Is There a Better Word Than Xenophobia?

[onionsoupmix]

Here's a YWN thread in which the idea that  "a Jewish child molester is on a higher level than Mother Theresa"  finds acceptance.

Lest you think that this opinion is one shared by a small, fringe group of nutjobs, almost every single self-identified Lubavitcher I have ever met espoused this idea without reserve. Here is one example. Chabad is far

Comments

[anonymous]

"How is it that no one finds this as abhorrent as videos of little Muslim kids chanting about killing Jews?"

Saying that people are worthless and that killing them is good are two different things.

Stalin sent inconvenient people, suspects who might be guilty, etc. to Siberia to work them to death. He didn't care about people.

Hitler diverted resources desperately needed for his war effort from fighting to killing Jews. He hated people.

There is a huge difference between psychopathic lack of empathy and sadistic hatred.

Neither are good, of course.

[onionsoupmix]

See the post below where the children are explain who needs to be killed off.

[anonymous]

Because he's a political enemy and in their way, right? Unless you are saying that his is the only non-Jewish name they know, and thy favor killing all non-Jews?

That falls under "not caring at all about non-Jews", which is just as far from "going out of your way to kill non-Jews" as "going out of your way to rescue non-Jews".

In other words, the Jews in question are terrible people, their beliefs constitute child abuse and their children should be taken away. They're as bad as Stalinists, the Muslims in question are worse-as bad as Nazis. That's the difference.

The Jihadist is willing to die to kill as many Jews as possible, so deep is his hatred. The Zionist doesn't give a damn about the Arabs, ignoring their humanity and worth as if they weren't human beings. How can you *not* see the difference?

[onionsoupmix]

I see the difference, but to me it's not a huge leap from one to the other. Give it time, a few generations of teaching this hatred and they will be the same.

Thought I solved this , but you raise a good point

[anonymous]

My problem was always the practical implicatons, which is they can't do anything which is not for themselves. The usual explanation is, well the alter rebbe means good which the only intent is for g-d, which even jews rarely do that , and actually most human beings never do an act like that.
But I really hear your question isn't it sick to say all non jews are bad , I mean I think one of the outcomes of this is what I wrote on my blog (thinkingbochur.blogspot.com), that four 9 year olds explained to me that it's a mitzvah to kill president Obama.
This reminds me of an article I wanted to write for my blog , entitled , JLI couree: inferior races according to chabad.

Re: Thought I solved this , but you raise a good point

[onionsoupmix]

It still blows my mind that those kids said that. Wow. Just wow.

Re: Thought I solved this , but you raise a good point

[ext_347303]

I was really at a loss as of what to tell these kids, I mean on one hand such thinking needs to be clearly marked as wrong. But on the other hand I didn't want to make waves with my "liberal" thinking. Especially because I assume they picked it up from their parents , in some way shape or form. It is like racism I never told off these kids for racism because I assumed that was the way they speak in their house. Of course I took the easy and maybe wrong option , I didn't do anything.

[mrn613]

are they discussing this case on imanutter now?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/nyregion/04family.html?_r=1

[onionsoupmix]

no, I haven't seen that there yet. They have gotten up to arguing over whether the book "Hush" should have been printed or whether it is a big chillul hashem.

[mrn613]

interesting, if you search Kranczer on yeshiva world news, not a thing comes up.

[mindycl]

If this is true, it's horrific. But we don't have proof yet.

[tesyaa]

I don't know how any thinking person can believe that there is a qualitative difference between a "Jew" and a "goy". No matter what the Torah or the philosophers taught, no matter how much you've been brainwashed as a kid (although that's about the only excuse). You can argue all day and all night, but if this is a foundation of your faith, your faith is wrong.

[onionsoupmix]

A thinking person can be sucked into this quite easily. It's very pleasant to believe that you are special, the world was made for you and your kind and that everyone else is just here to help you out whatever you might need. People want to believe that and so they do.

[sethg_prime]

I’m too lazy to look up the exact quote, but Orwell once described a certain idea as being so ridiculous that only an intellectual could believe it.

I feel like this question is aimed right at me...

[anonymous]

...since you know that I'm fairly liberal and attend a Chabad shul

Re: I feel like this question is aimed right at me...

[onionsoupmix]

Yeah, I was thinking of you a bit when I wrote this, I don't know why. Maybe b/c you are one of the people I see as both rational and sensible AND an ardent chabad supporter and that's confusing to me

Re: I feel like this question is aimed right at me...

[anonymous]

I tend to focus less on the abstract theology, and more on the practical application

Re: I feel like this question is aimed right at me...

[onionsoupmix]

Re Pick and Choose:

Pick and choose is always difficult. How do you know what to pick? I had come to Judaism through chabad, so my acceptance of the truth of it all is dependent to a large extent on the truth of chabad. If chabad is wrong about gentiles and their fundamental document, the Tanya, is just an outdated work of bigotry, why should I believe that anything else chabad teaches is right? Why should I believe that God wants me to not eat shellfish or rest on the 7th day or drink only a certain kind of milk or wear skirts if these people think God wants me to believe that gentiles are fundamentally inferior and they're wrong about that one?