Friday, January 19, 2007

Is the CBC Anti-Palestinian?

Have you checked out any of the nonsense going on in Toronto surrounding a failed motion before the local branch of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation? A Jewish teacher named Jason Kunin "who has often criticized the Israeli government"* drafted a motion that would have condemned Israel's treatment of Palestinians and called for classroom materials to be developed to support such a condemnation. Basically, it was a promo gimmick to air his views and attract attention using the union as a mouth piece. Whatever. Vote it down (which membership overwhelmingly did) and move on, right?

What pisses me off is that any time someone criticizes Israel they are immediately labelled anti-Israel or anti-Semitic even. Lighten the fuck up you PC knee-jerk-offs. The CBC's headline speaks volumes about the bias in our society: Anti-Israel motion defeated by Ontario teachers union local. Radio station CFRA posted this headline on their web site: Union Rejects 'Anti Israel' Motion, and the Canadian Press wrote this: Teacher's anti-Israel resolution angers many.

I haven't actually read the entire motion, but from what the CBC itself reported there was no overt anti-Israelism or hateful view being expressed. Even the union head said it was legitimate subject for debate.

You know, it is possible to oppose policy without being hateful. This is dangerous. It's the same bullshit American "support the war or you're not supporting the troops" crap that is constantly thrown around south of the border. Aren't we a little more intelligent than that?

You can check out details of Kunin's view's HERE.

*Source: CBC.ca

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21 Comments:

Blogger Leatherhands said...

No K-Dough, sadly we're not more intelligent than that. The "black and white" stance is always the last act of desperation when one is losing a nuanced debate.
I've just had it with teachers unions. (Full disclosure; my ex is a teacher, and I still get stomach cramps when I remember her and her self-absorbed, self-righteous and appallingly immature and elitist teacher friends.)

11:02 AM, January 19, 2007  
Blogger K-Dough said...

From my cursory read of the teacher's views, I have to say I respect him for standing up against the "accepted" wisdom.

Iconoclasts will inherit the earth.

11:13 AM, January 19, 2007  
Blogger Joe Calgary said...

KD, I think the blame really belongs to the media, who are constantly sensationalizing the headlines to attract viewers, readers etc... Never an outright lie, merely posed half-truths.

It's a very sad statement on the mindset of North Americans... we're so enamoured by the glitz and glamour that we have forgotten that sometimes blue is just blue, and red is just red.

The media is merely capitalizing on our thirst for excitement, yet it's building a bigger, meaner, and more voracious beast in it's efforts to keep our attention.

Sad mate, very sad.

Hired 4 new people, and now I have some time to goof-off. Feb is when the shit starts to hit the fan for me again.

11:15 AM, January 19, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Unfortuantely K, whenever I open my mouth to criticize Israel, I am labelled anti-semite automatically. And on occasion I am also labelled terrorist supporter. Say one word that doesn't show support for Israel and everyone jumps in to tell you how you are anti-Israel, anti-semite and Pro-Hamas and Hezbollah.

I asked chucker that if this motion was about Iran would you support it, and one of his readers jumped in to tell me that Iran and Israel are different.

11:40 AM, January 19, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Looks like we all agree on this one. Remarkable!

Full moon?

11:53 AM, January 19, 2007  
Blogger K-Dough said...

Ach. That was me above. Posting from my BB!

11:54 AM, January 19, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nope, last night was a new moon.

12:07 PM, January 19, 2007  
Blogger Smenita said...

I am not a anti-semite. I have many friends and family who died and they now all live in the semitary. People who are against semitaries aren't very smart. Where will they put their dead bodies? In the garage?

I know, I guess that makes me a anti-garagite.

3:27 PM, January 19, 2007  
Blogger K-Dough said...

I think I may be an anti-Smenitite.

3:44 PM, January 19, 2007  
Blogger Joe Calgary said...

Me too... I've already got a cold, I don't want to catch
Smenitascurse...

I hear the symptoms are extreme stupidity, loss of grammatical ability (see, I might have it already) and a tendancy to talk like you just came out of the ghetto.

