While I have not had a Fatwa issued against me in several weeks, I did manage to offend people that absolutely deserved to be offended.
I am offering this as always as a private citizen, so do not claim that any other group represents my acid and non-pierced, non-liberal tongue
I recently attended a seminar at the University of Crooked Lying Arabists (UCLA) Middle East Studies Department.
https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2009/11/the-indefensible-vs-the-incomprehensible/
Rebuttals were launched issued by Girshon Shafir and Zack Lockman. Shafir from now on shall be dubbed the Absent Minded Heblish Speaking Professor. Had he delivered his rebuttal verbally, I would have needed an interpreter, but in print one can judge for themselves.
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/119728.html
https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2009/11/no-more-heblish/
While I do not speak Heblish or gibberish, and I certainly do not speak “Professorish,” in crystal clear English I am happy to educate the “educators” of this world.
I look forward to his academically inept (redundant, I know) rebuttal to my rejoinder to his diatribe about my critique of a conference where the ridiculous met the sublime and had sexual relations with the ludicrous.
Now to translate from the professorial dialect into English. With that, I bring the antonym to brilliance, Mr. Shafir.
“The premise of Eric Golub’s original article was that scholarly work is best viewed as blatant partisanship.”
No, the premise was that the conference was neither scholarly nor fair. It was blatant partisanship by people who simply congratulated each other inbetween bouts of spreading historical untruths.
“It should not be surprising that I provided no defense, either weak or robust, of Israel; this was an intellectual exchange over the merits and shortcoming of an analysis of the historical record.”
He is actually right. Given that this is the notoriously anti-Israel UCLA Middle East Studies Department, it should be no surprise that he would be there to offer a self-loathing Jewish position rather than defend Israel. I apologize for thinking that diversity would take place. As for the notion of an intellectual exchange of ideas, the two men both supported the Arab point of view. The only shortcomings were in the merits of their harmonious presentations, which lacked even a kernel of truth.
“Mahoney’s book, by the way, won the American Sociological Association Barrington Moore award for best book in comparative-historical sociology, and is widely used for elucidating a tight and formal model of path dependence.”
This is about as valid as claiming that something matters because the source won an Emmy, Oscar, Nobel Peace Prize, or honorary doctorate. Leftists give each other awards. I do not care if the author that was cited received a gold star from his mommy that was put on the refrigerator. Israelis were in Israel 3000 years before the invented fictional creatures known as Palestinians tried to simply steal what did not belong to them. No scholar would ever refer to the Arab versions of unicorns as “indigenous people.” That is partisanship, not scholarship. In fact, it is professorship.
“I am alleged to have looked at my own notes and said ‘I can’t read this.’ The reference, in fact, is to my quip in response to the moderator’s note telling me I had only one minute left.”
How would Gershon Shafir know what the note said if he could not read it? A couple of days to think and reflect is a great way to do what scholars call “correcting the record” and average Americans call “getting their story straight.”
“I will be glad to continue our discussion in the future; hopefully in front an audience all of whose members take good notes and appreciate the merits of academic scholarship.”
Again, I do not appreciate the merits of academic scholarship because too many academics are overglorified know-nothings that incorrectly use multi-syllabic words to hide factual deficiencies.
That is a fancy way of saying that my B.S. detector went off the charts the moment these professors tried to use glossy words to paper over what was basically a conference dedicated to bashing Israel. The professor himself even admits that he was absolutely not there to defend Israel.
He was treated with a modicum of politeness because he acted like an obedient leftist Jewish lapdog.
Lastly, he is not a history professor. He is employed by the sociology department at UCSD. This is a perfect fit for a leftist because sociology is about feelings, while history is a cold and unemotional collection of facts.
So at the risk of offending others whose opinions matter not at all, if UCLA uses sociology professors to try to give historical lectures, they may contribute to the stereotype that too many academics are able to write books, yet do not actually read them.
Pompousness is not the same as being educated. Calling oneself a scholar does not make it so.
So with all due (modicum of) respect to the absent-minded Heblish speaking professor, I think I will stick with my real world existence, where the towers are not ivory and the facts are not raped like the Jewish people have been by suicide-bomber Palestinian leaders and their supporters.
Now for some triple-L, in the form of Lockman literary lunacy.
“I feel compelled to express my severe disappointment and distress at your decision to post on the HNN website an item titled ‘Conservatives Feel Seminar Organized by Historian Gabi Piterberg ‘demonized’ Israel'”
How dare an alternative point of view be offered! No wonder these professors love UCLA Middle East conferences. They have a homogeneous left-wing point of view that nobody outside the fifteen people paying attention respects. They are the MSNBC of learning.
Somebody get Mr. Lockman his pacifier. Unlike academics, the real world still does allow freedom of speech.
“As you no doubt know, this account was originally written for, and first posted on, the Frontpage and Campus Watch websites — right-wing political outfits not generally regarded by historians or other scholars as reliable sources and notorious for trashing scholars with whom they disagree.”
