Ep 22: There is no Jewish space laser. Period.

After Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene's tweet about the 2018 California Wildfires being caused by a space laser controlled by the Rothschild family ignited a slew of jokes on social media, April and Tracie take some time to think about different reactions to antisemitism.

Find April and Tracie's full bios and submit topic suggestions for the show at www.JewsTalkRacialJustice.com

Learn more about Joyous Justice where April is the founding and fabulous (!) director and Tracie is a senior partner: https://joyousjustice.com/
Read more of Tracie's thoughts at bmoreincremental.com

Resources and notes:

Maya Angelou said, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them; the first time.

Toni Morrison said, "The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”

Eric Ward's article "Skin in the Game: How Antisemitism Animates White Nationalism" investigates the ways in which antisemitism intersects with racism in White Nationalism.

Lilla Watson is credited with the quote "If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." Some report she prefers to credit authorship for the phrase to Australian Aboriginal Rights groups.

You can read Bernie Sanders memes and learn abut how he leveraged the moment into nearly $2M for worthy causes in this article from the AP. 

Transcript

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- [Tracie] When first-term Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene blamed the 2018 California wildfires on a space laser controlled by the Rothschild family, she sparked a lot of jokes on Twitter and on social media. But behind those jokes is real and dangerous antisemitism.- [April] This is Jews Talk Racial Justice with April and Tracie.- [Tracie] A weekly show hosted by April Baskin and Tracie Guy-Decker.- [April] In a complex world, change takes courage.- Wholehearted relationships can keep us accountable. April, are you there? Can you hear me?- I'm right here. I can hear you.- Shit.- You know why we're having a connectivity issue? Because there are no Jewish space lasers. Because if there were, we would be able to communicate perfectly.(Tracie laughing) Which leads me, to what I wanted to introduce this episode, with why I'm so excited which people know who are listening,'cause it'll be there when they go to listen to it. But I would like the title of this episode to be something like, "There Are No Jewish Space Lasers. That is Not a Thing."(April laughing)- Yes.- Period.- Period, period.- With a T.- Period with a T?- Yeah, periodt.- Oh.- Extra consonantation at the end. That's a Black Jewish period at the end of that assertion. So, let's dive into the subject. I wrote a Facebook post about this, and I'm glad that overall it was greeted I think pretty receptively by folks. And I think it helps in part because I prefaced what I said by essentially trying to communicate that I am not endeavoring to tone police, my friends, and colleagues. That is not what I'm talking about here for the people, for whom like who have made jokes about this antisemitic statement. I'm not judging you, and if that's where you are in your healing, you do you. And for those for whom it's relevant and resonant, I wanted to name some things that were deeply concerning about this social media phenomenon that developed over the last few days when this first surfaced, which is that as I was seeing my Facebook feed filled with jokes about Jewish space lasers, my first thought was was there some Israeli politician who made another silly comment relating to space, or is there some Jewish leader who made a joke about this? I thought it was something internal to our people because people were joking about it so much. And no one was actually quoting or citing the person, the source of this. So I did a quick Google search, and I was disappointed, upset, dismayed to see that it was a white woman who affiliates with some white nationalists who made this statement. And it brought up for me a topic that's very important to me that Tracie, as you noted, as we were preparing to record, that I think we've covered in a prior episode. I'm curious to hear your thoughts. There's a few different things I want to say, but first I just, I think it's helpful for us as Jews to get the healing we need. Oh, I also wanted to name a, you know, that someone essentially said, and I haven't done research about this person. So I love all people, but I especially love people who are members of the groups that I'm a part of. And so this came from a Jew, I believe, but I'm not sure what her perspective or other types of messages she amplifies, but someone essentially wrote something on Twitter that got shared that I then re-shared without attribution, but someone in my comment thread identified the source, which I'm grateful for, for which I am grateful, but they were sending a message to their non-Jewish friends and people in their network to say currently right now you're seeing lots of Jews making jokes about Jewish space lasers, but that's actually related, it's an attempt on the part of many Jews to productively process the anxiety and terror that this type of antisemitism is eliciting rather than upping anxiety medication. And so it's not meant to endorse this awful thing that was said, it's just us processing things. And so, you know, one of the things I love best about our people, about Jews and, you know, so Jews are well known for our humor. I think what's tricky in this moment, and that's a core way that we've healed, and I am not in any way trying to dismiss or disparage that life giving strategy, but for us to be mindful about the context in which we do it, is it privately around our dinner tables or on phone calls or is it on social media and shared publicly where people who may not get our irony will see it and think that we are affirming this antisemitic hogwash? What do you think Tracie, what's coming up for you?