Daily Archives: Friday , February 8 , 2008

Why Is The Racism Of The White Jews Palatable?

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I decided for Black History Month instead of discussing the usual prosaic subjects such as slavery, underground railroad, and the Civil Rights Movement.

I am flipping the script. I am turning the page. One issue the Occidental world refuses to explore is the racism of the “invisible minority” the white Jewish community. The question has to be asked,  why is the racism of the white Jews palatable?

Why are we silent to the bigotry and prejudice of white Jews? I think the global community should be aware of the history of the racism of Jews against the North American black community.

I mentioned in an earlier post that a white history teacher a few years back at York University attempted to fail and punish me for writing the groundbreaking and explosive piece “Whitewashed Black Studies”. My earth shattering article exposed York University for their pernicious racism against professors of colour.

The racist professor is a white Jewish man. The same Jewish history professor he fired off an angry e-mail to me after the story was published and attempted to destroy me. The white Jewish professor claimed that I have the same ideology as bell hooks about white people. I agree with bell hooks to a certain extent I do believe there should be more black professors teaching black studies. However, I never said whites cannot teach black studies I simply questioned why does the imbalance exist and persist at York University? Isn’t university about provoking thought? Or is university just about maintaining the status quo and conforming to the standards of white supremacy and white cultural domination? Yes, I am talking about the same teacher that attempted to fail me because I challenged his white supremacist views about education.

I also recall a high school white Jewish English teacher in grade twelve she was such a racist bigot!

All my English teacher talked about was how hard Jewish people had it in Canada. My classmates and I we just rolled our eyes because this same teacher always ignored the bigotry of the Jewish community. Last time I checked, the vast majority of Jews are white people in this world. If you look at a white Jew in Canada or America they look like any other white person!

My former English teacher also forgot to mention she also has white skin privilege. The system treats people of colour differently then whites of course my English teacher forgot to mention this fact.

I remember in grade twelve I was walking through the hallway one day and the English teacher wondered why I wasn’t in her class. I just bluntly said “I’m taking grade twelve English correspondence.” There was no way in hell I was going to let this English teacher block me from advancing to university.

If you challenge white Jewish people about their racism they automatically brand you as an “Anti Semite”. Are we supposed to be silent to the hypocrisy and racism of the Jewish community? I certainly don’t think so. It is also interesting, that the racist white Jew Al Jolson is still revered in North America for his abhorrent 1927 film “The Jazz Singer”.

In the movie “The Jazz Singer”,  Jolson a white Jew performs in blackface as he demeans black people with various racist caricatures and stereotypes. Recently a Toronto media publication NOW Magazine reviewed this insipid film that is now available on DVD. What artistic merit does this piece of filth have anyway?

The word “Anti Semite”, is a loaded term it is also a weapon the White Jews in Toronto they exploit very well to their advantage. The word freezes you in your steps, it makes you question if you cannot speak up about the Jews deleterious anti black racism. Why is there this insidious double standard?

A few years ago, the white Jewish former mayor of Toronto Mel Lastman he made a racist statement against Toronto’s black community. At the time, Lastman uttered the deleterious statement the city of Toronto was attempting to win the bid to host the summer Olympics. Mel Lastman stated that he didn’t want to visit Africa because he was afraid of being skinned alive. The international media was horrified and disgusted with Lastman’s racist comments.

By contrast, the Toronto press of course immediately jumped to Lastman’s defense and downplayed his obvious pernicious bigotry. Even some house Negroes in the black community in Toronto defended Lastman. Is the white Jewish community in Toronto free from criticism? It sure seems like it.

In the Occidental world, there seems to be this double standard where the invisible code of the white Jewish community’s racism is ignored. It is also interesting that white Jews hide behind the currency of whiteness and utilize their white skin privilege when it is convenient for them.

The mainstream media will rally to support all the causes of the white Jewish community regardless of whether there is any merit to it or not. The “invisible minority” status of the white Jewish community is a social blanket that works for them. However, when white Jews are challenged about their own racism against people of colour they play with the issue of race and revert back to their “invisible minority status”.

Next, as I entered university I learned about the pernicious racism of the Jews against Palestinian people in Israel. Just like South Africa, the Palestinians that live in Israel have to have identification cards and pass through check points. Also, did you know the black Jews in Israel also encounter a lot of racism from white Jewish majority? I wonder why this isn’t mentioned on the Six O’ Clock news or in the print media? There are double standards, hypocrisy and racism of these white Jews!

In May 2007, an African American speaker Malik Shabazz was going to speak to black students at Ryerson University about the importance of education. The racist white Jewish group B’nai B’rith used their political power and influence to have Mr. Shabazz barred from entering Canada. Since when are white Jews the decision makes for the black Toronto community?

Of course, Premier Dalton McGunity supported B’nai B’rith because he wanted to score some cheap political points. If the Ontario government is so concerned about hate speech why wasn’t racist homophobic minister Fred Phelps from protesting against gay gays a few years ago? It appears despite Phelps bigotry he received a free pass from the Ontario government because he is white and Malik Shabazz was barred because he’s a black man.

It was a incredible moment where white supremacy and prejudice prevailed. The Canadian media has a pathetic, racist, and hypocritical perspective when it relates to the racism of the Jewish community in Toronto.

Of course, just a few weeks ago the anti black slurs splashed across the black student office at York University in Toronto generated some press. However, why did it take Mamdouh Shoukri the president of York University two days to respond? Would Shoukri wait two days to respond to the white Jews?

It is well known York University has a very large white Jewish student population. If someone vandalized the white Jewish student office at York University you can be certain there would of been an immediate response ASAP. However, when racism occurs against black people there is only double standards, racism, and indifference.

