David Badiel - Jews Don't Count. Shocked

[Everanewbie]

AIBU to be disappointed and upset at the blindspot for antisemitism that was highlighted in last night's excellent documentary? The Leigh Francis part was especially revealing to me. The (quite correct) groveling apologies for the Michael Jackson, Craig David and Mel B characters were a contrast to the defining silence on the David Badiel character.

What is more, the reaction from the left-wing commentators (Owen Jones, et al) on twitter seem to suggest that Badiel says other racism doesn't exist, which feels like a deliberate and willful misrepresentation.

@BloodAndFire Your reaction is completely over the top! You don’t get to dictate who or what is discussed here.

That’s not how it works.

I too thought that I had heard very little anti semitism until I started working for a Israel based Jewish owned company. The comments I received from some friends and family were hair raising. These comments weren’t about Israel’s oppression of Palestine but were instead blatant antisemitism using the fig leaf of Palestine. I had a whole different outlook on how Jewish people must feel. It made me think

@beachcitygirl I can understand why Baddiel was the wrong person. But his points do still stand. Anti semitism is rampant

Fair enough. I was thinking before 2019 but you're right. Like you I'm a fellow minority and whilst I can't say the antisemitism was the main reason I didn't like Corbyn, it was there in the background, making him an unwholesome character. But Boris is also lowest of the low, along with all the other shysters going back to Cameron.

I'm glad I can say that I didn't vote for any of them.

But I've no axe to grind with @BloodAndFire as I didn't feel there was a dismissal of other minorities. Voting is almost a binary process nowadays and choosing one isn't necessarily a conscious decision to throw the opposition under a bus, along with their supporters (in my mind anyway).

As for David Badiel, he's a bit like Lenny Henry to me. Lenny seems to be voicing his opinion on racism, which is fair enough obviously. But last time he was on the BBC, he was being praised for his long career. Amazingly the BBC thought it appropriate to show a clip of him on Tiswas, where he was doing his yellow face routine 🤦 He just laughed it off and didn't even think to say anything. I'm philosophical about it and don't think any worse of him, given it was so long ago but really. Others might find yellow face offensive yet I don't think he's ever spoken about it.

I think that's a point well made @beachcitygirl - I just wish more people made it that way rather than coming over as 'Well, everything he says is rendered irrelevant'; people are free to attack him on what he did but they should try to emphasise that antisemitism shouldn't be glossed over either.

His career is a walking talking rebuttal of his thesis that anti blackness is taken more seriously than anti-semitism.

This is so sad. Effectively, you're asking DB "If anti-semitism is real, how come you've done so well?"

He didn't tried to play down the suffering of other minorities, only speak out about how anti-semistism seems to be less called out

We should ALL stand United against all targeting of minorities & I agree the tropes against Jewish people has made anti-semitism particularly insidious & difficult to discuss.

That's true Beachcitygirl, but don't you realise that your use of 'crocodile tears', implying insincerity, was an anti-Jewish trope, hence the huge upset it caused, and the reason it was deleted?

That's not how I read that comment. She's saying DB claims that anti-blackness is taken more seriously than anti-semitism, but as a man who's indulged in anti-black behaviour himself he hasn't suffered any reprisals for this. He has enjoyed a very successful career over several decades. Therefore can it be true that anti-blackness is treated as seriously as he claims?

Do you know what happened to Kanyé’s deals after the numerous racist remarks he’s made over the years? Clue : nothing

Do you know what happened when he made antisemetic comments?

If you’re using Kanye as en example, the only point there is anti-sémitism really is the only type that will not be tolerated.

Its right that he lost all those deals. It’s a big shame that none of those businesses saw fit to stop associating with him after the numerous racist comments.

Louder, please !

He’d have no chance at all of ever becoming prime minister if those remarks were anti-Semitic. None.

It should not be a race to the bottom but it denying the reality is definitely not helpful, to anyone.

@Classica Amen!

@Classica this is exactly it. We're not talking about anti-black racism, serious as that is.

