Here’s a photo (via Scott Armel-Funkhouser) of the infamous “blood libel” poster, funded by public monies and exhibited by student groups at San Francisco State University.
Writes Dr. Armel-Funkhouser (a post-doctoral scientist and dark matter researcher for the Berkeley Group) of the poster:
[…] This is perhaps the most grotesque and explicit incarnation of the ‘blood libel’ observed in the free world since the Nazi Holocaust. It was generated on the campus of a public university by students, using public money. The poster included the names of the following organizations: Associated Students, GUPS (General Union of Palestinian Students), MSA (Muslim Student Association) and WIA (unidentified).
The poster incorporates the two most common elements to this medieval racist slur. It suggests (1) that Jews ingest the flesh and/or blood of children, and (2) that there are rites associated with the Jewish religion which detail how to perform this cannibalism. Note that this vicious racism is not directed specifically at Israel but at Jews, for it reads, ‘slaughtered according to Jewish rites‘.
Sickening, isn’t it? And pathetic — the “Palestinian cause” inked onto cheap copy paper and taped to Bay area telephone poles, partially covered by notices for some local Skynyrd cover band…
I’m with Rand Simberg on this one: Let’s link the bejesus out of this thing and apply some pressure to SFSU’s administration. Please.
[link via Transterrestrial Musings]
[update: LGF’s posted the image, as well]
Beyond sickening. Is SFSU going to do anything other than write a <a href=”http://www.sfsu.edu/~news/response/nohate.htm”>letter</a>?
Myria
Guess I’ll have to be the odd <i>wo</i>man out on this one (to some degree, anyway).
The poster is definitely a hideous display of vicious, lying, political and religious agenda laden horseshit–but it’s still protected by the first ammendment. I don’t know what the university can realistically do about it, without courting legal trouble. They should make every attempt to cleanse their organizational mentality of anti-semitism, and I’d expect them to be tripping all over themselves to be doing that, right about now. But other than that…
My suggestion:
If you see these posters, or images like them, around town, tear them down and throw them in the trash. Don’t link the image or similar material. Don’t mass broadcast it for those who don’t have the resources to put their vile message out there to like-minded wankers; let the rotten bastards do their own tedious legwork when they’re looking to provide horrific material for twisted losers to beat off to.
<i>I don’t know what the university can realistically do about it, without courting legal trouble.</i>
That never seems to be much of a problem when other groups are involved. That aside, while it may be protected speech there is no reason the University has to monetarily support the groups that produced this poster. Nor does the University have to allow these groups to continue to exist if they violate the <a href=”http://www.sfsu.edu/~hrwww/directives/p530D.htm”>code of conduct</a> –
<blockquote>Behaviors which are intolerant, insensitive or discriminatory are deemed unacceptable. As such, they shall be addressed openly, promptly and constructively by the University, its administrators, faculty, staff and students.</blockquote>
While one can argue whether or not the various codes of conducts on University campuses should exist, and there are good reasons to argue for their elimination, they are there currently and consistency requires that the University deal with this issue as they have in other instances.
Myria
Well, codes of conduct and such aside for the moment, I displayed this, honestly, because I’d never seen a “blood libel” poster before, and I wonder how many people have.
But rather than try to censor this shit, I want to attach my point of view to it. Like with that stupid Rall cartoon, or the divestiture petition. Y’know, use <i>my</i> free speech to ridicule the free speech of morons.
And it so happens that Google looks kindly upon blogs; so those wishing to beat off to this stuff often inadvertantly end up here, instead—where I get to call them all sorts of colorful names. Never thought before that I might be doing it while they were holding their package in their fist, but…
[Had a visitor via Google today, by the way, looking for “filthy stinking Jews.” To which I say, “welcome, shit heel. Enjoy your stay.”]
Jeff,
I might have phrased myself more carefully before… My apologies if I seemed to be upbraiding you personally for featuring it; I meant you no disrespect.
Dealing with bigotry of all kinds is such a frustrating uphill climb. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating here: I wish I knew how to make reason as compelling as hatred is insidious. But I don’t know how to do that, and I don’t know what the “right” way to deal with crap like this is either. I guess it just comes down to my feeling like it’s idiotic trash and that’s just where it belongs.
Mryria,
We’re in agreement, although I’d venture to guess that when push came to shove–any university code that contradicted a constitutionally protected freedom would be eventually be dissimulated in a lengthy and expensive legal battle.
Absolutely no offense taken, T.L. I value your comments immensely.
Rand suggested a googlebomb. My thought was to have one that pointed people looking for SFSU or San Francisco State University to the URL <a href=”http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/~armel/bloodlibel.html”>http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/~armel/bloodlibel.html</a>
My thinking is that is SFSU officials see that Internet searches put that high on the list of results for their institution, it will spur them to act.
I’ve started the ball rolling here:
<a href=”http://www.patiopundit.com/archives/001148.html#001148″>http://www.patiopundit.com/archives/001148.html#001148</a>
I have to agree with Myria. Recently universities have had no problem slapping around student writers with a Right-leaning or Conservative view.
I am admittedly from the Left, and it upsets me greatly when the Lords and Ladies of PC censor or punish ANY writer, but if they want to apply their rules and codes of conduct fairly, they should apply them across the board and not just against one side.
This poster is an ugly and racist pile of doo-doo, and the kids involved should be openly admonished (in writing or in speeches by the university) for spreading this kind of ugly hate. Free speech is free speech, yes, but that doesn’t mean the university should smile and pat them encouragingly on the behinds either. Spank the little monsters.
A few days ago I’ve posted the story about the SFUS events of May 7th (as first noticed here), in one of the independent Israeli sites. I’ve ended that post wondering about the “hate-free zone environment” the SFSU president was referring to in his letter, given what I’ve read in Laurie Zoloth’s message (describing what welcomes her daily in that environment). Seeing the poster (which looks exactly as what was described by Ms. Zolton), and given comments I saw regarding free speech issues, I thought my question is even more relevant than before –
“Does that… qualifies to a “hate-free zone” in the land of the free?”
<a href=”http://tellinglies.org/news/archives/000127.html#000127″>http://tellinglies.org/news/archives/000127.html#000127</a>
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Thanks for being there on the watch.