by Beryl Wajsman, Institute for Public Affairs of Montreal
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
"A society begins to die when it remains silent on injustice"
~ The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
So, some of the great "progressive" forces of Quebec have decided to boycott Israeli products and companies because of Israel's "apartheid politics". What unadulterated hypocrisy and sham. By their words and deeds they have demonstrated, to their folly and shame, the true face of that part of Quebec "civil" society that while boldly declaring its own "distinctiveness", is really haunted by a self-doubt driven by a jealousy of others self-belief.
The Féderation des Femmes du Québec (FFQ) the provincial union of CEGEP teachers, Les Artistes pour la Paix, as well as the radical CSN and CSQ unions have joined a polyglot coalition of the usual Islamist groups and their fellow travelers in distributing flyers that cite demands from some 170 Palestinian "civil society organizations" to initiate actions against Israel similar to those used against the toppled white supremacist regime in South Africa.
This call for a boycott of products and divestiture of investments in Israeli companies is not important in and of itself. It is nothing more than a pimple on an elephant's ass. Its importance lies in its manifestation of that part of Quebec society that is still caught up in the hypocrisies of petty narcissisms and the prejudices of its own narrow particularities. In short, these people represent that part of Quebec that still cannot face their own failures and are too cowardly to compete on a level a playing field in the international arena of ideas and conscience. They are the remnant of "le noirceur" that darkest of periods in Quebec history that was supposed to have ended with the fall of Duplessis.
And how petty the narcissisms are. How cowardly the protest. These groups want to start boycotting Israeli wines and then move on to companies such as Caterpillar that, besides tractors, sells boots, caps, toys and pocketknives to Israel. In other words nothing that would really cause the boycotters any discomfort.
The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola. Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel. The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was made in Israel. Voice mail technology was developed in Israel. So why don't these "progressives" boycott all these instruments that allow them to disseminate their hatred and propaganda and return to the Luddite, Neanderthal swamps from which they reared their ugly heads. But no, that would be too inconvenient for them. They want their cake and they want to eat it too.
On a political level, has the FFQ forgotten that women in Israel always had the vote while in Quebec they fought battles in the streets for it until the end of the First World War? Have the teachers and artists forgotten that the traditions of open Israeli scholarship and artistic freedom have resulted in more Nobel Prizes being awarded to Israelis than to nations five and ten times its size? Have the unions forgotten that Israel is the only society in the world where more than half its population is affiliated with, and organized under, one big union - the dream of the world-wide labor movement, and that its per capita income of $17,500 exceeds that of the United Kingdom?
And have all these groups forgotten that Israel is the only liberal, pluralistic, democracy in the Islamist Middle Rim of this small planet that stretches from the borders of Pakistan to the Atlantic shores of Morocco? That some 30% of the student body of Hebrew University is Palestinian. That in Israel, Arabs not only have equal rights, but willingly engage in the political process; sit in Parliament; represent Israel as diplomats and even serve as judges. Jews on the other hand, from any land, cannot even get visas to most Arab countries.
No they haven't forgotten. They just can't stomach it. Israel's successes stick in their craws in stark relief to their own failures, and that's why they identify with those Palestinian demagogues and hate mongers who have made lucrative careers subjugating their own people under the wearying burden of hate, in order to assure an enslaved "market" easily exploited under their fists of reaction. It mirrors their own picture of Dorian Gray. "Nous contre les autres." These groups in Quebec that have joined this boycott can't get their heads around the fact that the days of Abbé Groulx are over. And they are just too scared to compete in the brilliant sunlight of life's Julys. They prefer to hide as night crawlers in the darkest Decembers.
They also refuse to abandon their bankrupt and foolish notions of moral relativism. They can't stomach the fact that the Palestinian state is a de facto reality. That Palestinians voted in free elections. And liked it.
Now that Israeli withdrawal is a reality, these "free-thinkers" need to find another reason to hate Israelis, or Jews or anyone else remotely western or pro-American. Because policies of freedom actually seem to be working. It could get very difficult for them to rationalize their own existence because there may be something to moral relativism after all. The west, Israel and America in particular, have been relatively right.
These groups are also worthy of pity as well as scorn. They seem to be a bit behind the headlines. In May of 2005, Israeli and Palestinian academics from Hebrew University, Haifa, Al Quds, Hebron and Bethlehem met in Rome and resolved to work together in such vital areas as the natural sciences, economic development and the preservation of cultural heritage. So what's their beef here?
Several years ago, at the first ever conference between leaders of Quebec civil society and Israeli diplomats - sponsored by the Institute - FTQ President Henri Massé said that he saw nothing to condemn in Israel's policies and vehemently denounced Palestinian violence and hate. For the sake of the credibility of Quebec's true progressives, it is time to hear this message out in the open, clearly proclaimed and candidly defended. If it is not done, then Quebec's dream of the "projêt national" will be hijacked by purveyors of parochial prejudice rather than led by those loyal to the doctrines of social democracy and truth.
