From: vlad@erg.sri.com (vlad)
Subject: Re: Shafarevich
Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 19:52:25 GMT

In article <88543@netnews.upenn.edu> sergei@upenn5.hep.upenn.edu (Sergei Borodin) writes:
>
>
>
>aps@sonia.math.ucla.edu (Alexei Stolboushkin) writes:
>
>  No, in fact, I just ment that Russians should not be so oversensitive
>  to suspect any description of a bad Jew as an antisemitic attack.

Sounds reasonable.

>
>>While, I believe, Russians should be extremely sensitive to antisemitism,
>
>  Why? BTW, I still cannot figure out what this thing is. The word is
>  so freely used that I expect anything by that.

Let me try to explain it. Do you understand the term "Russophobia"? If so,
just imagine that you are not Russian but Jewish. Then antisemitism is to a
Jew what russophobia is to a Russian.

Another example. When a mob of Black Hundreds runs amock in a town killing
and raping every Jewish-looking human being they can find - that's
antisemitism. When admissions to college are done separately for each race
and nationality - that's racism. when th elaw of the country also says that
no more than 2% of a college population may be Jewish - that' santisemitism.

>>I meant, that you agreed that at least ``Litso sionizma'' is antisemitic.
>
> Is it the book written by Jakovlev? If yes, it's rather stupid.
> It's not even worth to take it into a consideration. Besides, its
> obvious stupidity makes me suspect that it was written to provide
> the evidence of the official anticemitism and make critics easier.

True. I am sure it was published by Zionist conspirators who were trying to
undermine the great Soviet System by making it look stupid. 

Wait. Almost everything that was done or published by th eSoviet System was
stupid. Aha, another proof of a Zionist conspiracy!

By the way, Hitler's parents were Jewish and Mein Kampf was written by
rabbies to force Jews to emigrate to palestine. And the extermination of 6
milion Jews in th eHolocaust was done by Jews in order to make Germans look
cruel and feel guilty. :-)

Do you se my point? Antisemitism is always stupid. It is an illness, for
heaven's sakes. Thus, one can always explain any act of antisemitism as a
purpouseful attempt by Zionists to make their opponents look stupid. Of
course, to come up with such an explanation, one has to take a risk of
looking stupid himself. And in this case you, Serega, are brave enough to
take that risk.
>
>  There is no question about the survival. Rather about historical realism.
> Bulgakov had shown a Jew Shvonder as a leader of "sharikovs". Would he have
> shown 'Kunjaev' on this place the historical realism would have been lost.
> Remember Ph.Ph. said that "sharikovs" are the main danger to "shvonders"?

Sad but true.

>>society and of ``black hundred''
>>press like ``Den' '', ``Nash sovremennik'', etc. They are
>>public figures of the very definite orientation.
>
> Right. The orientation is the survival of Russian culture. But do you
> think that :"raz spasai Rossiju, to znachit bej zhidov". 
> I didn't read "Den'", but was a subscriber to "Nash sovremmennik",
> and I still think it was worth my time and money. Although, it 
> published sometimes quite stupid articles, but in general many
> of its authors (Belov, Rasputin, Kozhinov, Shafarevich .....) were
> worth to read.

OK, let us take one of your favorite writers at random. 
Take Rasputin.  Do you think that Rasputin is antisemitic or not? Just yes
or no. 

>>this is exactly the point. We know that Belov, Rasputin, Kozhinov,
>>and Kunjaev are nazists NOT from their writings but due to their 
>>public activity.
>
> Who are "we"?  I'm not among those "knowers".  

Well, let us see whether your "unknowledge" is due to lack of information
or to your value system. Let's discuss Rasputin.

Vlad

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