The 2,000-Year-Old Panic
by Will, 20 February 2008
Hitchens on the enduring contradictions of antisemitism.
A fine piece indeed.
Re the Hitch essay on antisemitism linked to — something he mentions here:
“Rezzori’s character insinuates with the greatest of subtlety that there is something feminine about the Jew, and that this is what sets him apart from the manly and robust and patriotic characters who like to roar cheery songs rather than listen to the tinkling piano, and whose chief joy is the hunt;”
got me to thinking about the well known antisemite George Galloway and his contempt for Tibetans and Buddhism — which he describes as ‘obscurantist’. Why is Buddhism any more obscurantist than any other religion, particularly his own choice of shit? It may stem from his lack of interest in Tibetan pussy … and an arrogant feeling that Buddhism, like Judaism is ‘effeminate’ or ‘feminine’, not strong and masculine like Catholicism/Xtianity and Islam where they know how to keep the bitches in check real fucking good. Just a thought… . Consider also, Galloway’s need to assure us of his virility and masculinity — repeated reminders that he has had multiple sexual partners — and his apparent disregard for ‘uppity’ women and his opposition to women’s rights to biological autonomy.
Wednesday 20 February 2008 at 21:02
It’s still the official stance of the Catholic Church that Buddhism is nihilistic. Not very ecumenical of them, but not an uncommon view in the West. On the other hand, there may be some classic Orientalism in the view of it as “obscurantist” (or, perhaps, he might reconsider his words and choose “inscrutable” or just “slanty-eyed”). On the other hand, Buddhism - I speak as a Buddhist of a particular persuasion - does have some very obscure teachings like, “the sky is blue; the clouds are white” that may be hard to understand if you don’t immediately get it. But, reading his words, I’d just go in to say it’s all a bunch of ignorant bluster. Some of the great Zen teachers of antiquity might have chopped off that wagging finger of his.