Why doesn't someone feed it into Suno or something? Although I'm not sympathetic to the author's arguments, I have to respect his acerbic attention to detail and thinly veiled contempt. :-)
As a subscriber to both Guerre & Shalom, and Moral Clarity, this piece by Nachum Kaplan is worthy of a top notch award, an Oscar .. it is simply brilliant.
The same discussion is taking place everywhere; at the dinner table, in parlement, in the newspapers, on tv, in the courtroom, in the UN, at the university, on the street
Thank you for covering people’s tendency to mistake certainty for knowledge. You’re not saying people can’t disagree, but that disagreement should come after one has done their homework. Unfortunately, the loudest voices often come armed with hashtags, adjectives, and absolute certainty while ignoring facts. One line encapsulates the entire essay: “You keep retreating into facts.” The larger point is timeless. All of that curiosity is optional; however, confidence is crucial. Right now, people are rewarded for having strong opinions rather than well-informed ones. The bottom line is that if anyone is going to have passionate views on one of the world’s most complicated conflicts, at the very least, they should educate themselves on what they are talking about.
This really is a masterclass. In group process terms, this beautifully illustrates the timeless "dirty Jew psychodrama." And the main operating features of the dirty Jew psychodrama, is the double bind. The Jew has to either submit to the demands of the group (in which case he proves he's a dirty Jew by act of submission) or he can fight against the group (in which case he proves he's a dirty Jew by refusing to submit). I've had my own experiences several times with the dirty Jew psychodrama in real life having spent a lot of time in Berkeley, and it took me a long time to see it for what it was, especially when it cloaks itself in "antizionism." You have to come to see the double bind and the psychodrama for what they are. The hardest part of seeing it, is the interpersonal grief of it. The grief of coming to realize that people you thought were your friends or at least had collegial respect for you, that they could so easily slip into a psychodrama that used you as a prop.
On days I'm feeling magnanimous, I'll feel sorry for those that slip into this psychodrama. How they use it to--ineffectively--relieve their own feelings of helplessness, desperation, shame, and incompetence. But I've also experienced people in positions of professional power use the dirty Jew psychodrama who are closeted narcissistic Peter Principled Midwits, and they love to shamelessly use this double bind to divert attention away from their mediocrity and instead proclaim themselves as the unappreciated geniuses and bards of the revolutionary vanguard.
Kudos to anyone who can maintain this level of thoughtfulness when made a prop. Once the dirty Jew psychodrama is invoked, the brakes are off on the double bind. It takes an extraordinary amount of knowledge and confidence to interact and attempt to maintain oneself as a subject and hold boundaries against the psychodrama. The cruelest irony being that Jewish survival has always depended on this. That the "negative" stereotype of the cold-but-competent Jew, able to stuff down our emotions and focus on the facts and in doing so turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, is our resiliency after being put in this double bind again and again.
Since living in Jerusalem for a while in 1974, my wife and I've observed similar presumptuousness regarding Israel's position as the geopolitical fulcrum of world history. While this distilled conversation is more elegant, most debates about national security in any conflict are fueled by overwhelming cluelessness. What I found odd was how the Arab journalists and authors that I corresponded with over the decades were more aware of the truth even as they actively promoted narratives that they conceded were not just false, but blatant fabrications. As an aside, this enjoyable article probably wasn't crafted to enlighten those who would refuse to be enlightened in any case. In my own career as a Mideast intelligence analyst, I had to restrain the humor to retain credibility.
Simply brilliant. I only wish I could quip and pull out the correct facts when put on the spot.
I have a few Jewish friends who have sided with these insufferable dinner companions (so well written in this piece....don't we know a few of these types of self aggrandizing people.)
That is what has surprised me the most. Some of the Jews are throwing their own people under the bus and do not appear to have studied their own history nor boned up on the history of Israel during this historical period.
Please write a novel. You must infect all the women's books clubs. LOL
This is brilliant. Best post a I've read in a while. Made me belly laugh so hard out loud over and over. I'm starting a spreadsheet with all of the brilliant remarks. Here are just a few:
“You are not courageous dissenters. You are the local branch office of an international consensus assembled from newspaper headlines, dinner-party fashion and the intoxicating pleasure of condemning Jews for surviving incorrectly.”
“This is why these conversations are impossible. You keep retreating into facts."
“And you treat every fact that complicates your worldview as a form of violence.”
A great piece of authorship. Thank you Nachum.
PLEASE get someone to turn this into a play.
Yes pleeaaasseee!!!
It's an absolute play and would run well Off-Broadway and in the regionals.
I can almost image this as an Mamet inspired piece on a stage.
And can the play be a musical with a score to rival Hamilton? Please call Lin-Manuel Miranda!
hahahahahah
Yes, yes, a 1000 times yes
Reminds me of Arthur Miller and Brecht.
Why doesn't someone feed it into Suno or something? Although I'm not sympathetic to the author's arguments, I have to respect his acerbic attention to detail and thinly veiled contempt. :-)
As a subscriber to both Guerre & Shalom, and Moral Clarity, this piece by Nachum Kaplan is worthy of a top notch award, an Oscar .. it is simply brilliant.