Would anyone go in to a breast cancer fundraiser and ask why they didn't care about motor neuron disease?

His point is about antisemitism being perpetrated, ignored, justified and minimised by so called progressives.

His previous behaviour is unfortunate but irrelevant to the points he now makes. He has apologised and sees the error in his ways, and i doubt it'll be repeated.

@Everanewbie I wish that were so. His racism has continued unchecked towards many many minorities over many years. But only time will tell.

He does this serious & important subject a huge disservice by his involvement.

Anti-semitism is on the rise &needs to be challenged. That point is unassailable

I'll leave it, @beachcitygirl, but I don't see how Jewish voices disappearing from a thread about antisemitism is moving the discussion forward - not to a place where I'd want it to go anyway.

@ScribblingPixie Dont play the game of conflating anger with Baddiel as a call for the silencing of Jewish voices.

He is not representative of the Jewish community that I know. None of whom display such slurs & black face. And in fact are quick to call out racism.

There should have been Jewish voices presenting this documentary.

Just not a proven ongoing racist.

Oh blimey, really? There were no Jewish voices on the documentary? Who decides who's Jewish? You?

@ScribblingPixie sorry I mixed your comment with another poster. Apologies.

To your point. There is space on this thread for anyone Jewish or other minority to speak with civility & explain when questioned & to moderate their own selves.

I've reiterated my point several times. Condemned anti-semitism soundly. But I won't be name called & lied about by someone & my motives & intentions questioned over & over even after I clarified my thoughts.

I reported the post. Some of mine were removed some of other posters were removed and Mumsnet hq asked us all to be more moderate. Most of us are trying.

It's very difficult and real & close to home & triggering for some of us, but we have a duty to try harder.

All of us.

I'm afraid I don't understand your post. 🤷🏻‍♀️ can you help clarify? And I'll do my best to respond.

I don't understand the hatred for Israel at all. They're fighting insurmountable odds, the last bastion of liberalism, democracy, LBGT rights and everything else in the Middle-East. The Islamic countries are far more repressive, mostly repressive theocracies where the people have far fewer rights than Israelis do. And somehow Israel are the bad guys? It makes absolutely no sense, at all.

@Everanewbie That's just not the case when it comes to Baddiel. He spends an inordinate amount of time parroting the tired "No other minority" (would be treated like this). It's him who brings out the comparisons and it falls on entirely deaf ears when we reply that actually people have said and done worse to black people with absolutely zero repercussions. In the midst of black parents being deported to countries they either never knew or only knew as kids (windrush) how can he claim that no other minority has it as bad as the jews. Baddiel is one of the most despicable people to grace our screens.

I’ve just seen the clip of Baddiel on the frank skinner show where her makes a ‘joke’ about pikeys and east European prostitutes!

I certainly wouldn’t be taking any lessons from a racist and a sexist like him.
This seems to be pretty much the view on Twitter!

How can he claim that no other minority has it as bad as the jews.

This is a complete misrepresentation of his argument! He has never said "no other minority has it as bad as the jews" or anything even resembling that.

He spends an inordinate amount of time parroting the tired "No other minority"

This is an argument that Jewish people (not just Badiel) have been trying to put across for a long time now. The argument is that whenever Jewish people have reported having experienced antisemitism, it is falling on deaf ears. Their experiences are met with whataboutery, denial, 'what about Israel' and other such comments to belittle their lived experience. Which is what you have just done too! The argument has never been "no other minority has it as bad as the jews".

Why not try and move on from it being about Baddiel, to his actual argument, otherwise this is just going round in circles.

Anti-semitism is dreadful as is all ilegal discrimination. Some implied above it was about minorities. It is not. The Equality Act 2010 bans certain forms of discrimination including race and religious.

The discrimination does not need to be against a minority. You can be a white Christian with over £30m in the bank in the UK and discrimination against you is still illegal. There is no hierarchy of discrimination under the law - everyone is equally protected which is the wonderful thing about our discrimination law. It does not matter if you have £20m in the bank you can still be a victim of discrimination.