Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Eric Alterman and Cathy Young
The latest Eric Alterman/Cathy Young battle erupted when the Boston Globe published Ms Young's essay "Saturday the Rabbi Went Nuts", featuring this gem about a recent Alterman quote: "Call it self-hatred or something less psychoanalytic; the bottom line is, this is the kind of rhetoric that, coming from a non-Jew, would be clearly seen as anti-Semitic." (Alterman's original quote is here.)
Dem's fightin' words. If Young's not Jewish, I'd say doubly so. Totally inaccurate, and way over the line.
Alterman wrote back to the Globe of course. But the Globe refuses to publish anything more than two short paragraphs of Alterman's response. Reason (Ms Young's web publisher), to their credit, publishes Alterman's response in full, with a response by Young.
I read both of these people habitually (I was going to say "religiously" but let's not go there). The irony is that I agree much more often with Alterman EXCEPT, generally, on Israel, where I side much more often with Young. But Young, here, needs to have a much more nuanced understanding of the difference between anti-semitism, anti-Zionism, and just disagreement with the 90's Likud policies. Until she acquires that understanding, she should stay away from throwing mud like this.
Alterman and Young will have at this for a while, I'd guess, and bully for them.
The REAL villian of the piece in my mind is the Globe. Shame on them for not allowing a response at length by Alterman. What arrogance. I am totally disgusted with them.
I'm looking forward to more from Dan Kennedy on this! Don't let me down, Dan!
Dem's fightin' words. If Young's not Jewish, I'd say doubly so. Totally inaccurate, and way over the line.
Alterman wrote back to the Globe of course. But the Globe refuses to publish anything more than two short paragraphs of Alterman's response. Reason (Ms Young's web publisher), to their credit, publishes Alterman's response in full, with a response by Young.
I read both of these people habitually (I was going to say "religiously" but let's not go there). The irony is that I agree much more often with Alterman EXCEPT, generally, on Israel, where I side much more often with Young. But Young, here, needs to have a much more nuanced understanding of the difference between anti-semitism, anti-Zionism, and just disagreement with the 90's Likud policies. Until she acquires that understanding, she should stay away from throwing mud like this.
Alterman and Young will have at this for a while, I'd guess, and bully for them.
The REAL villian of the piece in my mind is the Globe. Shame on them for not allowing a response at length by Alterman. What arrogance. I am totally disgusted with them.
I'm looking forward to more from Dan Kennedy on this! Don't let me down, Dan!
# posted by Steve : 7:28 PM