Mr. Lockman now needs to blame Rush Limbaugh and Fox News to complete the attempt to shoot the conservative messenger. Ideological bigotry on the left is very simple. Declare any dissenting viewpoint as “right-wing.” Declare right wing opinions automatically invalid. Declare these same opinions “not respected.”
Who are these “scholars” I keep hearing about? I saw some professors in the room, but based on the lack of accurate information in the room, I did not see any scholars. Who considers Mr. Lockman a scholar? Other scholars I guess.
“It should have been obvious from even a cursory reading of the piece that this is not a serious attempt to convey the scholarly exchanges that actually went on at the conference or to take issue with what the participants actually said.”
Don’t mistake my delightful sense of humor for a lack of purpose.
I am deadly serious buddy boy. I am as serious as a Palestinian suicide-bomber loving professor qualified to work as either an organ grinder or a lecturer at the UCLA Middle East Studies Department.
I take total and complete issue with virtually every word the participants said. Eloquent liars are still liars.
“Rather, it is yet one more product of the campaign that Frontpage and Campus Watch have long waged against scholars who do not share these outfits’ political positions with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
I work and think for myself. Frontpage and Campus Watch are much more polite than me. They are too polite to state that the conference was historically imbecilic, which is a scholarly way of saying full of garbage.
“Your guidelines indicate that you regard certain things as so beyond the pale that you would not publish them — the writings of Holocaust deniers, for example. I have to wonder, then, how you could have deemed such an obviously tendentious and distorted item worthy of dissemination by HNN.”
Invoking the Holocaust. Real classy. This is a thinly veiled way of calling me a Nazi, which is what leftist academics say about conservatives and Israel-supporting Jews. At least some of the participants had the decency to be overt and proud of their anti-Semitism.
“Beyond the pale” means he disagrees with me. “Distorted” or “taken out of context” is a fancy way of saying “completely within context, and I got caught.”
I am downgrading Lockman to Lockboy until he takes a timeout and ends his temper tantrum.
“I am all for the free exchange of ideas, and of course HNN should feature a wide range of viewpoints and promote vigorous debate.”
Somewhere Socrates is laughing.
Then again, let’s be fair, the Klan welcomed a wide range of white people into their organization, be they lily, eggshell, creme, and even light beige.
“But it is hard for me to understand how posting this article could be deemed to serve HNN’s goals. I very much regret that you apparently did not see things that way.”
I regret that Mr. Lockman would begin a sentence with “but,” “and,” or “or.” I guess one does not need to know basic rules of grammar to be an educator or self-declared scholar. At a conference that spent a great deal of time on literature, basic literary skills could be reasonably required.
In conclusion, the professors at this conference are upset that they were called out on their combination of bigotry, intolerance, and factually incorrect nonsense masquerading as education.
Oh, and I have an advanced degree. I rarely mention that because unlike many professors, I don’t need to mention my credentials every five seconds. That would make me professorial, which based on this conference, is an insult and affront to real people wanting to learn.
Those who can’t do, teach.
Those who can’t teach, give lectures at the UCLA Middle East Studies Department.
I apologize to any innocent organ grinders or monkeys I may have offended.
eric
I’m not sure what to say. I read their responses and I read your article. You didn’t really “call them out” on anything substantial, only their tone and the fact that they didsn’t say some things that you wanted them to say. What exactly did they say that is inaccurate or wrong?
JMJ
I am posting while listening to my favorite hour on the radio (KUSC),
and a composition by Mozart. During this time period, most
of the songs played are by Mozart. It is soothing.
Reading Eric’s latest, I need something to sooth me.
Frankly, I get angry when I read about UCLA, which is
one of the finest schools in California, if not the entire US.
Why the Regents allow this on campus is beyond me? Maybe
it’s academic freedom?
My taxes go to pay for these professor..employed by the U of California.
I don’t want one dime going to them from my state taxes..and have
written the Gov several times, mainly about the school at Irvine.
BTW, a head cleric there was just relieved of his duties..something about
indescent behavior, as intimated in an article. (The Muslims say they
assume everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and won’t say anything
further about the matter.
Hey guys, does this include Hasan? Is he innocent too, until proven
guilty in a military court?
But getting back to UCLA, lets recall history.
In 1939, Russia invaded hapless Poland. They killed 20,000 Polish
officers. Thousands of Polish liberals (get it, liberals) and academics
were also slaughtered, both by the Russians AND the Germans (who invaded from the West.
Liberals, those in the media, famous persons, AND academics, were
gassed, shot, hung, starved immediately.
As far as Jews..consider the Kapos…those guys in concerntration camps
who believed the Germans, that by aiding in the slaughter of Jews, they would get a reprieve.
They did, for a few months.
In Auschwitz, the killing ( of Hungarian Jews) was at such a fast
pace, that Kapos were used, in various ways to aid, from dropping
pellets into the chambers, to shooting people behind their ears and
tossing them into burning pits.