- I think it's just, and to be fair, I haven't actually looked to see what kind of statements, but I feel like just thinking about the social media kind of the thing, you know, the public reaction and outcry when someone of color perpetuates a antisemitic trope, it's not jokes, you know, it's how dare you,- Right.- and it's condemnation- versus this white member of our highest legislative body.- And her name is Marjorie Taylor Greene, it appears.- Yeah, that's her name.- Congresswoman.- And she is a QAnon believer. And so it just seems absurd. And so that's the way a lot of Jews and non Jews are treating it as just this sort of silly, absurd thing. Well, but the thing is that antisemitic tropes have been absurd distractions for a long time, that led to great harm. It's just interesting to me that our community laughs at this antisemitic trope from someone who actually has quite a bit of power as a member of the highest legislative body in this nation, versus condemning instead of, you know, educating our potential allies.- And for me, it's angering, and I'm so glad you named that, because for me, it's deeply angering, and what is below that anger that is the source of that anger is profound hurt. Profound hurt at the racial bias, like that, to me, when I often read, what relatively speaking a very few number of Black people say at times, certain public figures, it's clear to me that almost always, it's a very rare exception, and there are some exceptions that are worth taking seriously. I often see Black people endeavoring to advance Black liberation. And it's clear to me often from what they're saying that they do not realize they are perpetuating an antisemitic trope. And I want this to shift over time. I want everything to shift. I want it, I want people to begin to be able to identify antisemitism more easily. And I also want a number of my white Jewish community members to have more respect and trust and faith in people of color, in Black people, across lines of difference when certain things come up, or at least to have a more, a similar type of experience, that it bothers me that a sort of violence and anger is directed at Black people who do not have the kind of a positional authority as the white person. For instance, this white particular white person who is saying something totally absurd, but also alarming, and there are many awful stereotypes about us that are also equally absurd. So it's not something to be, and I could name examples, but I don't want to, because I don't want to perpetuate any of those things. I had to consider very seriously if I even wanted to do an episode about this, because I think what we focus on grows, you know, and so this is why I, full disclosure, I'm on the advisory board of Jews Against White Nationalism or Jews Versus White Nationalism. You can check out their website at howtofightantisemitism.com. And it's a project that developed for the lead up to the 2020 election, and as far as I can tell is still in operation, and they proactively list all of the white elected officials who regularly perpetuate antisemitism. That gets little to no coverage in our community. I think the last piece I want to say here is that it's hurtful and bothersome to me when people are so relieved, like for instance, when I believe it was Philly, that when the Philly football player ended up meeting with a Holocaust survivor, and I was like, of course, that's not a surprise. Of course, this man, like, it was so clear to me in the remarks that he said that he wasn't trying to intentionally be antisemitic, and that somebody needed to thoughtfully and compassionately call him in and have a conversation and that he didn't need to have his job in danger, that he just needed to be brought into accountability, and that he would likely be self-motivated to correct it. And it bothers me how quickly at times, not always, and there are some of the best, most beloved activists I have are also white Jews, so I want to be really, really clear about that. Many of our amazing listeners are, but that there's threads in our mainstream community where people were shocked and so relieved to have him correct it as opposed to seeing his inherent goodness. And to be clear, I also get concerned about this when I see this about Jews, when people are like so shocked and relieved that a Jew did the right thing or gave to a community in need, and it's equally offensive to me, like, don't you see that that's something that our community has been doing for a very long time, and your shock about our, about my community, my Jewish or my Black community's inherent goodness, says to me that there's work you need to do around conscious and unconscious bias and racism or antisemitism that's happening in your inner world and in the communities and circles within which you walk.- Yeah. Yeah, I think that's right. I think with this case in particular as well, it's this person, Greene is, I mean she's a bigot all the way around. Apparently she's been, she and her staff have been harassing their colleague Cori Bush who is Black, and she says horrible things about people of color as well. And where am I going with this? I think, I guess I'm coming back to sort of the piece of advice when Maya Angelou said,"When someone tells you who they are, believe them." That's sort of what I'm, where I'm feeling about Greene, versus, you know, the other examples of folks who are working for liberation and repeat a trope that they've heard, which once it is pointed out to them, they work to correct it. Greene has zero interest in correcting her antisemitic remarks or her racist remarks. I mean, she actually stands by them and doubles down on the QAnon conspiracies when confronted. So, you know, when people show you who they are, believe them, I guess that's kinda where I'm landing. Well I just was, you know, I think that you mentioned that you were saying that you're not interested in tone policing, and I just, I don't know. I'm projecting onto our listeners. If I were listening, I'd be like, "Oh, I thought those were funny," and then I would feel really bad about myself, so that's not what we're saying.- Yeah, no.- That's not what we're saying at all. We're not inviting you to feel bad.