real and then you shut the door. Brava!
- Mother of a Shitty Communist Chinese :)

Unknown said...

Thank you Li-Li's mom...lol you kill me.
Posts like that are wake up calls to remind you just how many ignorant people there are in this world- kind of sucks when they're family members.
Hugs

Dianrez said...

Not to just let it go, I'd also have confronted that twerp. "I can't believe you said that. It hurt." and then consign him to cyberoblivion.

At least he knows why he was dropped. Such bigotry shouldn't ever go unchallenged. You rock, Jodi! LOL, Li-Li's mom! (ouch!) A tender hug for the little one!

Unknown said...

Thank you, Dianrez...for your passionate comment. *smile*

Valerie said...

Just know Jodi the world is filled with more good than evil. You did the right thing by just deleted him from your friend list. In my life I learned one thing, the golden rule treat others like you want to be treated, but don't take any crap from racist!

One thing I tell my wonderful Asian-Jewish daughter, to just live her life and not to let others disrespect the way you look, your heritage, your love, and most importantly your family.

Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and consciencious stupidity.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The glory of this land has been its capacity for transcending the moral evils of our past. For example, the long struggle of minority citizens for equal rights, once a source of disunity and civil war, is now a point of pride for all Americans. We must never go back. There is no room for racism, anti-Semitism, or other forms of ethnic and racial hatred in this country.” Ronald Reagan

Valerie