Comments on: When a leftleaning Israeli writer calls Obama ‘blackberry,’ maybe he shouldn’t be my intellectual leader

By: dalybean

dalybean — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:35:32 +0000

The Israeli press has been painting Obama as a Muslim since early in 2008 and the Israelis hate Muslims, so what do we expect? After Hillary lost the primary, the Israelis switched to McCain. Cheney went over there and told them that Obama is pro-Palestinian and Netanyahu and his cabinet have done the same. I think it is absolutely accurate to say that Israel is becoming a vast intellectual waste land and it is because they have been indoctrinated and propagandized in their superiority myths and paranoia for 50 years, not to mention that they all have to do IDF service. It is a requirement in Israeli society to hate Arabs, Palestinians, Muslims and non-whites. The Israelis even discriminate against their darker Jewish brethren. This is simply not the mark of an enlightened society. Israel is a sick delusional country suffering from mass psychosis. The Diaspara Jews have to step up and make sure the US is able to help orient Israel into the international community and the age of enlightenment or Israel will be doomed. The American people, whether liberal or conservative and excepting the zionists, will not put up with this for much longer. I agree that we may have been oblivious to these problems with Israel in the past, but that is changing rapidly. The percentage of Americans that say the US should support Israel dropped from 71% to 44% in the last year and I submit that it is in part the cruelty and racism and aggression and dehumanization of the "other" that is responsible for this drop, in addition to not wanting to support more wars for Israel.

By: Strahl

Strahl — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:40:55 +0000

It can also mean trendy and superficial.

By: backblow

backblow — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:10:22 +0000

This post (not my comment) is one reason why. People can misconstrue the use of blackberry.

By: Richard WittyI

Richard WittyI — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:16:20 +0000

The term "blackberry" is praise. Its saying that he is a MODERN president unlike say George Bush 1, who was surprised when he encountered grocery scanners.

By: David_F

David_F — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:41:52 +0000

I don't know what "blackberry" is in Hebrew, but Phil should have thought of this. Furthermore, obsessively hunting for any possible hidden reference to race is a mind-numbing distraction from real issues. "Blackberry president" actually is a good description of Obama. He is the first President to be fluent in the use of the internet and modern modes of digital communication. I don't see how the possible Enlgish pun on his race is insulting.

By: Duscany

Duscany — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:31:03 +0000

What's so "unfortunate" about the name Blackberry? I always thought it was a great name for a handheld communications device, just as Apple is for a computer.

By: David_F

David_F — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:29:53 +0000

"Due to a profound sense of guilt for the white man's sins, the politically correct left is incapable of properly confronting the sins of a non-white person." I thought this Shavit piece was silly, and agree with most of your criticism. The above quote, though, is quite perceptive.

By: backblow

backblow — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:09:56 +0000

Is the word Blackberry a reference to a digital communication device from a Canadian company? " target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry It is an unfortunate name for device which is a favourite of a black president.

By: carnas

carnas — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:56:10 +0000

By the way, anyone with some knowledge of the topic you seem so obsessed about would know that "blackberry" is not "laden" with anything in Hebrew, since you don't use the word for "black". But of course some knowledge would be too much to ask on this site.

By: Sean2009

Sean2009 — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:40:11 +0000

Sadly, but I would agree that the political left in the US in unable to cope with the sins of a non-white person, which is why the powers-that-be wisely chose Obama to be the new shining face of Empire. No matter how much Obama's policies are in continuity with Bush's and in some cases, are even worse, there are those who will still see him as a "revolutionary" (an assessment completely out of bounds with reality). There are differences in rhetoric between Obama and Bush, but little in substance. Obama is a masterful politician while Bush always wore his character on his sleeve and appeared to be exactly what he was : a snickering, smirking, sociopathic frat boy. But even if he were as crass, vulgar and incompetent as Bush, the majority of liberals are simply too bedazzled by this guy to ever see through his obvious cant. I somehow doubt that the same guy claiming to be "heartbroken" over Neda yet somehow is unable to mention any of the Nedas killed in Gaza is going to seriously take on the Israeli lobby, and the fact he has stacked his administration with Israel-first extremists like Emmanuel and Ross should be evidence enough of this to anyone. This is likewise for his stacking his administration with corporate stooges like Geithner and Summers who engineered the financial mess we are in and who are overseeing Obama's massive wealth transfers to their bankster thief allies. On every issue I see no sign that Obama is any different than Bush. If Obama is serious about confronting Israel, he must threaten to withhold US military and economic aid and support if Netanyahu does not move forthwith to reach an agreement with the legitimate elected representatives of the Palestinian people, and that is not Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah. Everything else is bullshit.