david f,

I agree when you say "Let’s live and laugh." Just don't try reading any of Foxy's joke if you want to laugh.

Canem Malem,

Who is 'host' ? Jewish people have been here as long as any other non-Indigenous people, and possibly long before any of your ancestors got here. So who is 'host' and who is 'guest' ?

Back in the Middle Ages (i.e. up until the mid-19th century in some parts of central Europe), Jewish people weren't allowed to own land. So what were they supposed to live on ? Their wits, their education and skills, their knowledge of maths and science. So doctors, advisers to governments, the odd grand vizier in Mesopotamia and Muslim Spain, money-lenders, jewellers, artisans of all sorts. Perhaps in such circumstances, you take nothing for granted, so you make damn sure that you and your kids can make the best of difficult situations.

I had four grandfathers, three of whom I didn't really get to know; and one who looked after us kids for a solid year, and then over the years, until he passed away. He was a Hungarian Jewish maths teacher, originally an engineer with Shell in the East Indies. He worked at the Ultimo Tech. He broke his back in the late forties, so we saw a lot of him while he recovered. He and our nanna were nudists, so we saw a lot more of them.

He'd lost all of his relations during the War except his mother, who he was able to bring out here, and a brother fighting with Tito's partisans in Bosnia. Perhaps, as an intellectual exercise, CM, you could list all of your relations and then pick out just two who you would really like to survive, and sort of mentally exterminate the rest.

You probably would still make crass remarks about other people. Some people never learn.

Joe

Appologies, to canem, I just realised my mistake in my last posting.
It says to Canem and Malum, wrong.
It's supposed to say; to Canem and David.
Sorry bout that.

Statement 1- The answer could lie in the fact that Jews are smart. That
it's something in their genes which gives them an elevated
Jewish IQ.

Answer 1- Isn’t this theory called “Jewish Supremacy”. But that’s ok in our kangaroo court world “only White Supremacy is bad”. Strangely in this case I agree with Foxy that it is one theory- maybe I’m a “Jewish Supremacist”.

Statement 2- Or it could be that Jews love hitting the books -
that Jewish homes have over flowing book-shelves which
throughout generations they have given honour to the pursuit
of learning and knowledge.

Answer 2- Perhaps. But a White Person might ask why we aren’t encouraging people to read more within our communities.

Comment 3- Who knows what the answer is? It could be a combination of things.

Answer 3- Do you think that perhaps Jewish People are allowed in our society to help their own people but White People are not allowed to help their own people.

Comment 4- And is it good for those of us who are not Jewish? Of course it is. Raising
the bar in any pursuit - encourages higher standards for all of us to achieve.

Answer 4- Some argue that knowledge is not a zero sum game but if Jewish People are supporting Jewish Nepotism then is this valid for the ownership of the host culture. This appears to be one reason why multiculturalism can’t work.

Comment 5-

Now I have a question for you...

Why does bullying permeat British culture and all aspects of daily life? … the devastating effect bullying had on children and families.
..."Bullying doesn't stop at the school gates it goes on after school and it goes on into university. It goes into work and it even goes on into family. It is a real issue at the heart of our culture".

Answer 5- Bullying is not unique to British Culture. Perhaps British Culture is different to your Lithuanian upbringing. The British and Americans have a competitive culture- perhaps this sometimes overflows in inappropriate ways- but overall seen as healthy.

All societies encourage social norms- even “woke” ones- I believe that the values of my ancestors are important- for all their faults. One thing that is often missed in the debate about bullying in the home is the idea that women can be the bullies of children- embodied in Cinderella. I see that some bullying can be productive- but some is not- everyone has at some time or other been bullied- bullying comes in many forms- police bullying, government bullying, bullying by teachers,- perhaps the implementation of Liberalism is a form of bullying. Perception of bullying is often based on the eye of the perceiver. Women appear to complain more about bullying in the workplace than men- does that mean that men aren’t bullied?
You could argue that the tree of life is one big exercise in bullying.
Locke apparently believed that bullying could be transcended by passing power to the government but perhaps just changing the form of the bully.
All very interesting.

Comment 6- is this British influence that we have disproportionately in this country of ours - good for those of us who are not British? It's a fair question if we're going to begin comparing cultures.

Answer 6- At least Foxy acknowledges the culture concept. I agree that British Culture may not work for those people in Australia that are not of British heritage. This is why I believe maybe multiculturalism doesn’t work- perhaps shouldn’t have invited non-British heritage to Australia. Australia was formed as an act of British Parliament- it was built under British rule- it is effectively owed by the British. There are always tricky con artists that seek to relieve others of their property. We have been naive to let it happen- but there have been powerful special interests at play.

“Populate or perish is a lie”.

Australia and western countries have been very generous to other cultures they have 1. allowed them into our country after wars to rebuild their lives- after WWII, Vietnam War, Iraq War, Afghani War, … 2. allowed into Australia to study, 3. allowed work in Australia.

Dear David,

I've seen "The Producers" in Los Angeles starring
Zero Mostel. It was a great show. I've also seen
the films of Mel Brooks and his interviews on
American television. His wife Anne Bancroft was
also a great actress - the original Mrs Robinson in
"The Graduate". And of course it's good to "live
and laugh, (and eat)".

However, the Holocaust should not be consigned to history.

It is a contemporary issue. Discrimination against Jews of
all walks of life was not a new concept in 1933, but was
widespread and prevalent in many countries. It stretches
back past the parameters of the modern era into the
medieval age and beyond. It's therefore incorrect to let
the Holocaust be consigned to the period of the Third Reich:
the Nazi Regime manipulated and amplified the latent
prejudices of its citizens. It did not create them.

This makes the Holocaust a contemporary issue because it
shows the atmosphere in which genocide can take place.
We need to ask - how many people pertain to prejudices
which are unfounded and illogical, but which are
unconsciously adhered to? These beliefs survive both
because they are socially acceptable and because they are
unchallenged.

And, today in our society there remains a degree of
antisemitism in addition to levels of xenophobia, Islamophobia,
of black and asian communities and other ethnic minorities.

Quite a few recent surveys have shown these prejudices to be
on the rise. Look at the Black Lives Matter movement. It is
therefore important to remember the Holocaust because it is an
example of how these prejudices and trends could evolve into
something more threatening.

By spreading the testimonials of the survivors, we have the
opportunity to safeguard the memory of the Holocaust,
promote tolerance, and protect the multicultural society in
which we all live. And that needs to be done if we want to
"live, laugh, and eat" in peace.