Page 1 of 1
Alice Walker under fire for anti-semitism
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 3:58 pm
by highdesert
"The Color Purple" author Alice Walker last week endorsed a book by a British conspiracy theorist frequently accused of anti-Semitism, and literary observers are speaking out on social media. Walker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, poet and activist, was interviewed for the New York Times Book Review's "By the Book" feature, in which authors are asked questions about their reading habits. Her response to the question "What books are on your nightstand?" included "And the Truth Shall Set You Free" by David Icke, a former soccer player and sportscaster known for his conspiracy theories involving reptilian aliens. Icke has previously endorsed "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," an anti-Semitic propaganda book that contends that Jewish people are intent on world domination.
On Twitter, some users accused Walker herself of anti-Semitism, pointing to a 2017 poem by the author called "It Is Our (Frightful) Duty." The poem refers to the Talmud, the book of Jewish law, as containing "poison," and contains the lines "Are Goyim (us) meant to be slaves of Jews, and not only / That, but to enjoy it? / Are three year old (and a day) girls eligible for marriage and intercourse? / Are young boys fair game for rape?" Social media users, including fans of Walker's work, reacted to her endorsement of Icke, and her poem, with confusion and disappointment. Writer Roxane Gay tweeted that “Alice Walker has been anti-Semitic for years.”
A spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League told the Huffington Post that the organization was "deeply disappointed" in the New York Times Book Review for printing Walker's endorsement of Icke, whom they called a "notorious British anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist." The newspaper showed no signs of backing down from its decision, however, with a New York Times spokesperson saying that the piece "is not a list of recommendations from our editors," and that Walker's answers "do not imply an endorsement by Times editors." Icke himself noticed Walker's kind words for his book, tweeting a link to a story about the controversy with a graphic that called Walker an "acclaimed author and outstanding human being."
https://www.latimes.com/books/la-et-jc- ... story.html
Re: Alice Walker under fire for anti-semitism
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 5:01 pm
by GoldenRetrieversRule
Did they quote exactly what she said about the book or only that it's on her nightstand? I've read her books and she is a very complicated person, and provocative in her opinions about humankind. I could see her reading Icke's book to get insight about the nature of human malice but maybe I'm giving her credit where none is due. She is a known misanthrope and I would expect that would extend to every group. More information needed.
Re: Alice Walker under fire for anti-semitism
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 7:33 pm
by DavidMS
The Forward has more on her beliefs:
https://forward.com/culture/416171/alic ... vid-ickes/
Its hard for me to see a scenario where she is not an anti-semite.
Re: Alice Walker under fire for anti-semitism
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 8:36 pm
by Bisbee
There is a huge difference between Anti-Semitism and being against Zionism. It is possible Alice Walker has not meaningfully differentiated that in her own mind.
Like her, I have supported Palestinian Rights for years. I struggle to understand the violence being perpetrated and justified by Zionists. But I know to differentiate that from the Jewish culture and people I hold deep respect for.
I draw from my experience being Chinese from Taiwan who frequently criticizes the authoritarian regime in Comminist China. We can all be Han Chinese with a shared history and culture yet hold different views of the role of government.
The Jewish diaspora is huge and varied around the world. There are many anti-Zionist Jewish activists in America, many of whom must have walked and worked with Alice Walker in their support for Palestinian Liberation. It would be a shame if she didn’t recognize that fact.
“Why Alice Walker is Wrong”
https://forward.com/sisterhood/158525/w ... 1-headline
Re: Alice Walker under fire for anti-semitism
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 7:58 am
by hondo2K0
One can support Palestinian rights without being anti Semit as a matter of fact you can find Jewish people in Israel who are pro Palestinian rights
But it is scary that anti Semitism is on the rise in the world
Re: Alice Walker under fire for anti-semitism
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 8:16 am
by HuckleberryFun
Being against the mis-treatment of conquered peoples is not anti-Semitic, although the oppressors will try to paint it that way.
A history of Anti Zionism in Israel:
https://workingclasshistory.com/2018/12 ... el-part-1/
Matzpen, the Jewish anti-Zionist organization in Israel fighting for Palestinian rights:
http://www.matzpen.org/english/
Re: Alice Walker under fire for anti-semitism
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 8:19 am
by YankeeTarheel
Alice Walker isn't just anti-Zionism, she's a flat-out anti-Semite for whom all excuses are no longer viable.
Her sickening poem on the Talmud perpetrates the ongoing hoaxes of the "Blood conspiracy".
The Talmud is 6300 pages and written in both ancient Hebrew and ancient Babylonian Aramaic, so it's highly doubtful that Walker has read ANY of it.
How any Black person can endorse the views of a White racist anti-Semite, especially an educated person like Walker, should be inconceivable, like a Black klansman (who isn't an infiltrator) or a Jewish nazi.
Re: Alice Walker under fire for anti-semitism
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 10:24 am
by highdesert
Re: Alice Walker under fire for anti-semitism
Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 5:19 pm
by GoldenRetrieversRule
That's disgusting. Thank you for sharing that I had no idea. I have read her older books and was turned off by her malevolent hatred of men but didn't realize she held these beliefs.