Schindler’s List director says in speech marking 30th anniversary of the USC Shoah Foundation that he is alarmed that ‘we may … once again have to fight for the very right to be Jewish’.
In remarks reported by Deadline, Spielberg said: “Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. I am increasingly alarmed that we may be condemned to repeat history – to once again have to fight for the very right to be Jewish.”
He added: “The echoes of history are unmistakable in our current climate. The rise of extremist views has created a dangerous environment, and radical intolerance leads a society to no longer celebrate differences but instead conspire to demonise those who are different to the point of creating ‘the Other’… This is happening alongside anti-Muslim, Arab, and Sikh discrimination. The creation of ‘the Other’ and the dehumanisation of any group based on their differences, is the foundation of fascism.”
Spielberg also directly addressed the current conflict in Gaza for the first time, saying: “We can rage against the heinous acts committed by the terrorists of October 7th and also decry the killing of innocent women and children in Gaza.”
I hear a lot of people talking about an “apartheid regime” happening in Israel. But I don’t understand what’s the similarity with the South Africa apartheid regime. If there’s no significant proximity between the two, why call whatever happening in Isareal an “apartheid regime”?
Apartheid means institutionalized and state sponsored segregation and racism.
If by “segregation” you mean a country enforcing its borders and only allowing immigration on strict criteria, then every country has an apartheid regime by some degree. And as far as I know, 20% of Israeli citizens are Muslim, mostly originating from immigration. If we compare to how many Jewish people (if any?) are allowed to live peacefully in the Arab countries, then we can start discussing which countries are actually racist.
Brother I have huge reservations against the Arab countries as well, believe me. First and foremost and absolutely not last on the list, their foreign domestic worker treatment is modern day slavery, complete with selling the workers without their consent to anyone willing to pay. Selling people IS slavery.
Criticizing one peoples doesn’t mean I can’t criticize the other, NOR does whataboutism absolve the other party of its wrongdoings. That’s some disgusting apologist thinking if you ask me. If power can’t justify its actions within its own society without pointing elsewhere…well, that’s a clear sign they’re in the wrong AND they know it. Never in history has other-ing people led to a better world. Division isn’t the answer. Power has argued the same argument for millenia, and it’s still not convincing, and they KNOW it, which is why so much effort is spent discrediting and hiding information contrary and keeping the people exhausted and distracted - all to maintain their grip on power.
And borders are imaginary, friend. Humanity needs to individually and collectively grow the fuck up and stop getting riled up over the imaginary. (The following uses “you” as a writing mechanism not ‘you’ personally). Idc about your imaginary friends. Getting upset because your plans changed due to outside factors is another example of childish behavior that needs to be seen as unacceptable. Plans aren’t real. They’re imaginary and can be reimagined. It’s toddler level foot stomping because youve not built fluidity into a closed fluid ecosystem, best case it was unintentional and you didn’t realize, worst case is just despotic laziness and manipulation.