So I guess that makes me Anti-Smenita too.

4:01 PM, January 19, 2007  
Blogger pam said...

How would I know if I was, K? Would I crave beer and friends and no stupidity late on Friday afternoons? Would my tolerance for time-wasting bullshit be maxed? Because if that's the case, I'm an anti-smenititess.

4:08 PM, January 19, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The CBC has always been tagged as anti-Israeli... This goes to show you can't pigeonhole a network into a bias. Even the National Post writes a few positive things about Arabs now and then.

6:30 PM, January 19, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Where should I go for holidays this year (help me out, I'm a Libra and get confused by too many options).

1) South Africa with a bunch of gay friends?
2) Spain with some of my favourite cousins?
3) The UK to visit relatives, and Germany to see the same bunch of gay friends referred to above?
4) Hiking in Patagonia (Chilean side)?
5) Hiking/safari in Tanzania?

Vote and help me out!

7:16 PM, January 19, 2007  
Blogger KarmaCake said...

Listen, the world hates us. To be Palestinian is to be vermin, we have no voice, no visibility and no widespread understanding on the true difficulties of the Middle East.

When the land of Palestine was erroneously doled out the communities of the Middle East, it's like the Palestinians were in the bathroom. When they came back, the land was gone. Everyone had a piece, except for us.

Enter displaced people.
Enter frustration.
Enter desperation in the face of an non sympathetic world.

Yes, I do think the world needs to understand the climate in which Palestinians and Jewish populations suffer.

However, I don't think a staunch anti-Isreal sentiment is the right forum to present that in. Because, in the end, how will we breed understanding.

Trading hate for an opposing hate.

Please.

However, teach the right we need to be firm. To firmly state that we will equally present both sides in fairness and honesty.

I just think the Jewish population fears beind marginalized as demons. They haven't had the best history, but, what they are imposing now on their Semite Brothers and Sisters is just that.

Demonizing Palestinians.

Their biblical siblings.

Shem I'm sure is so upside.

11:29 AM, January 20, 2007  
Blogger KarmaCake said...

K-Dough, I was being facetious to the point that I wanted people to ponder that statement.

To look at the media where a Palestinian POV is treated as a token item used only to allude towards an appearance of unbiase.

Yes, people fear to support the Palestinians as they do not want to be cursed with the scarlett letter.

However, to have sympathies towards Palestinians will allow us to have a voice. And, the world may be surprised to hear that we are not villans, but, a humane people seeking what is just in the same world we pray still holds for us hope.

Palestinians in Canada do live with fear.

I live with fear.
I type these words carefully and I pray that my confession will not harm my personal ambitions.

But, I do think it's important, especially in the context of this discussion, to reveal that I am Palestinian.

There's the power of the bloggers... we can speak freely and gain understanding.

10:40 PM, January 20, 2007  
Blogger K-Dough said...

Karma- True enough. Buttttt, there are extremist nutcases on both sides of that dispute. In Canada, as you know, you are free to voice your political opinions as long as you are not preaching hate. I respect the fact that you are of Palestinian descent and that you see fit to express that online. I do;nt se how expressing that could ever ne a hindrance to your career though.

Jaco- you said "So how in the fuck can I be anti-semitic if I'm a Christian?"- ohhhh I don't know; how can Catholic priests rape children? Of course one could be both. It's pure logic. Not saying you are...

And by the way, Jesus drank and his girlfiend was a hooker, so I wouldn't much worry about your own trangressions.

11:01 PM, January 20, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

KD, you forget that Mary Magdelene was actually framed up as a hooked by the Catholics. Geez, don't you read Dan Brown?

11:11 PM, January 20, 2007  
Blogger K-Dough said...

Alright alrady- a guy can have fantasies ya know..

11:15 PM, January 20, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I see no one has tried to tell me where to go!

2:14 PM, January 21, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No thanks K-dough. I don't want to live with you.

2:35 PM, January 21, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

...you and your bf "Satan" would have been even better. We always think of the better burns long after we've hit submit, wot?

2:50 PM, January 21, 2007  

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