The Vandals Are Among Us
Paraphrased Text:
When I reflect on the events of October 7, numerous thoughts flood my mind. Although I am not Jewish and have no familial ties to Israel, it is the birthplace of my Christian faith.
However, I am a human being, and that should be enough to be deeply affected by the horrors inflicted on Israel. It is a small nation that stands as an island of liberal democracy and freedom amidst a sea of dysfunction, backwardness, and the influence of Islamism. I don’t need to consider the “context” or “deeper history” of the region to know that tying children to their parents and burning them alive is inherently evil.
Recently, my thoughts have been flowing in a stream of consciousness. And here are some more. This is directed at the ”Free Palestine,” “Israel is an occupier,” “From the River to the sea” crowd in the West. By the West, I don’t mean the radical jihadis living off welfare in London and undermining the very nation they have migrated to, while leftist governments turn a blind eye due to fear of being labeled Islamophobic. I am talking to those who have a stake in the West, who claim to believe in its liberal traditions and values. What defines the West?
After witnessing the mass rallies across the globe, many of which were intentionally scheduled for Remembrance Day in Great Britain and Veterans Day in the U.S. as a disrespectful gesture towards Western tradition and honor, I have come to a simple conclusion. I don’t want to hear arguments that one can support a “ceasefire” without being anti-Israel. Because this issue goes far beyond the current horrific conflict in Gaza and the never-ending cycle of violence.
This matter runs deeper than splitting hairs over morality. It is not about the “children of Gaza.” The feigned concern for their well-being expressed by the woke is merely a facade. I have concluded that what lies beneath is nothing more than a modern manifestation of old-fashioned anti-Semitism. And there is something more, which I will discuss.
To those who deny being anti-Semitic, I pose a couple of questions.
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Firstly, if you genuinely care about innocent children, if that is the extent of your emotional involvement in this conflict, then why were you not protesting in the streets when Bashar Al-Assad was murdering 500,000 Syrian Muslims, many of them children? Where were you when Pakistan forcibly displaced two million Muslims into neighboring Afghanistan? Where are the mass rallies in “solidarity” with the tens of thousands of Muslim children in Yemen who are being bombed by the House of Saud? I thought you cared about children. Or is it only certain children?
For those who approach this dispute with intellect rather than emotion, the answer is glaringly obvious: you only care about Muslim children, or any children in faraway conflict zones, when they die at the hands of Israelis. And why is that? What drives this selective outrage?
It all comes down to how one answers a simple question: Is Israel a legitimate nation or not?
As someone who believes Israel is as legitimate as any other nation recognized by the UN, I view the current tragic conflict in this way: Israel, which has had no presence in Gaza for eighteen years, was attacked by a vicious group of raiders whose mission was to murder, rape, torture, and kidnap as many Israeli civilians as possible. The civilians of Be’eri kibbutz and the music festival were not collateral damage; they were the intended targets.
I want to emphasize this as much as possible: the mission was to murder as many Israeli civilians as they could find. In carrying out this cowardly attack against defenseless babies, children, young adults, parents, and the elderly, Hamas inflicted losses on Israel equivalent to 55,000 U.S. citizens being murdered in one morning and 10,000 being taken hostage.
The organization responsible for these attacks is Hamas. In 2006, the people of Gaza elected Hamas as their governing authority. While many Gazans had no choice, as Hamas is a terrorist group, it is worth noting that until October 7, polls consistently showed that Hamas enjoyed majority support among Gazans, despite their stated goal of annihilating Israel.
If Israel is a legitimate nation, it has every right to defend itself. It also has the right to invade Gaza and eliminate every member of Hamas. They can even assassinate Hamas leaders living in Qatar, who are enjoying stolen aid while Gaza suffers. If, however, you do not believe Israel is legitimate, but rather an occupying power like the Nazis in France or Russia, then anything goes. In that case, you likely see Hamas’ attack as a justified act of resistance against foreign occupation.