The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that, "A society begins to die when it remains silent on injustice." In Quebec today the sound of silence on this calumny is deafening.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
"A society begins to die when it remains silent on injustice"
~ The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
So, some of the great "progressive" forces of Quebec have decided to boycott Israeli products and companies because of Israel's "apartheid politics". What unadulterated hypocrisy and sham. By their words and deeds they have demonstrated, to their folly and shame, the true face of that part of Quebec "civil" society that while boldly declaring its own "distinctiveness", is really haunted by a self-doubt driven by a jealousy of others self-belief.
The Féderation des Femmes du Québec (FFQ) the provincial union of CEGEP teachers, Les Artistes pour la Paix, as well as the radical CSN and CSQ unions have joined a polyglot coalition of the usual Islamist groups and their fellow travelers in distributing flyers that cite demands from some 170 Palestinian "civil society organizations" to initiate actions against Israel similar to those used against the toppled white supremacist regime in South Africa.
This call for a boycott of products and divestiture of investments in Israeli companies is not important in and of itself. It is nothing more than a pimple on an elephant's ass. Its importance lies in its manifestation of that part of Quebec society that is still caught up in the hypocrisies of petty narcissisms and the prejudices of its own narrow particularities. In short, these people represent that part of Quebec that still cannot face their own failures and are too cowardly to compete on a level a playing field in the international arena of ideas and conscience. They are the remnant of "le noirceur" that darkest of periods in Quebec history that was supposed to have ended with the fall of Duplessis.
And how petty the narcissisms are. How cowardly the protest. These groups want to start boycotting Israeli wines and then move on to companies such as Caterpillar that, besides tractors, sells boots, caps, toys and pocketknives to Israel. In other words nothing that would really cause the boycotters any discomfort.
The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola. Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel. The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was made in Israel. Voice mail technology was developed in Israel. So why don't these "progressives" boycott all these instruments that allow them to disseminate their hatred and propaganda and return to the Luddite, Neanderthal swamps from which they reared their ugly heads. But no, that would be too inconvenient for them. They want their cake and they want to eat it too.
On a political level, has the FFQ forgotten that women in Israel always had the vote while in Quebec they fought battles in the streets for it until the end of the First World War? Have the teachers and artists forgotten that the traditions of open Israeli scholarship and artistic freedom have resulted in more Nobel Prizes being awarded to Israelis than to nations five and ten times its size? Have the unions forgotten that Israel is the only society in the world where more than half its population is affiliated with, and organized under, one big union - the dream of the world-wide labor movement, and that its per capita income of $17,500 exceeds that of the United Kingdom?
And have all these groups forgotten that Israel is the only liberal, pluralistic, democracy in the Islamist Middle Rim of this small planet that stretches from the borders of Pakistan to the Atlantic shores of Morocco? That some 30% of the student body of Hebrew University is Palestinian. That in Israel, Arabs not only have equal rights, but willingly engage in the political process; sit in Parliament; represent Israel as diplomats and even serve as judges. Jews on the other hand, from any land, cannot even get visas to most Arab countries.
No they haven't forgotten. They just can't stomach it. Israel's successes stick in their craws in stark relief to their own failures, and that's why they identify with those Palestinian demagogues and hate mongers who have made lucrative careers subjugating their own people under the wearying burden of hate, in order to assure an enslaved "market" easily exploited under their fists of reaction. It mirrors their own picture of Dorian Gray. "Nous contre les autres." These groups in Quebec that have joined this boycott can't get their heads around the fact that the days of Abbé Groulx are over. And they are just too scared to compete in the brilliant sunlight of life's Julys. They prefer to hide as night crawlers in the darkest Decembers.
They also refuse to abandon their bankrupt and foolish notions of moral relativism. They can't stomach the fact that the Palestinian state is a de facto reality. That Palestinians voted in free elections. And liked it.
Now that Israeli withdrawal is a reality, these "free-thinkers" need to find another reason to hate Israelis, or Jews or anyone else remotely western or pro-American. Because policies of freedom actually seem to be working. It could get very difficult for them to rationalize their own existence because there may be something to moral relativism after all. The west, Israel and America in particular, have been relatively right.
These groups are also worthy of pity as well as scorn. They seem to be a bit behind the headlines. In May of 2005, Israeli and Palestinian academics from Hebrew University, Haifa, Al Quds, Hebron and Bethlehem met in Rome and resolved to work together in such vital areas as the natural sciences, economic development and the preservation of cultural heritage. So what's their beef here?
Several years ago, at the first ever conference between leaders of Quebec civil society and Israeli diplomats - sponsored by the Institute - FTQ President Henri Massé said that he saw nothing to condemn in Israel's policies and vehemently denounced Palestinian violence and hate. For the sake of the credibility of Quebec's true progressives, it is time to hear this message out in the open, clearly proclaimed and candidly defended. If it is not done, then Quebec's dream of the "projêt national" will be hijacked by purveyors of parochial prejudice rather than led by those loyal to the doctrines of social democracy and truth.
The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that, "A society begins to die when it remains silent on injustice." In Quebec today the sound of silence on this calumny is deafening.