- You're entitled to think that the jokes are funny. I actually think the jokes are very useful. It's the way that we use them in ways that serve us best to also help keep us safe and to be mindful about what types of messages we're amplifying.- Right. So that's, I just wanted to reiterate that, you did say it,- Thank you.- but I wanted to reiterate it.- Yeah, no, right, really, truly. I saw people getting some healing from it, and I am not trying to rain on that parade at all, because that's a need that people need to have fulfilled, and I was saying over time when you're ready, I think there are more strategic ways we can do that. And also ideally over time, right? Here's the more radical piece, find ways as a community to more deeply address and start to heal some of the deeper layers of collective trauma that we have been dealt and that we still carry. And there's zero judgment around that. For that our community only gets praise for how far we've made it in spite of so many things we have had to endure, much of the time without help, and/or with some amazing partners across lines of difference, who weren't also quite enough to overpower their neighbors, but were there many times trying to contradict things. I'm also reminded, it's slightly different, but I just to name, while we're thinking about Black feminist brilliance, the famous Toni Morrison quote."It's important, therefore, to know who the real enemy is, and to know the function, the very serious function of racism," or in this case, I would also extend it to antisemitism,"which is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you from examining over, it keeps you explaining over and over again your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language, so you spend 20 years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn't shaped properly" or parts of your face aren't shaped properly, so, that's me ad-libbing,"so you have scientists working on the fact that it is, and someone says you have no art, so you would dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdom, so you dredge that up. None of that is necessary. There will always be one more thing." And I would agree. And so I would restate her quote and shift it a little bit to also apply to antisemitism. The very serious function of antisemitism is distraction. One of the core purposes antisemitism serves is to keep the middle class in place by redirecting people who are financially and otherwise struggling in their lives, by shifting their frustration, instead of to the ruling class or the government, or the people who are in power, who are most definitely mostly Christian or not Jews, because Jews are often placed in the middle agent role, and has them direct their rage at Jews, which keeps the system and the oppression running and people still making money off of them. And to this day, that is still a core reason for the existence of antisemitism, is that it serves to distract the middle class from the actual sources of its oppression, members of the ruling class, who most often are not Jewish, which is not to say there aren't Jews who are part of the ruling class, that is the case, but they are not typically, or ever, the people who are are in control because of antisemitism. So I also wanted to toss in that. So all of that to say, I encourage my Jewish family, and almost no one else, to make internal jokes with friends and family to help process and blow off steam from yet another terrifyingly absurd, but also potentially contagious stereotype and bigoted thought about Jews. And,(April breathes deeply) just gonna take a breath there, cause it's heavy, and I don't wanna gloss over that. I love our Jewish people so much and we deserve better. We deserve better. And I'm glad though, and one of the upsides about this, there has to be an upside, is that often, white antisemitism, it's often people focus in on relatively nominal Black antisemitism that shows up from Black people or in Black space. I don't even like to use the phrase "Black antisemitism." I find it deeply racist and offensive.- I completely agree.- As someone who was raised in the Black community, as someone who grew up going to Black church, not that all Black churches are free from it, but I did not encounter that in Black space. I have consistently encountered love and support and people saying, you know, people on many, many times, many times I've heard people say something, many people in the Black community I've heard when I share with them that I'm Jewish, when I lived in the hood, when I've been visiting my grandparents' friends, or I'm talking to Black custodial staff at any number of locations and for some reason it comes up that I'm Jewish, maybe it's around the holiday season or something, and they've often said,"That's really wonderful," or, "I knew a Jew who's wonderful," or, "I've only had wonderful experiences with Jews, I think of them as our allies," consistently, and it like tears me up, because it's so, anyway.- Even when it is, there are folks who are Black and also antisemitic, like, we never talk about white antisemitism.- Well, that's the thing, it operates invisibly, and that is one of the core sources. Not exclusively, but one of the primary engines of antisemitism is white nationalism.- Exactly. Yeah, no, yes, for sure. I mean, Eric Ward wrote a piece before Charlottesville, I mean, he's been doing this work for forever, called...- Skin in the Game.- Yes. Skin in the Game. And the subhead is the fact that antisemitism animates, that's the word he uses, white nationalism. And I think that that is exactly right. I mean, his piece is very compelling, and it really speaks to that, that quote from Lilla Watson. Although I just recently read that she doesn't like to be given sole credit for it, but from Australian indigenous folks, that "if you've come here to help me, then you're wasting your time. But if you've come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let's work together." Eric Ward's piece like really...- Embodies that.- That's why he,- Exemplifies it.