When words are spewed as righteous expressions of justice, the word-giver may feel s/he is excused from accountability even as those words incite others to do harm; however, it is not compassionate to project hyperbolic adjectives sans real knowledge or facts. In today’s era of oversimplification through manipulative slogans and sound bites, harmful actions ensue.
The trajectory of damage may be quick or on a prolonged trajectory. Do you remember when people first called undocumented immigrants “illegals?” The incendiary term gained traction to the point of dehumanizing people with scorn rather than inspiring compassion for people who left violent or otherwise unlivable circumstances for a chance to contribute and thrive in a livable place. Limits should not preclude compassion.
In the days preceding the WNBA all-star game, a USA Today columnist, Nancy Armour, wrote that many of Caitlin Clark’s fans are white nationalists and that she hurts Black players when she gets fouled by them because of the history of Black people getting lynched when white women are insulted or hurt. She wrote that the game would be played in Chicago, the hometown of Emmett Till. Huh, you ask? She should, what, ignore the fouls against her?
In the real world, Clark always cites Maya Moore as her childhood idol and who she wanted to be most like as a basketball player. On the Indiana Fever, she is part of the best athletic trio since Brady, Edelman and the Gronk. Alongside Alijah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell — two incredible Black players — she is key with assists as well as her own shots. As a captain for the all-star game, she named Jonquel Jones as the player she most wanted on her team. She proceeded to assist Jones to earn enough points to being named the MVP. At the game, Clark also gave Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman (the Studbuz) pairs of her yet to be publicly released new Nike shoes. They call Clark the president, and Williams screamed, “We love the President” when they received the shoes. All in all, I can’t imagine that Clark’s solidarity and affection with Black players motivates white nationalists to be by her side. When President Barack Obama met Clark before the game, he told her to ignore the noise and to keep being who she is. Did Armour actually believe she was being virtuous with her bizarre leap? After outcry, she wrote a weak apology of sorts stating she meant to add “context” and that Black players have been abused online. In other words, she didn’t actually apologize.
The context explanation has been applied to antisemitism under the guise of anti-Zionism — most perversely since the horrific Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023. Nachum Kaplan recounted a dinner party with Western intellectuals with the typical “progressive” groupthink approach to Israel. He was invited as the token Israeli. He wrote, “I walked home reflecting on the strange burden of being pro-Israel in polite society. One is expected to arrive with evidence, history, nuance, empathy, military expertise, legal precision and a detailed alternative strategy for every available course of action. The other side need only arrive with adjectives. Colonial. Genocidal. Apartheid. Brutal. Each word is placed on the table like a royal flush. No definitions required. No chronology necessary. No awareness of competing claims. The accusation itself is treated as evidence, while any response is proof of callousness. The ignorance would be less irritating if it were accompanied by humility. Yet ignorance among the educated rarely travels alone. It brings status, vocabulary and the confidence of belonging to a moral majority. Its possessors do not merely lack knowledge. They regard knowledge as faintly disreputable, particularly when it interferes with the emotional clarity of their conclusions.”
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib’s new book, “Hamas and Its Two Million Hostages,” lays out the history and reality of Hamas’ nihilistic ambitions. He is a former Gazan who wants a better future for Palestinians, and he is not hesitant to lay blame as he writes, “Hamas used 2 million Gazans as hostages in its Jihadi adventurism, sacrificing its people as it committed atrocities in the hope of prompting an overwhelming Israeli reaction and turning the world against the Jewish state. The continued suffering and misery of Gazans will write a new chapter in Hamas’ story and renew its long-term hopes of delegitimizing, undermining and destroying Israel. Only when Hamas is no longer in control of Gaza can the violence end and the future begin.”
Many of Alkhatib’s relatives have been killed in the violence. He saw Hamas’ rise to power in his childhood, and he holds them largely accountable for Arafat’s last-minute withdrawal from a likely two-state solution. Alkhatib is angry at the Western world’s “toxic mix of extremism, oversimplification, and maximalism.” He writes that he has been viciously attacked for calling out this trend: “I realized that many in the so-called pro-Palestine movement are deeply anti-Palestinian, for they are only interested in platforming and embracing views and experiences that conform to their beliefs.”
Kaplan made the other dinner guests feel uncomfortable. One of them said, “Israel is considerably stronger than Hamas.” “Exactly. That does not tell us which side is morally right.” “It tells us who has power.” “Yes. Not whether that power is being used defensively or aggressively.” “But power is the issue.” “No, conduct is the issue. A large man attacked by a small man with a knife is not morally required to lose.” “That metaphor is grotesque.” “Hamas invaded Israeli communities, murdered civilians, kidnapped families and fired rockets. You raised the power imbalance. I am explaining why comparative strength does not determine moral status.”
I am reminded of the anti-Israel resolutions that are fashionable in Northampton and other places. People threaten and harm Jews when they absorb actions, sound bites and slogans under the guise of moral superiority — whether they come from the right, the left, and non-Jews or Jews. Sadly, they are not helping civilian Palestinians one bit, but they are empowering Hamas quite effectively.
J.M. Sorrell is a monthly columnist. She recommends books by Alkhatib, Bernard-Henri Levy, Sarah Hurwitz, Roy K. Altman, and Hussain Abdul-Hussain.