Advertisement

It also feels weird to act like all of a sudden Black people decided to do the right thing for once as if we haven’t been marching against oppression for decades.

There are certainly issues within the community that we can and should talk about within the community. People like Kanye West who spout horrendous antisemitic commentary are obviously fair game. But saying Black Americans, in-particular, need to be the fall guys for rising antisemitism is a-historical.

Advertisement

Breaking news here, but Black people are not exactly the primary recruits for neo-nazis.

Pitting oppressed groups against each other is a classic tool of white supremacy.

Advertisement

If you make Black people primarily responsible for antisemitism, you don’t have to deal with its deep roots in mainstream culture. You don’t have to deal with Tucker Carlson peddling racist and antisemitic great-replacement theory rhetoric to millions of people every day. You don’t have to deal with the creeping rise of fascism in the United States and Europe. And you don’t have to deal with people like Alex Jones who continue to platform blatant white supremacist talking points.

White supremacy is a threat that impacts all oppressed peoples, and we should take it seriously. But trying to make the victims of white supremacy fight like crabs in a barrel does nothing to make the situation better.

Advertisement

So to Van Jones, I get what you were trying to do. But maybe reconsider it the next time you want to throw the “community” under the bus.