In a recent debate at Cambridge University, a climate activist questioned Ben Shapiro on the environment. At the end of the discussion, she confidently proclaimed “Free Palestine.” When challenged by Shapiro, she revealed that by “Free Palestine,” she meant the entirety of the land currently known as Israel.
In short, like many of her misguided Western peers, she does not see Israel as a legitimate nation. To her, it is a Zionist-occupied territory that rightfully belongs to Palestinians. Therefore, Hamas could be considered “freedom fighters,” and the babies they murdered were seen as agents of colonialism first and human beings second. This lack of moral sense is deeply troubling. Is it simply anti-Semitism? Undoubtedly, anti-Semitism fuels the pro-Palestine movement. But there is something else at play. This is what today’s woke students are taught by Marxist professors in the humanities, some of whom label anyone to the right of Che Guevara as a “fascist.”
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An entire generation has embraced a narrative of world history that divides the human race into victims and oppressors. We see this shallow rhetoric on college campuses all the time. Marriage is portrayed as a patriarchal institution where husbands oppress women. Indians and Pakistanis are depicted as victims of British colonialism, rather than beneficiaries of Western advancements. Capitalism, the economic system that has brought prosperity and improved quality of life to countless people, is reduced to the exploitation of workers by the ownership class.
As a result of this narrative, the Left has labeled Israelis as oppressors and Palestinians as victims. Once the issue is framed in such binary terms, it becomes easy to excuse any behavior, no matter how barbaric and unjust, in the name of justice. This warped worldview, combined with the catalyst of anti-Semitism, has created a potent movement. A movement that is self-righteous and rooted in ignorance. But regardless, might does not make right. This morally bankrupt perspective has gradually infiltrated institutions such as academia, media, entertainment, corporations, law, and even science.
Furthermore, from this dualistic worldview, activists on college campuses view all “oppressed” groups as part of a collective struggle against the oppressor. This is why we see absurd signs like “Queers for Palestine,” as if any queer person would be safe in Gaza if they openly expressed their sexuality. These deluded individuals may as well be fish advocating for sushi chefs.
However, when it comes to Israel, my exploration of this insanity always leads me to the undeniable presence of anti-Semitism. Anyone who claims otherwise is either in denial, lying, or deluded. It starts with targeting Jews, but it never ends there. Anti-Semitism is a warning sign. If we are not careful, if we do not confront this madness and self-destructive mindset, this virus will spread throughout the world.
When we witness a Manhattan DA tearing down posters depicting Hamas’ kidnap victims or the editor of the Harvard Law Review intimidating Jewish students, we know that we have moved beyond academic debate. The barbarians are no longer at the gate; they are among us.
It is time to take a stand, not just for Israel but for Jews worldwide who have experienced persecution. We must listen to what they have to say. They understand something that the wokesters chanting “abortion rights and free Palestine!” have yet to grasp. They fail to realize that Gazans must go to Israel for abortions, as they risk being stoned to death otherwise. The events of October 7 should serve as a grim reminder to the rest of us, something that Israelis have long understood: when a group pledges to annihilate you, believe them.
Because they mean it.
I fear that these educated fools and misguided “anti-colonialists” will never comprehend the forces of evil, murderous intolerance, and deep-seated hatred that they have unwittingly supported. They will only realize the truth when men with AK-47s, masks, and green scarves shouting “Allahu Akbar!” throw their own babies into the fire.
In a powerful speech, former New York Times reporter Bari Weiss, a proud liberal, summarized the threats facing the entire West, not just Israel. The true image of this threat has been revealed from the blood-soaked streets of Sderot to the major cities of the West:
This is the ideology of Vandalism, in the true sense of the word. The Vandals sacked Rome. It is the ideology of nihilism. It knows nothing about how to build. It only knows how to tear down and destroy. And it has already torn down so very much. That civilization that feels as natural to us as oxygen, that takes thousands of years, thousands of nudges of progress, thousands of forgotten sacrifices and risks to build up to. But Vandals can make very quick work of that. Reagan used to say that ‘freedom is never more than one generation from extinction.’ And the same can be said of our civilization. If anything good can come out of the nightmare that began on October 7, it is this. We have been shaken awake. We know the gravity of the stakes. And the stakes are not theoretical. They are real.
