Anti-Semitism in SOV2

An interesting aspect of the blog, especially in its (very) early days, was the feedback from the readers. This really is what got the blog going. For example the Britnee-Che' back and forth over the backpack.

The identity of Britnee is a mystery to me, as is the identity of Agent Smith... though I have my guesses as to which blogger might play Smith.

I slowed down a bit on the reader dialog aspects of the blog and I think people might want to hear an explanation.

One reason is it seemed to be getting a little mean spirited in regards to attacks on Sister Fairah. The other reason it was getting in danger of becoming too "debate" oriented. But the other reason were some accusations leveled against us, specifically the charge of anti-semitism.

The anti-semitism charge came from a joke which backfired. The actor playing Father Tim is not anti-semitic, but Father Tim, like a good Marxist, has that tendency. Father Tim, you might notice often insults people in a rather flippant way. Often his jokes are followed by expressions like "Just kidding, you're the best." When he made a flippant remark in one of his posts, someone immediately jumped on him. Father Tim managed to spin his way out of the controversy without blowing his cover... which I found very impressive.

I took a similar approach with Che' concerning Keith's weight. Che' can't help but make fun of Keith for his large girth. It comes from his obsession with Hollywood values which only tolerate a few fat character actors (like Rosie). The readers who noted Che's "weightism" though understood it to be a part of the parody and called him to task. Che' mended his manners a little in regards to Keith.

The anti-semitism charge struck a nerve with me. My best friend growing up was a rather orthodox Jew and I celebrated Passover many times with his family. I remember in his kitchen the "meat" dishes and the "dairy" dishes were stored on opposite sides. And to this day when I go to the grocery store I try to keep the milk and the ground beef separated by a loaf of bread. Part of my love for the liturgy and desire to see it firmed up a little comes from witnessing my friend's Jewish faith. People complain about not understanding Latin... have you heard a service in Hebrew? The synagogue to me was a dark place... but a holy place where they treated the Torah with reverence. You know, maybe the great developers of the liturgy need to take a longer and better look at the way our elder brothers do things.