Comments on: Blood libel? Death panels?

By: ken

ken — Wed, 30 May 2018 18:58:33 +0000

Much as I hate to be in a position of defending Sarah Palin, until now I had never even heard the phrase "blood libel" and wouldn't have known what it meant either. So I do believe Palin was clueless about the anti-semetic meaning. However, I would have never used such a phrase without first understanding what it meant.

By: Emily K

Emily K — Wed, 30 May 2018 18:58:33 +0000

Well GEE, David, since you’re able to find all these sources I guess most Jews really DO love Palin and appreciate her use of the term blood libel! It’s like you know Jews better than we know OURSELVES!

Seriously, move on already. You’ve already proven it to yourself in your own mind, and isn’t that what’s most important anyway?

There’s nothing to prove to anyone else, especially me, since I’m not changing my mind on this subject.

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 30 May 2018 18:58:33 +0000

I don’t really like her positions on many things or the words she chooses to represent her ideas – having said that, the essence of what she is saying is that this is just going overboard and gathering mob mentality to accuse her for the Tucson shooting. I agree.

By: Warren

Warren — Wed, 30 May 2018 18:58:33 +0000

I understand that some Jewish people (not a monolithic group) are not offended by her remark.

I continue to believe it was insensitive and demonstrated a stunning lack of insight into the fact that she has done the exact same thing with her death panels accusations. Or maybe she doesn’t care, or doesn’t think it is a problem when she does it.

By: stephen

stephen — Wed, 30 May 2018 18:58:32 +0000

I very much doubt that she knew what it means. She didn’t write the speech and was probably taken completely by surprise by the reaction to it.

What made the blood libel so powerful was the involvement of children. As with the day school panic of the 80s, lack of evidence became proof of guilt. I don’t think the death panel lie works in quite the same way because it doesn’t involve children. Which is not to say that it hasn’t proved potent. But there’s nothing that gets people quite so deranged as telling them that a particular group is coming after their children.