From: adam@flicker.uucp (Adam Shostack)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.arabic,talk.politics.mideast
Subject: Re: Kissinger, Ajami, and Rather display Anti-Arab Bigotry at Israeli Benefit
Keywords: racism, CBS, New Republic, U.S. News and World Report
Date: 19 Aug 92 19:51:45 GMT
Article-I.D.: das.1992Aug19.195145.26794
Organization: Aiken Computation Lab, Harvard University

In article <1992Aug19.184516.11856@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> wmuhanna@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Waleed A Muhanna) writes:
>In article <1992Aug18.171142.695@das.harvard.edu> adam@endor.uucp (Adam Shostack) writes:
>>In article <1992Aug17.195626.16284@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> wmuhanna@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Waleed A Muhanna) writes:

>>>	If a former U.S. secretary of state flatly declares that "you
>>>can't really believe anything an Arab says," would that be big news?

>>This Secretary of State delt extensively with Arabs leaders and
>>diplomats.  If its his opinion that he was consistently lied to, then
>>no, it wouldn't be.

>>>	Or are we so accustomed to anti-Arab prejudices that this
>>>statement by Henry Kissinger - first publicized in the article you are now
>>>reading - won't be considered newsworthy?
>>
>>Is this prejudice, or a statement based on his personal experiences
>>with the movers and shakers of the Arab world?  We only get a small
>>quote, relieved of any possible contextual explanation, so we don't
>>know if he was speaking of all arabs, or if he was talking about
>>negotiating with Arab governments.
>
>For someone like Mr. Shostack whose antennas are hyper-sensitized to
>anything even remotely smelling of "anti-semitism," the above response
>is particularly revealing.
>
>Kissinger's sentence in any context is racist.  Kissinger said 
>       "you can't really believe anything an Arab says".
>The statement is clearly racist -- no ifs or buts.  I cannot imagine a
>context that mitigates this.  Either he didn't say it, or he uttered a 
>racist remark.  Period.   FAIR has it on tape and you can order the
>transcripts from them.

Context:  When dealing with their diplomats, "you can't really believe
anything an arab says."

>Kissinger basically lumped all 180 million Arabs into one being whom you
>"can't really believe."  He rendered an unconscionable verdict against an 
>entire ethnic group.  This is clearly racist regardless of the context.  

If he did in fact do this, then I will join with you in condemning it.
But if there was an entire evening, I'd like to have seen more of the
transcript posted.  Since it isn't, I assume that there is an ulterior
motive for choosing the words quoted.

>This is not the first time, by the way, that Kissinger uttered things 
>which clearly show his hatred towards the Arabs.   But, I suppose that
>is perfectly okay for Mr. Shostack and the Shamir crowd since it serves 
>to reinforce zionist propaganda and spreads hatred and bigotry against 
>the Arabs.

Please do not lump me in with the "Shamir crowd."  Thank you.

I do not support spreading  hatred against any group. I believe that
spreading hatred always comes back to bite the one doing it.  I don't
think it is a useful, productive, or worthwhile technique ina debate.

Do you have quotes as to other things Kissinger has said?

>It would have been perfectly fine had Kissinger said "You really
>can't believe  
>anything Sadat (or King Faisal) said" -- assuming for the sake of argument 
>that those leaders with whom he had dealt had lied to him.  He didn't, of 
>course, choosing instead to characterize ALL Arabs as being pathological 
>liars.

I'm not sure if he in fact did this.  I'm waiting to see the
paragraph(s) in which he made these remarks.

>Shostack, I am sure, would have been among the first who would jump up and
>down, raise hell, and yell "anti-semitism" has anyone (let alone a public 
>figure), in any context, said "You can't really believe anything a Jews 
>says" or "You can't really trust a Jew,"  even if the person who utters 
>such racist remarks had been lied to or cheated by Jewish leaders.   

And I did, when the FAIR report unfairly, and unjustifiably used the
"Arfism" that Jews control the media.  I would like to see more facts
before condemning Mr Kissinger.  

>When the target of the racist remarks is the Arabs, instead of the Jews, 
>and when those remarks and others slurs are made during a benefit for Jewish 
>settlers, a setting where Arab bashing is guaranteed to be a crowd 
>pleaser,  Shostack suddenly (and hypocriticly I must add) attempts to
>summon a flimsy excuse for the inexcusable.   Pretty revealing and sad.

The Jerusalem foundation was not raising money for settlers.

And I resent the implications that I am being hipocritical in asking
for facts, rather then jumping on the "Fire Rather, Kill Kissinger"
bandwagon.  I also resnt the implication that this reveals something
about my personality, rather than my politics, which should be clear
to any reader of this group, and never needed revealing.

Adam


Adam Shostack 					adam@das.harvard.edu

What a terrible thing to have lost one's .sig.  Or not to have a .sig
at all.  How true that is.