Wow, it’s like they all want to say it
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The thread:
If Joe Biden genuinely cared about antisemitism, then he would have unequivocally rejected Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Al Sharpton, etc. etc.
He only cares because Donald Trump elevated Kanye West in the political world by opening his doors to him and his parasitic “advisers.”
The same is true on the right also. Many Republicans condemn antisemitism, but will happily hand the microphone to Marjorie Taylor Greene (or even Kanye West before he went full-on Hitler fan girl).
Why?
Because politics matters more than fighting antisemitism.
However, “silence is complicity” is only true for those who are already involved.The average person is not morally obligated to speak out against Kanye West, Ilhan Omar, Marjorie Taylor Greene or any other type of antisemite.
However, if you condemn Kanye West but not Ilhan Omar, or Ilhan Omar but not Kanye West, then your silence is complicit, because one type of antisemitism apparently deserves your condemnation while another does not.
Moreover, those who initially defended Kanye West (whether downplaying his antisemitism, disregarding his antisemitism, or gaslighting Jews as dishonest for protesting his antisemitism), you are obligated to either explain why things have changed, or defend your earlier position.
For those people, their silence is utterly deafening.
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The thing about opportunism is that it’s so deeply baked into human psychology that it takes some insight and intentional effort to even realize you’re employing it. But since the opportunism is by definition personally beneficial, the motivation to make that effort is not there. The motivation would have to come from a desire to be a legitimately principled human being. But there really isn’t any social profit in that.
