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THREAD: NOT BEING AFRAID OF #ANTISEMITISM
My parents have a lot of books stuffed into shelves around their apartment. When I was a kid, I loved to explore them, seeking hidden treasures.
One day, I found a hand-size volume called Stories About Not Being Afraid of Ghosts.
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My parents have a lot of books stuffed into shelves around their apartment. When I was a kid, I loved to explore them, seeking hidden treasures.
One day, I found a hand-size volume called Stories About Not Being Afraid of Ghosts.
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The old, unassuming tome didn't have a lot of pages - perhaps less than 100 - and it wasn't clear how it got there. Within the pages were various ghost stories from ancient China. They were preceded by what appeared to be dry political propaganda, attesting to the book's age.
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But the stories themselves were wondrous, complemented by lovely drawings in a traditional style. Concerning the exploits of daring individuals who encountered spirits of the other world, the tales were creepy, often funny - even sad - and written in a fluid, engaging manner.
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One of these tales concerned a brave man who, after hearing about the exploits of another courageous, ghost-catching fellow, set out to nab ghosts himself. But although he tried at places where they'd congregate (such as graveyards), he never caught one. They avoided him.
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The story explained why: Because this man didn't fear the ghosts, they wanted nothing to do with him. They picked on people whom they could bully and frighten. But they avoided those who couldn't be scared. So no matter how this individual tried, he couldn't catch a ghost.
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I've been thinking about this story in the context of the antisemitism Jews such as I have encountered on Twitter. I believe there's a linki. White supremacists & other antisemites use social media as a forum for bullying. They love to incite fear & target vulnerable people.
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Yet these bullies flit away when their opponents stand fast. Just like the ghosts in the tale I recounted, these Twitter bigots eschew confrontation with those they can't drive off. When they can't spur someone to get upset, turn on "protected" mode, etc., they slink off.
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Case in point: My list of antisemitic accounts for Twitter to suspend, which is pinned to my profile, initially sparked a host of invective when I started compiling it in July. Since then, I've periodically updated it when I can, but something interesting has happened.
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The list has drawn far fewer comments lately and even none for some of the more recent updates. It seems like the white supremacists and other antisemitic dolts have tired of attacking it directly, though they sometimes do complain about me behind Twitter-account blocks.
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My engagement policy: I generally don't respond to them; instead, I block their accounts & report any abusive tweets that I can. I've also tweeted that because of this, it's a waste of time to tweet to me. Sometimes I tweet screenshots of hate speech for Twitter to address.
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This doesn't stop these bigots from trying to frighten and infuriate me. They often appropriate photos of me to denigrate my appearance, religion, ethnicity, and abilities, and even have tweeted photos of my building. They want me to see and get upset.
But I don't.
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But I don't.
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See, the more these white supremacists attack me on social media, the less time they spend on harassing others. Given the fact that Twitter is particularly strict on enforcing guidelines about tweeting personal info, these accounts frequently get suspended after doing so.
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As such, I feel this is a win-win.
This is not to say that these bigots aren't dangerous or their threats and other concerning behaviors should be ignored. The amount of antisemitism and other hate speech on Twitter can't be downplayed, & these individuals are a menace.
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This is not to say that these bigots aren't dangerous or their threats and other concerning behaviors should be ignored. The amount of antisemitism and other hate speech on Twitter can't be downplayed, & these individuals are a menace.
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Twitter & every appropriate authority should be (& likely are) scrutinizing these accounts to assess the requisite mitigating actions. Many of these bigots are violent & have criminal records.
Yet the fear they try to incite can be countered effectively by not fearing them.
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Yet the fear they try to incite can be countered effectively by not fearing them.
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It may not be easy, but I think this could be a viable strategy. Many anti-hate orgs & activists urge Twitter users to block hate-speech accounts & report them. This is a highly efficient strategy that may be augmented by the adoption of a brave face. Bigots hate that.
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Anyway, I just thought it might be helpful to provide my thoughts on this. The terrific recent @hey_alma piece on @AntisemitismCow points to the fact that humor can be a great method of disarming hate. When combined with courage, that's a potent mix with a powerful message.
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I know it's tough to adopt such a strategy, but my feeling is, it's as good as it gets on a platform that, so far, hasn't done enough to lessen bigotry. The "ghosts" we meet on Twitter dissipate when we don't break. And that's how we should continue.
Those are my thoughts.
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Those are my thoughts.
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