• commiewithoutorgans [he/him, comrade/them]
    hexbear
    10
    6 months ago

    I think how we should characterize this is something like "they are anti-Semitic in form, but not about Jews specifically" or anti-Semitic in form but not content"

    Anti-Semitism, according to Sartre and many others, would've created the object to which it must attach even if it weren't Jews. I don't know many right-wingers who would ever attach their theories specifically to Jews (though it is unfortunately not rare). Many honestly have no signified to attach these ideas too, which is dangerous, but many have "gays" or "black people" or especially now "Chinese" to whom they attach this anti-Semitic form to give it content.

    Anti-Semitism's form was never limited to anti-Semitic content, but it was very common that they came together.

    Or maybe we need a new word for the content, because treatment of Chinese influence is constantly trending towards the exact forms and similar contents to how Jews were treated in the late 19th century

    • FunkyStuff [he/him]
      hexbear
      7
      6 months ago

      10000-com maybe some more specific form of "essentialism," where behaviors that spring out of class antagonisms and power are instead attributed to immutable attributes of the people who perform them.

      • commiewithoutorgans [he/him, comrade/them]
        hexbear
        4
        edit-2
        6 months ago

        "to the ones who perform them" can you elaborate on this part? I guess the question hinges here: are you referring to essentializing the behaviours of "judeo-bolsheviks" in the positive sense? Like all Jews were essentialized to the traits of some socialist Jews in the Soviet union (doing good things but bad for empire)? Or is the claim that anti-Semitism essentialized the negative behaviours of "money hoarding" which some Jews may have done to all Jews? I think this is important to clarify what real actions were done and which were never done/not necessarily done by any of the people essentialized

        • FunkyStuff [he/him]
          hexbear
          4
          6 months ago

          What you said about how they'll switch up Jews for any other group and rationalize the behavior they're thinking about in terms of stereotypes about that group instead of systemic criticism. Like, blaming cheap Chinese products' poor quality on Chinese people being inherently sloppy instead of the realities of mass production and industrialization.

          • commiewithoutorgans [he/him, comrade/them]
            hexbear
            3
            edit-2
            6 months ago

            Ah yes, ok good, then of course comrade! 100-com

            Maybe I would add that these stereotypes are often based in behaviours that are often also mythical (Chinese products being cheaper made isn't necessarily true)