You have good taste sir!
My response to Nachum' essay is here: https://danielclarkeserret.substack.com/p/on-the-standard-of-opinion-formation-c3c
Fantastic, though that conversation would have made my head explode, and I would not have been able to remain calm for as long as Nachum did.
But did it happen??? We'll never know!
The same discussion is taking place everywhere; at the dinner table, in parlement, in the newspapers, on tv, in the courtroom, in the UN, at the university, on the street
Absolutely outstanding article. I plan to share it with everyone I know
It's the best!
And restack.
Thank you for covering people’s tendency to mistake certainty for knowledge. You’re not saying people can’t disagree, but that disagreement should come after one has done their homework. Unfortunately, the loudest voices often come armed with hashtags, adjectives, and absolute certainty while ignoring facts. One line encapsulates the entire essay: “You keep retreating into facts.” The larger point is timeless. All of that curiosity is optional; however, confidence is crucial. Right now, people are rewarded for having strong opinions rather than well-informed ones. The bottom line is that if anyone is going to have passionate views on one of the world’s most complicated conflicts, at the very least, they should educate themselves on what they are talking about.
This really is a masterclass. In group process terms, this beautifully illustrates the timeless "dirty Jew psychodrama." And the main operating features of the dirty Jew psychodrama, is the double bind. The Jew has to either submit to the demands of the group (in which case he proves he's a dirty Jew by act of submission) or he can fight against the group (in which case he proves he's a dirty Jew by refusing to submit). I've had my own experiences several times with the dirty Jew psychodrama in real life having spent a lot of time in Berkeley, and it took me a long time to see it for what it was, especially when it cloaks itself in "antizionism." You have to come to see the double bind and the psychodrama for what they are. The hardest part of seeing it, is the interpersonal grief of it. The grief of coming to realize that people you thought were your friends or at least had collegial respect for you, that they could so easily slip into a psychodrama that used you as a prop.
On days I'm feeling magnanimous, I'll feel sorry for those that slip into this psychodrama. How they use it to--ineffectively--relieve their own feelings of helplessness, desperation, shame, and incompetence. But I've also experienced people in positions of professional power use the dirty Jew psychodrama who are closeted narcissistic Peter Principled Midwits, and they love to shamelessly use this double bind to divert attention away from their mediocrity and instead proclaim themselves as the unappreciated geniuses and bards of the revolutionary vanguard.
Kudos to anyone who can maintain this level of thoughtfulness when made a prop. Once the dirty Jew psychodrama is invoked, the brakes are off on the double bind. It takes an extraordinary amount of knowledge and confidence to interact and attempt to maintain oneself as a subject and hold boundaries against the psychodrama. The cruelest irony being that Jewish survival has always depended on this. That the "negative" stereotype of the cold-but-competent Jew, able to stuff down our emotions and focus on the facts and in doing so turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, is our resiliency after being put in this double bind again and again.
Adding one more voice to the much-deserved chorus of praise: This post is superb, Nachum. A direct hit. Thanks for writing & sharing it.
Since living in Jerusalem for a while in 1974, my wife and I've observed similar presumptuousness regarding Israel's position as the geopolitical fulcrum of world history. While this distilled conversation is more elegant, most debates about national security in any conflict are fueled by overwhelming cluelessness. What I found odd was how the Arab journalists and authors that I corresponded with over the decades were more aware of the truth even as they actively promoted narratives that they conceded were not just false, but blatant fabrications. As an aside, this enjoyable article probably wasn't crafted to enlighten those who would refuse to be enlightened in any case. In my own career as a Mideast intelligence analyst, I had to restrain the humor to retain credibility.
This is brilliant. Direct hit.
Praying 🙏 for your article to go viral. It is ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT. Thank you so much. 🙏
Bravo for you not only brilliantly surviving an ambush but also humiliating these pseudo-self proclaimed intellectuals.
They clearly were bruised by the confrontation with facts they will never acknowledge.
A circle of fools that garnish too much influence and bend unwary minds.
Simply brilliant. I only wish I could quip and pull out the correct facts when put on the spot.
I have a few Jewish friends who have sided with these insufferable dinner companions (so well written in this piece....don't we know a few of these types of self aggrandizing people.)
That is what has surprised me the most. Some of the Jews are throwing their own people under the bus and do not appear to have studied their own history nor boned up on the history of Israel during this historical period.
Please write a novel. You must infect all the women's books clubs. LOL
This is brilliant. Best post a I've read in a while. Made me belly laugh so hard out loud over and over. I'm starting a spreadsheet with all of the brilliant remarks. Here are just a few:
“You are not courageous dissenters. You are the local branch office of an international consensus assembled from newspaper headlines, dinner-party fashion and the intoxicating pleasure of condemning Jews for surviving incorrectly.”
“This is why these conversations are impossible. You keep retreating into facts."
“And you treat every fact that complicates your worldview as a form of violence.”
Could you post your spreadsheet somewhere. I doubt this brilliant post would only become popular in theater.
I'm afraid I have actually sold the theater rights already.
I'll be there at opening night...
A perfect bullseye! Thank you Nachum! ⭐ And thank you Daniel!