Author of the post blocked me even though I was just doing a teachable moment and was being very polite to them so here's the post so we can all continue to learn.
Head's up, this is a really common refrain for Stephen Miller. Remember, comparing Jews to lizard people/reptiles is an antisemitic trope. (The idea that Jews are secretly inhuman lizard people secretly infiltrating humanity to take control.) There are lots of other ways we can criticize his evil.
yeah I had to take the wind out of people's sails a few times by explaining the reason why his physical appearance reminds them of that of so many old fashioned cartoon bad guys. I might be some shiksa but I felt an obligation
I think it exists for every community. Like people using transphobic slurs against Kaitlyn Jenner or homophobic ones against Lindsay Graham because they don't like what they're doing. They can be terrible people, but it's still wrong and it sets a bad example
I often get a similar reaction when I try to call out ableist language. It's not an attack! It's an opportunity to educate since many people simply don't know.
you are raising a point that I had not thought of previously, and I appreciate your doing it
Stephen Miller does look like the Nosferatu of the 1922 movie, but it is equally true that the Nosferatu of the 1922 movie looks like that because of antisemitic stereotypes
important to note
despite the teachable moment, a quote post to 15k followers does not usually end well for the quote-posted, so anonymized screenshots avert this particular scenario
I don't want to chew on you, you've been going through it, but I'm not seeing an apology? Only a request for someone to make sure she sees your reply saying "I wasn't putting you on blast I was just using a teachable moment. I'll delete my post." Unless there's something else I can't see?
I was just saying this in another context earlier today.
Is it uncomfortable to be told I've screwed up? Yeah, it often is. But it's still way preferable to /continuing to screw up/.
Thank you. I know that the trope is antisemitic but 1) didn’t know Miller was Jewish. 2) Hadn’t considered that saying that about anyone regardless of their background advances the trope and thus antisemitism.
It’s not a thought I generally have about people but he is an odd one.
This has been (probably not to my credit) one of the hardest things to get right. So much, nearly all, language we have for villainous hyperbole in some way traces back to antisemitism. You think you've got a biting insult about someone but nope! It's provably got roots in hate speech.
What if, hypothetically, someone genuinely looks like a silent movie Nosferatu and gives off an eerie vibe of the undead? Vampires are also based on antisemitic tropes, but can we still say he might turn into a bat and fly away?
There's just no reason to compare a jew to any kind of animal or monster when he has given plenty of fodder for specific things he can be criticized for.
I would argue that everyone trying to play semantics games with what dehumanizing names they can call someone is the problem here but I guess we can debate the nuances of the origin of language instead...
I think that the first time I have heard "cold-blooded killer" was in reference to Jack the Ripper. Who had many antisemitic theories around him. So, I dunno
