Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: John Lennon vs. Gilad Atzmon

preferireste leggere un libro sui Beatles o una tirata rancorosa
scritta da un pretenzioso musicista jazz? Per parte mia non ho dubbi,
ed ho gia' ordinato questo libro
 
John Lennon and the Jews (JL&J), a new book by Ze'ev Maghen, is an
extremely original and significant piece of writing.
 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-pessin/john-lennon-and-the-jews_b_873047.html
 
 
It should be read by every Jew, no matter where you stand on the long
spectrum between strict religious observance and determined rejection
of the same. Maghen -- an American-born Israeli scholar of Islamic law
but also something of a general know-everything-but-not-in-an-arrogant-
way sort of guy -- has literally invented a new genre of writing,
aptly self-titled the "rampage," which might best be described as the
literary equivalent of three parts strong coffee, two parts Red Bull,
and one part nuclear fusion. You pick this thing up and it practically
supernovas right in your hand. But if you can hold on you are in for a
heck of a ride, whoever you are.
 
In its very high-energy and entertaining way, JL&J basically addresses
the question of why, if you're Jewish, you should be Jewish, i.e. make
your Jewishness a flourishing part of your identity - despite the fact
that stressing your affiliation with an ancient tribe seems, in this
21st century, to be not merely outdated and inconvenient but even
downright irrational. Why be Jewish, after all, when there are so many
other wonderful things you can be: modern, progressive, scientific,
secular, multicultural, an American, a European (etc.), a Citizen of
the World, or maybe just an individual devoid of all labels, period?
But Maghen is rightly aware that this sort of question cannot be
addressed properly without quickly ranging deeply into issues of very
general interest and urgency.
 
Opening scene: at LAX, Maghen is approached by three Hare Krishnas.
Except that these Hare Krishnas have an accent which, to his dismay,
he instantly recognizes. Sure enough, Shira, Ofer, and Doron are in
fact natives of Maghen's own adopted country. "But why," he asks them,
"are you here, promoting that book, when you should be, well, home,
studying your book?!"
 
"But we're not choosing one book over another," Shira objects, "or one
religion or culture or ethnic group. That would create false barriers
between people. To the contrary all human beings are part of a single
great unity..." Thus we are presented, in a nutshell, with
"universalism": the idea that (ceteris paribus) we should think of and
treat all human beings the same way, that no human beings are more
deserving of our love and respect and consideration than any other.
 
"And you, my friend," continues Ofer, "have an antiquated attitude.
The Torah and its laws are so much hocus-pocus, archaic stories and
ridiculous rules and rituals, there's just no rhyme or reason to any
of it!" This in an even smaller nutshell is "rationalism," here best
construed as the main obstacle to an intelligent, reasonable person's
choosing to make his Jewishness front and center. For Jewish beliefs
and practices and rituals are collectively, in a word, irrational.
 
And finally Doron chimes in, "Get with the program! The distances
between societies are diminishing, the borders evaporating. Your
commitment to a tribe amounts to anachronistic self-isolation and
limitation!" And thus we are presented with the problem of "inertia":
meaning, here, that it takes so much damn stress and energy to
maintain the whole being Jewish thing that it's just easiest to go do
something else.
 
Thus presented, universalism, rationalism, and inertia are the three
key challenges confronting any modern thinking person considering
whether or not to be Jewish. JL&J is Maghen's answer to his three
compatriot ex-patriots -- and off he goes.
 
You'll have to read the book for the exhilarating details (as well as
to find out why John Lennon is in the title). Suffice to say that
Maghen argues most vociferously (and politically incorrectly) against
Shira's universalist ideal in favor of the ideal of "preferential
love": human beings live for love, and love by its nature means
preference, which means preferring some people to other people, and
all that is very very good. As for Ofer, well, Maghen concedes, Jewish
beliefs and practices are just crazy. But perhaps making sense is not
the most important thing: reason may not deserve our highest
admiration after all, for nothing truly meaningful ever does
ultimately make sense. And as for Doron's challenge, again Maghen
agrees: it takes energy to commit yourself to something not only
anachronistic and irrational but which also comes along with, you
know, inquisitions and pogroms and holocausts. Maghen is brief here
because, after all, what can you say? This inertia is not something
that can be refuted by argument, exactly. Instead it can only be
countered by strong, moving writing, and that, in the end, is what
JL&J is -- one long, high energy, very moving piece of writing.
 
