oh, helen thomas.

[fox]

This morning's most unexpectedly charming news item had to do with Helen Thomas being bounced from a commencement-speaker gig at a local high school in the wake of some controversial comments she recently made about Israel and Palestine. According to the article in the Post, the comments apparently contained Ms Thomas' opinion that the Jews should "get the hell out" of Palestine, and should instead - get this - go "home" to Poland and Germany, as well as to the United States (and so on).

My first thought, of course, being "Yes, that's a good idea. BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN SO WELCOME IN POLAND AND GERMANY IN THE PAST."

[deep breath] And now that I look back at the article, trying to find the exact wording of something else she was reported to have said, I see that - like all online news articles - it's been developed since I first read it, and notes that a video regarding Ms Thomas' remarks was made by people who had the same first thought I did. Fair enough. I never expected it would be an unusual or especially incisive reaction.



She also seems to have said "Remember, these people are occupied. It's their land." Which I was going to say, coming from a white American, that argument holds absolutely no water at all - but I am reminded that Helen Thomas is the daughter of Lebanese immigrants to the United States, so she's off that particular you-can't-be-serious hook. (Right back on the one labeled "don't pretend like you're impartial about Jerusalem", though.)

Comments

[lanning]

Dayum. That's some spectacularly ignorant gum-flapping there. You'd think she would know better. :/

[fox]

I'm not saying it's not a difficult and painful matter. I do think the present government of Israel, in particular, is doing a lot of things wrong, or at least differently than I wish they would (but I am conspicuously not in the dangerous spot they're in, so what I'd do if I were is an academic question at best). I just think "get the hell out" is an impressively nuance-free solution, and "go home to Poland" a shockingly insensitive one.

[lanning]

Agreed. It's a horribly complex issue, and it's created such a perfect storm of human suffering, that shooting from the hip really isn't appropriate. And someone who's been in the public arena for as long as she has should know that.

[kouredios]

Media Matters is now reporting that's she's retiring.

ETA link.

[fox]

Yeah, I heard that on the radio during my lunchtime errands. And, I mean, she's close to ninety years old, so it's not like it's not high time - but I wasn't with the people hollering that she should be fired before the retirement decision was announced, even. I've always wondered what made her so goddamn special in the press room, but hers isn't a job where I think shocking insensitivity should be a firing offense. In the week between her comments and today, there's apparently been some reprimanding and some distance placed between her and themselves by various organizations - all of which I think is appropriate. I was just so stunned by the thing in the first place, which I hadn't heard about until this morning. "Go home to Poland", for fuck's sake.

[kouredios]

Yeah. I read your entry and then I saw MM post about it earlier this morning (it's on my news feed at FB), and all the comments were either of the "She's an anti-semite!" variety or else the, "Give her a break, she's a wonderful journalist" variety, and no more complex examination of what might bring a woman whose expertise is supposed to be in wordcrafting to have said something so insensitive and thoughtless.

[fox]

I happen to think she's probably an anti-semite (though not the worst or most insidious I've heard of) and a wonderful journalist (or at least the remains of one) - and that both these facts are beside the actual point. :-P