From my correspondent, Geof Gray:
Maureen Dowd writes in the Times yesterday: "And it is true, of course, that the upper crust, underwhelming Anglo-Saxon leaders who allowed America's financial markets to morph into louche casinos, George W Bush and Dick Cheney, were very very white men with blue eyes." Isn't this a tad disingenuous? Didn't Summers, and Rubin and Greenspan have something to do with the debacle? Isn't Maurice "Hank" Greenberg's AIG implicated as is Goldman Sachs, among others? Just upper crust Anglo Saxons? Isn't this an antique notion, true perhaps in the 1920's?
Have we reached the point out of the fear of being accused to being antisemitic that we pretend that Jews aren't there?
Gray has my total agreement here. Journalists are misleading their readers about the character of the power structure out of apprehensions of the rise of anti-Semitism. This kind of journalism is not helpful, and may actually be feeding the resentment that fosters anti-Semitism.
It is incorrect to think White, blue eyed Episcopalian bankers use their power any differently than bankers who may belong to another ethnic group or worship another god. Bankers of all ethnic groups and all bankers who feign worship of any myth use their financial power to increase the financial power of their enterprises. Bankers do not use their power to increase the power or provide greater benefits to their particular ethnic or religious tribe. Bankers should be regarded as a separate ethnic/religious group who worship Mammon.
"Gray has my total agreement here. Journalists are misleading their readers about the character of the power structure out of apprehensions of the rise of anti-Semitism. This kind of journalism is not helpful, and may actually be feeding the resentment that fosters anti-Semitism."
If you look at the media from Jerry Springer and Howard Stern on up, anti-semitism doesn't seem to be the issue to worry about. Is there a law that says that Jews should be liked as a group?
This is Dowd doin her Irish bit, that's all.
"This is Dowd doin her Irish bit, that's all."
She's no Kennedy!
This is Dowd saying in a circular way, "Some of my best friends, oy vey!" It's simply a career move, and a hedge against the time when she might have to simper that shooting Palestinian children in the head might not, after all, be the proper moral choice if you don't mind her saying so too much.
What, do you think the advertisers in the Times- and the owners/execs who sign her paycheck- are blue eyed and very white? Yeah, sure, the Danny O'Sulzberger clan, that's who we're talking about.
Men In Blue Yarmulkes.
"Now he has stocked the White House’s budget office with advisers who aspire to shape policy across the administration. They include Cass R. Sunstein, a legal scholar close to Mr. Obama; Jeffrey Liebman, a campaign adviser; Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a heath care expert who is Rahm Emanuel’s brother; and Kenneth Baer, a Clinton administration speechwriter."
Are we not supposed to cherish diversity?
"Are we not supposed to cherish diversity?"
That reminds me of a recent Newsweek cover titled "The Thinking Man's Guide to Populism" which features all Jewish writers carrying torches, follwed by a pitchfork-wielding mob. Are we that easily manipulated?
Maureen Dowd is never worth reading, in my experience. She will always go for the "clever" remark in preference to substance, probably because she's incapable of substance. (It's possible that she's simply smart enough to realize that substance will not be good for her career, and lacks the integrity to go for substance despite that.)
Todd
I find it interesting how you claim that you dont need jewish culture rubbed in your face but you seem to be pretty obsessed with jews. You spend half your life commenting on Phil's blog and other jewish blogs. If you dont want jewish culture rubbed in your face then dont obsess yourself with jews.
I also find it interesting that a as paleoconservative you have now adopted philo arabism in regards to the Palestinians.
Phil
Yes there are some jews involved in the financial crises, but their jewishness is (mostly) irrelevant as the WASPY bankers and politician's waspishness or catholic bankers and politician's catholicness are pretty much irrelevant to their jobs. Maureen Dowd should not have brought up WASPY elites and you should not have brought up jewish elites and other commentors should not bring up Indian, Chinese or Saudi investors. This is not an ethnic issue.
Lehman Bros, Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns, Salomon Bros (aka CitiBank), AIG are all firms founded by and predominantly run by Jews. The Federal Reserve and all of the Regional Fed banks are run by Jews, but when times go bad blame it on the WASP's.
Nope, no bigotry or Jewish ethnopoly here. No sir.
sure it aint janey. get a life, hon
Thanks for keeping up with me, Janey. You must have me confused with someone else on the other blogs, but the truth is that I don't have much to do since my accident. I'm just trying to keep my mind occupied until I can walk again–if that's okay with you.
I must say I was amazed with the comment, echoed around the world BTW that the banking-monetary-bailout crisis is to be totally heaped on blue-eyed white men. I guess it will remain 1938 forever, despite, e.g., the factual accuracy of what The Eternal John Yoo says here. Don't believe him–google it. Plenty of references abound to indicate who make up Wall St, Fed Reserve, Treasury, etc.