You almost certainly will not agree with everything Maghen says, since
it is often provocative and controversial and counterintuitive. But
you will certainly be challenged by it; and no matter where you stand
on the aforementioned spectrum going in, you will come out of this
book more energized about your Jewishness. So read JL&J for the
arguments; read it for the humor, the writing, the stories, and the
insights; read it for the entirely new genre of writing; but
definitely, definitely read it.

 scritta da un pretenzioso musicista jazz?
 
il pretenzioso jazzista è riconosciuto di valore, nel suo mestiere,
anche da gente che prima di dare il giudizio sul jazzista premette che
per quello che scrive meriterebbe di suonare in galera...

 il pretenzioso jazzista è riconosciuto di valore, nel suo mestiere,
 
No.
(non che sia rilevante)
 
-- 
recoil is insignificant when there is a tiger on the head of your elephant

 No.
 
Tafazzi, perchè sei così compulsivo?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilad_Atzmon#Awards
 

 il pretenzioso jazzista è riconosciuto di valore
 
questo non toglie nulla al libro con John Lennon nel titolo, ne'
aggiunge valore alle cazzate che scrive,.



E capirai che awards.
Mai sentiti nemmeno nominare.
 
Mi sembra evidente che non ti intendi di Jazz.


 Mi sembra evidente che non ti intendi di Jazz.
 
Non è poi così sorprendente. Non è sorprendente nemmeno che non abbia 
letto le prime righe dell'articolo che cita:
 
	« It is Atzmon's blunt anti-Zionism rather than his music
	  that has given him an international profile [...] »
 
 
-- 
*Sunspot*
Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Stay dead.


No, non è sorprendente.
 
Da quel che mi dicono è un onesto lavoratore del sax, nulla di più.
Ma nelle molte migliaia di ore di jazz che ho acquistato o ascoltato, nei
festival, nelle trasmissioni radio, nelle riviste specializzate e no, mai
mi è capitato di imbattermi in nulla che avesse relazione con lui.



Non mi intendo di jazz ma non stento a crederti. Ora, però, dovremo 
sorbirci una crappy partecipation sul tema ‘Lennon non ha mai capito una 
sega di musica.’


 questo non toglie nulla al libro
 
ho scritto da qualche parte "adesso dimostrerò che il libro su Lennon
è una scemenza"? No, e allora rispondi a quello che si scrive, non a
quello che hai intesta tu

  wrote:

BTW, il libro in questione menziona Lennon solo di striscio. (oh, lo
consiglio anche a te, eh)
 

 sega di musica.’
 
ovvio...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOxVXQlZXqI
 

 ho scritto da qualche parte "adesso dimostrerò
 
peraltro, tu nemmeno ci riusciresti
 
 


Lo inserisco nella lista, grazie.




"It should be read by every Jew, "
non dai goim. Sei fuori.


e ti brucia, nevvero?
 
 
 


Non vedo indicazioni su come dovrebbero comportarsi i non-Ebrei, quindi 
faccio come mi pare.


 
 
Pastorello di Pecorello ha scritto:

Ragion per cui Persio poytebbe cotonare un pippone sul razzismo
sionista. E pure Logi, se ci si mette d'impegno. Senza tutti i giri di
parole di quel codardo di febo, per esempio.


wrote:

tanto goy rimani, "e quindi, poverino, abituato a credere che quel che
c'è scritto non necessiti di interpretazione" (cit. di un autorevole
mezzo rabbi)


Masticazzi, aggiungerei.
