Identity Politics

25 Apr

I recently learned the university our son attends, California Polytechnic State University, is experiencing a myriad of clashes related to identity politics.  An excellent summary of recent events, responses and an analysis can be found on the Times of Israel website:

What bothers me is many of the “Social Justice” movements have been co-opted by the Palestinian narrative.  They are openly anti-Semitic in their actions and writings.  Cal Poly’s Black Student Union (BSU) even writes an Anti-Zionism Clarifications Document explaining why the Drylongso Collective’s demands are not anti-Semitic.  That’s like a male group telling feminists why their views are not misogynistic and that feminists don’t understand sexism.  To add insult to injury, the BSU uses mansplaining tropes as justification:

  1. The Drylongso Collective, who authored the statement, elaborated that their demands cannot be anti-Semitic because they had some Jews involved in its crafting/ review.  This is almost as bad as “How dare you say I am anti-Semitic. My lawyer is Jewish.”
  2. Then they state “Not all Zionists are Jews and not all Jews are Zionists”, as cited by published works by an organization called “Jews Against Zionism” and by a Palestinian Human Rights Attorney (Noura Erakat).  This would have been enough, but the BSU had the gall to suggest Jewish students should educate themselves on the terms Anti-Semitic, Anti-Jewish and Anti-Zionist based on the aforementioned biased organization and law fare attorney.  I doubt BSU members would take kindly suggesting they be educated by white supremacists.
  3. The final point by the BSU is “Black folks and other People of Color have a long-standing history of standing in solidarity with Palestinian folks.”  Such a statement seems aligned with the philosophy of Malcolm X and Louis Farrakahn’s Nation of Islam (NOI) rather than the civil discourse of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Last I checked the NOI is a notoriously anti-Semitic organization.

Unfortunately, BSU at Cal Poly with its denial of hatred is not an isolated event.  This social phenomenon of Jew-Hatred permeates through the hypocritical “human rights” and “justice” world, as can be seen by the proliferation of Anti-Israel organizations and those who align with them via intersectionality:

I completely agree with Judith’s last sentence, “No words can accurately convey the kind of hypocrisy this behavior represents.”

— 30-APR-2018 UPDATE —

I received an encouraging email from Cal Poly Administration at the end of last week stating:

“Please know that the university will not support or endorse any demands or requests that are bigoted or discriminatory. The institution is working hard at educating and unifying the campus community.”

While it has been difficult navigating through this challenge, my sincere belief is the university is taking this very seriously and making significant efforts to impact progress for students.

Guy Lipof

Accomplished Engineering Executive with deep consulting and sales expertise in healthcare and life sciences, particularly in oncology, driving business strategy, delivering innovative solutions, and improving patient outcomes. Care partner and advocate for raising awareness about and investment towards Brain Cancer Research, such as Glioblastoma Multiforme and IDH mutant gliomas.