The Vandals are here. How we choose to respond could determine whether we embrace light or darkness in the brave new world that awaits us.
Brad Schaeffer is a commodities trader, author, columnist, and musician. His latest book LIFE IN THE PITS: My Time As A Trader On The Rough-And-Tumble Exchange Floors (Post Hill/Simon & Schuster) will be released on December 5.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
How does recognizing the legitimacy of nations, particularly Israel, play a role in understanding the root causes of anti-Semitism in the recent events
Formal article on the topic of the recent events in Israel and the manifestation of anti-Semitism.
Title: The Deeper Implications: Unraveling the Recent Events in Israel
Introduction:
Reflecting upon the events of October 7, it is impossible to escape the flood of thoughts that arise. As a Christian, Israel holds a special significance in my faith, even though I do not belong to the Jewish community or have familial ties to the nation. Irrespective of religious affiliations, the gravity of the horrors inflicted on Israel should deeply affect every human being. Israel stands as a beacon of liberal democracy and freedom in a region often plagued by dysfunction, backwardness, and the influence of extremism. The recent events have prompted a stream of consciousness, urging us to explore the deeper implications of the conflict and the manipulation of public opinion.
Section 1: The West’s Hypocrisy:
Addressing the “Free Palestine,” “Israel is an occupier,” and “From the River to the sea” narratives prevalent in the West, it is crucial to distinguish between those who genuinely believe in liberal traditions and values from those who exploit them for their agenda. Radical jihadist individuals who undermine the very nation they reside in, all while leftist governments hesitate to address this issue, exemplify religious extremism blending with political correctness. This article, however, speaks to those who have a stake in the West and its core principles. What truly defines the West?
Section 2: Beyond Ceasefire:
The global demonstrations, deliberately scheduled on Remembrance Day in the UK and Veterans Day in the US, represent a disrespectful gesture towards Western tradition and honor. The argument that one can support a ceasefire without being anti-Israel is not convincing, as the issue extends far beyond the current conflict in Gaza. Dissecting the situation reveals that it is not simply about the plight of the children in Gaza. The feigned concern for their well-being is a facade hiding a modern manifestation of anti-Semitism.
Section 3: Selective Outrage:
To those who vehemently deny being anti-Semitic, this raises pertinent questions. If genuinely caring about innocent children is the emotional involvement in this conflict, then why was there no similar uproar when numerous atrocities against Muslims were committed in other parts of the world? The silence during the massacres in Syria, forcible displacement in Pakistan, and the ongoing Yemen crisis raises concerns about the selective outrage. Why care only when children die at the hands of Israelis? What drives this bias?
Section 4: Recognizing Legitimacy:
Approaching the dispute with intellectual analysis rather than emotion allows us to understand the root cause of this selective outrage. It all comes down to whether one considers Israel a legitimate nation or not. As someone who believes Israel is as legitimate as any other nation recognized by the UN, I perceive the current conflict as an attack on innocent Israeli civilians by a vicious group whose mission was to inflict harm and sow chaos. It is crucial to recognize Hamas as the organization behind these attacks, as they were elected as the governing authority in Gaza in 2006.
Conclusion:
The recent events in Israel have shed light on deeper issues plaguing our society, including the manipulation of public opinion and the manifestation of old-fashioned anti-Semitism. Contemplating the root causes of selective outrage and recognizing the legitimacy of nations are crucial steps towards fostering a more nuanced understanding of the ongoing conflicts. It is incumbent upon us, irrespective of our religious affiliations, to stand against prejudice and support peace and justice for all.
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