Jewish students attacked at Auschwitz

[MikeDubreuil]

The article says that one of the Jewish students could understand and speak French. The student said that the man said things that were "brutish and vulgar," but that also "made absolutely no sense."

Why would someone talk in their native language and make absolutely no sense? Either these French men were mentally unstable or perhaps they had a little too much alcohol to drink. Either one, they probably didn't undertand the impact they were going to make when they did it and probably just did it because they thought it was amusing at the time.

[Scientist]

That's a shame. I see all kinds of inter-ethnic violence. Recently in England there was a race riot where a group of Asians decided to physically attack native English Whites out of hatred. Here in the states there are young Black males doing the same to Whites often as well, a lot more often than vice versa. Even some radical Jewish men often take up weapons such as baseball bats and wooden boards with nails in them and go after various Whites out of racial hatred. It's a shame that many feel they need to oppress Whites, and I say this as a non-White person. Such is life, I guess, you can't get rid of hate.

Regards.

[Madison]

Originally Posted by Scientist

It's a shame that many feel they need to oppress Whites, and I say this as a non-White person.

The oppressed cannot act to oppress those that oppress them. It's a contradiction. They can get pissed off at them for that oppression -- and rightly so -- but, for almost all purposes there is no oppression of white people on the basis on skin color. Anywhere.

[Scientist]

Originally Posted by M. Krass

The oppressed cannot act to oppress those that oppress them. It's a contradiction. They can get pissed off at them for that oppression -- and rightly so -- but, for almost all purposes there is no oppression of white people on the basis on skin color. Anywhere.

Well, I don't want to make a big deal about it, but I see all races engaging in ethnocentrism and using their group power and influence to subvert the interest of other races. No one race is guilty, but all races are. Whites are just as much a victim of racism as they are the perpetrators of racism. All races are racist.

Regards.

[Madison]

Originally Posted by Scientist

Well, I don't want to make a big deal about it, but I see all races engaging in ethnocentrism and using their group power and influence to subvert the interest of other races. No one race is guilty, but all races are. Whites are just as much a victim of racism as they are the perpetrators of racism. All races are racist.

Regards.

Racism and oppression are different. Do not use one word if you mean another.

[jonathan lall]

M. is referring to things which are systemic or administrated by a body of authority or power, and not violent clashes. That's what oppression means. In the United States, this simply never has and never will exist. Mind you...

Originally Posted by M. Krass

[...] but, for almost all purposes there is no oppression of white people on the basis on skin color. Anywhere.

This is flat out inaccurate. In Africa there are numerous instances of oppression of whites, based upon race. To name the two most prevalent, Zimbabwe (under Robert Mugabe's leadership), and certain parts of South Africa, farmland in particular.

[Madison]

Originally Posted by jonathan lall

M. is referring to things which are systemic or administrated by a body of authority or power, and not violent clashes. That's what oppression means. In the United States, this simply never has and never will exist. Mind you...

This is flat out inaccurate. In Africa there are numerous instances of oppression of whites, based upon race. To name the two most prevalent, Zimbabwe (under Robert Mugabe's leadership), and certain parts of South Africa, farmland in particular.

I knew someone would mention Africa, somehow. I don't have a lot of time to write now and I'd like to read more about what you've mentioned, but my immediate response when thinking about Africa is to remember that the continent was previously colonized by pretty much all of the European nations EVER. It's not exactly a continent free from existing precedent of white oppression.

[Josh Hambright]

First off I'd like to go on the record as saying that i think that the idea that a oppressed minority cannot oppress, is crap. Everyone has the power to oppress. Maybe not on the grand level of oppression that we have witnessed throughout history, like the holocaust or african slavery. But at the same time we can be oppressive on a personal level. If i walk upto someone on the street and punch them in the face for wearing nike shoes, and every time i see that person wearing nike shoes, i am attempting to oppress their right to wear nike shoes. Now if there is a person who starts attacking someone else for the color of their skin or their ethnic background, then that too is oppression. Its basicly the same idea as the argument that has been around for awhile that a minority group cannot be racist, because racism implies some sort of greater power. But thats not true either. Everyone can commit acts of racism, its most likely just not as systematic and grandious as many of the famous acts of racism (jim crowe laws, Hutu/Tutusi Genocide in africa, armenian genocide in turkey....). Saying something like this is like saying "ohh well since you've been picked on its cool now if you pick on this other person". Thats not right, its still oppression and its still racist, and its still wrong. Now i am not saying that i cant see how these people who struck back would see as their actions were justified, i'm sure they had their reasons but its never allright when someone resorts to violence. Because when someone resorts to violence then they are always becoming the oppressors, if not of more then they are atleast oppressing someones right to not feel pain.

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

I find this thread fascinating. Having just returned from a large Jewish convention in Indianapolis, I actaully heard some about this issue. I want to support the idea of oppression being totally grand. Slavery in its own (the NorthAmerican Federation of Temple Youth study theme for the year) is a major form of oppression. When you consider oppression, do you only think of it as one person's clothes or race? What about people who can't afford to pay off debts so they send their chidlren to work in sweatshops to work it off?

An example: Slavery is defined by UN as forced labor without compensation (something similar to that). 27,000,000 people are enslaved in the world today, and that does NOT include sweatshop workers because they recieve minimal compensation. While many like to speak about oppression and slavery as a historical way of life, I can vouch that right now there is a huge amount of it occurring in America and the entire world.

This is just something to keep in mind, that while some may see oppression as some hideous lifestyle, it is still a lifestyle that many families and their children have never lived outside of. Instead of argueing about who oppresses who, please take the time to act on this and take part in Social Action so as to actaully make a difference in it.