Link: To article about Mel Lastman’s Racist Anti Black Statement

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2001/06/21/lastman010621.html

Link: http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/297338

Link: http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2002-11-28/news_story3.php

Link to articles about Malik Shabazz barred from entering Canada

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070515/panther_speech_070515?s_name=&no_ads=

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DVD Review: My Beautiful Laundrette

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Monday afternoon my friend suggested I borrow his DVD copy of the film “My Beautiful Laundrette”. I was hesitant at first because I thought the film was going to be another classic white savior movie. I notice a theme in a lot of interracial films that the person of colour always needs empowerment from the white person. Some interracial films present the false notion that interracial relationships are fighting racism. However, some interracial relationships are based on racism because of the racist assumptions one race has about another.

Whiteness is depicted as better in many interracial movies and as superior to communities of colour. The subversive vein of racism is in order for people of colour to have better lives we need white partners.

The person of colour’s family life is often framed as originating from an oppressive culture and the European culture is presented as the only solution. White culture is depicted as open minded and perfect. “My Beautiful Laundrette”, challenges this racist notion that communities of colour are always oppressive. It is so wonderful to actually see the reverse in “My Beautiful Laundrette”.

In “My Beautiful Laundrette”, the South Asian families are actually just as prejudiced as the white British people. The  Pakistani family in the film view lower class white people as inferior and lazy unwilling to work hard to move up the social ladder. I am happy to announce that “My Beautiful Laundrette” is definitely a forward thinking kind of movie.

The film is about a young Pakistani man Omar he lives with his father on welfare in 1980s London. The movie is set in Margaret Thatcher’s England where the racial tensions between the white British community and South Asians are intense. Omar dreams of a better life. his father is an alcoholic and his mother is deceased. Omar’s uncle Nasser introduces him to a new life and his ambition grows he wants the capitalist dream of material wealth. Omar believes money will give him happiness.

Omar first starts out washing cars but persuades his Uncle Nasser to let him run his own laundrette. One evening, Omar meets up with an old friend Johnny a young white British man. Johnny is unemployed, unhappy, and homeless. Johnny hangs out with a bunch of street punks that get involved in crimes, use drugs and are disillusioned about life in London. The young white men are upset that their lives aren’t better and make South Asians the targets and scapegoats for their own unhappiness.

The South Asian community in London are working hard and to rise up the social ladder in British society. The young street punks feel left behind and have a sense of entitlement due to the fact they are British.

Omar’s  Uncle Salim he is the villain in the film he gets Omar involved in dirty deeds and is emotionally abusive to Omar. Omar persuades Johnny to help him fix up the Laundrette and gives Johnny a job. Johnny’s self esteem grows he now has a purpose in life and he is conflicted about hanging out with his punk friends that are miserable, racist, and anti social. Omar and Johnny’s feelings for each other grow and they fall in love.

The aspect of the movie I loved the most is  the gay romance is not viewed as a social problem. It is still so rare to see a movie about a South Asian gay man that is the star of the film and being gay is not a source of conflict. “My Beautiful Laundrette” just presents male homosexuality as a part of life. Omar just happens to be gay he doesn’t make a big deal about it and neither should the audience. Gordon Warnecke gives a confident and strong performance as the protagonist Omar. Daniel Day Lewis shines as Omar’s lover Johnny.

The gay romance is tame by twenty first century standards there are a few romantic kisses to illustrate Omar and Johnny are lovers. I love the fact that Omar and Johnny have intimacy to their relationship. Far too often gay movies either conceal the gay romance or are too explicit that it destroys a film. “My Beautiful Laundrette” has a balance that is so charming and cute. Omar and Johnny have a sweet tenderness to their relationship you can tell they are in love just by the way they gently hug or look intensely at each other.

I believe “My Beautiful Laundrette” is indeed superior to other so called big budget gay films that have been released in the last few years. My perspective is if “My Beautiful Laundrette” was made in North America the whole movie would of been worse to treat homosexuality as a social issue. It is simply incredible that “My Beautiful Laundrette” was released in 1985 because the movie is so current and so real.

The main themes about the movie deal with cultural clashes between the South Asian immigrants and white Anglo Saxon population, identity politics, and also class. Class is a main theme in the movie. Omar begins to rise in the class system and starts to become a bit arrogant as well.

Meanwhile, Uncle Nasser is having an affair with a white woman Rachel and his daughter Tania and his wife know about this. Tania is depressed she doesn’t want to live in a patriarchal family and she wishes she had more to do with her life.My only criticism of the film is, I think the Tania character should have more screen time.

The issue of sexism and misogyny was explored to a certain extent. I wanted to know more why Tania was so unhappy? I wished her character was more developed. I feel Tania is just a plot device in the film but maybe this was in the intention of the screenwriter.

Tania confronts Rachel at the opening of the Laundrette and Rachel dumps uncle Nasser. I think Tania is a catalyst for change in the film. Johnny’s friends attack him in the third act of the movie because they feel he is betraying them by trying to become a productive citizen. Uncle Salim is also attacked by the street punks. Tania leaves her family and moves on with her life she wants Johnny to go with her. Johnny refuses Tania’s advances and says he loves Omar and he will not leave him.

Uncle Nasser confronts his fears that his ephemeral relationship with Rachel was doomed because he is so unhappy with his marriage. Omar’s father wants Omar to attend college. Omar and Johnny make it out in the end and remain a couple. I absolutely love this fact that neither Omar or Johnny died.

I cringe every single time a gay movie is released and one of the protagonists has to die. Of course, in real life relationships don’t always work and this has to be explored on film. However, in cinema there is a predilection that gay romances are doomed because the subliminal message is gay romance is inferior to heterosexual love. I recommend “My Beautiful Laundrette” to anyone willing to give a movie a chance that deals with gay love in a funny, clever, intelligent, and serious manner.