- He's a Black man, not Jewish, who fights antisemitism for a living, because he knows that it is bound up in his liberation.- And to me, it's sort of similar, although it's a similar type of thing, for people for whom this is relevant to make this connection, when people try to blame Jews for racism. Like I'm just like, yes, are there some Jews are extremely racist? Yes. It's not like in that Black life is immune to antisemitism, but that is not the origin of it, and it's absurd to assert that, and it's offensive. And you know, just like people who think that Jews started the slave trade or, you know, like.- Yeah, that's one of the antisemitic tropes, like blame Jews for the worst things, which is not to say there weren't Jewish slave traders, there were.- And that's also racist trope, right, like to also blame Black people for the worst things. Let's not do that- Right, right, exactly.- anymore, okay?- I think, and especially for the white Jews who are listening, the analog that I like to use is that, you know, if we were to hear a potential ally, not Jewish ally, say something like, "You know what, I don't really want to work with Jews because you all seem to have like a sexual predation problem, you know, with Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein, like, you know, there's clearly a problem with Jewish sexual predation." Like we would be in the streets protesting. We would be through the roof that we would be painted with a brush because of the worst among us.- From two people, right.- And yet that is exactly what white Jews sometimes do when talking about quote Black antisemitism.- Right, and so like, here's the alternative for me, which is that I just want us to really begin to embrace that Jews and Black people, among most other peoples on the planet, or, not most, all, are inherently good. And that doesn't mean that there might not be room in elements of that community for accountability or things that need to shift, but if you just went into an average family's home and got proximate and sat down with them and got to experience their hospitality and love and welcoming for you, and that's one of the benefits that I've had as a mixed heritage person who's grown up in a lot of spaces is getting to see different people from all walks of life, from different class backgrounds, their inherent goodness. Like, are there cultural differences? Sure, absolutely. Right? But there's cultural difference. And if you can remember that people are inherently good, that's a great start. And, yeah. Even the birdie outside my window agrees. She's like, "Preach, yes! Jewish and Black liberation! Inherent Jewish and Black goodness, yes!"- So there are no Jewish space lasers. There are strong Jewish grandmothers. There are funny, sweet, and brave Jewish men. There are resilient and funny and sweet Jewish children. There are Jewish transgender folks who bring so much light and analysis and courage to this world. There are Jewish women who come in all races and flavors and varieties of intelligence and courage. Those things are all real. There are Jewish change agents who affiliate and don't affiliate with Jewish life, but consistently show up powerfully and lovingly, and often humbly, in our social change movements and are worthy of love and support just as much as their movement partners are. Those are all real things that I am excited to celebrate every day and that make me so proud to be a Jew. And our humor. I was often, I was really, I think, people as they were navigating some of this antisemitism, and that's the thing that I think you named earlier that I just want to focus on that it's important, is that even still this day, even in that moment, white antisemitism was operating invisibly. I would like us to shine a light on that so that we can be more aware of its ubiquity and figure out how to more effectively address it. And I also just wanted to give a shout out to Jewish comedians over time. I was feeling people channeling a lot of Mel Brooks energy in their humor, and I have a lot of love for that. And I have more love for us getting free. And hopefully over time we get to pay less and less attention to antisemitism and white nationalism as it continues to die a slow, loud, and dramatic death over time.- Yeah. Amen.- Amen.- For the record, I thought the Bernie memes were pretty funny.- Wait, what?- The Bernie memes? Did you get those in your feed?(April laughing)- I didn't fully get it. Is it just 'cause he like, that he looked perturbed and that he was under dressed?- Yeah. And he like, and he sat in the corner just like. I mean, well, who knows what his mouth was doing, he had a mask on, but.- But it did seem like that, right.- And he came with that big manila envelope. They were the one, my favorite actually said, Bernie's to do list, like, Joe's thing, post office.(both laughing)- It was, it totally was.- And like all the different things, and they were like, they were very Jewish. They were very Jewish humor. Like, "when there's a new chazzan and they're singing a new melody of Lecha Dodi that you don't recognize."- Those were great. That was good.- "Waiting for my wife at Loehmann's." Like they were, it was very Jewish. Those memes.- I'm trying to remember what were some other ones, this is great, this is a good epilogue to this episode. Like what, ah, what, there were, I'm trying to remember what, yeah, there were some really good ones.- And then like, Kol HaKavod, Bernie Sanders, he had a t-shirt made of the photograph and sold it, and then all the proceeds went to a worthy cause. So like, you know, way to lean into your unexpected, you know, moment of hilarity.(Tracie laughing)- Right, yeah, that was wonderful. I loved that. That was great. Thanks for tuning in. Our show's theme music was composed by Elliott Hammer. You can find this track and other beats on Instagram @elliotthammer. If this episode resonated with you, please share it and subscribe. To join the conversation, visit jewstalkracialjustice.com, where you can send us a question or suggestion, access our show notes, and learn more about our team. Take care until next time, and stay humble and keep going.