It was hard work but steady. Within 6 weeks, 450,000 Jewish men, women
and children were victims of the world’s indifference and apathy and
encrouagement.
Those people at UCLA who took part in the let’s hate Israel and its
Zionists, will someday, given the worse, receive the same fate
as the Kapos..or my name ain’t Zionist for Israel and the USA.
(Hear that Hasan, you monster).
Gotta love those American “Zionists.” At least our good host is always gracious and honest enough to admit that he’s not a Zionist – because he lives in America. I give him a lot of credit for that. Now if we could just deal with conservative chickenhawkishness…
Dan, if that given worse ever does happen, it will be American rightwing extremists doing it. We have no threat out there capable of doing such a thing to us. We could only do it to ourselves.
JMJ
How imaginative.
Jersey has already blamed America before the fact.
Priceless
Micky, the greatest threat to our great nation comes from those confederate flag waving idiots.
JMJ
Yeah right.
And it doesnt come from the idiots on the left who like you try to minimize and dismiss real threats only so they can denegrate the right /
Gimme a f&*&^%$ break would you ?
I wasnt born yesterday ya know.
Right now Americans are dying more than ever because of the lefts bulls*** PC policies and inability to make decisions in war.
When you guys issue a homeland security report that reflects much of what you just said and then it turns out the real threat is from outside our country and just infiltrated an American Army base killing 13 and wounding another 30 its quite clear that the morons on the left got it wrong.
The majority of those conservatives that you call “confederate flag waving idiots” are also the majority that volunteered to step up and fight the guys who really want to kill you.
The way you morons are handling this economy and the threat that incompetence poses to our country can only make me laugh when you say the right is the problem.
Trust me, in conjunction with your failure to identify our enemies and this failing economy along with the fact that its YOU GUYS IN CHARGE !!!.
YOU’RE THE THREAT ! RIGHT ?
Were powerless right now buddy. You cant have it both ways by saying were a threat and on the other hand say were impotent.
But of course obviously that wont stop you from trying, will it/has it ?
You figure if the lemming Obama bots on your side hear that kind of crap often enough they’ll swallow it.
And whats the matter with waving the flag wether you’re an idiot or not ?
Micky, political correctness has never brought down an empire. And don’t think the Right is powerless. The Right is very rich and powerful. Were it not for the power and wealth of certain Righties, Obama would have another ten points of popularity today. Be realistic man – many of the people who are disappointed with Obama are lefties, not righties. Know your country, man.
JMJ
Again, I do not appreciate the merits of academic scholarship because too many academics are overglorified know-nothings that incorrectly use multi-syllabic words to hide factual deficiencies.
So, what you are saying is, “You hate people who give vent to their loquacity by extraneous bombastic circumlocution“?
Others have said it before you. :oD
> Micky, political correctness has never brought down an empire.
Though we are not an empire by any means, political correctness has never become one of the centerpieces of a society before, either.
> many of the people who are disappointed with Obama are lefties,
Yeah, because he’s not been socialist/pacifist enough. Your point?
These are the same idiots who despised Lieberman for actually having a single, solitary position different from The GroupThought and the temerity and integrity to stand up for it.
So they tried to excommunicate him for it. Funny how it’s only “The Right” that needs to have a “Big Tent”, innit?
Micky, the greatest threat to our great nation comes from those confederate flag waving idiots.
No, the greatest threat to our great nation comes from people like you who don’t have the slightest clue what actually threatens the nation, but imagine you do, despite blatantly having your head stuck so far into your rectal orifice it’s coming back out the top…
You might want to see a physicist about that, btw. It’s supposed to be scientifically impossible. Who knows, after studying how your cranium got so far up your rectum, they might discover some important new scientific principles… They might even invent an interstellar drive or something, and name it after you: The McJersey Cranio-Rectal Distortion Field Effect Generator… something like that.
And whats the matter with waving the flag whether you’re an idiot or not ?
Ask Obama, he’s unwilling to salute it with hand over heart. Maybe he can tell us.
Oh, and, everyone with any sense has begun to figure out he’s an idiot, after all.
Gloves up everybody. Stick to policy, no personal insults. Sneaking them in while I am on a plane…you will get up.
eric :) aka the Tygrrrr Express
Eric, it’s not a personal insult if you justify it. Then it’s a summation of fact, and facts don’t insult, they just expose the truth.
:oD
…too many academics are able to write books, yet do not actually read them
Well, academics are too snobbish to actually read anything but those things written by other academics, and, well, who can read anything written by a postmodern liberal properly taught the principles of deconstruction? The entire purpose of deconstruction is to remove and invalidate all meaning, and, failing that, to obfuscate and trivialize it.
And who can read meaningless drivel? Even ifyou had the capacity to shut off, voluntarily, the meaning centers of your brain, why would you?
Ideological bigotry on the left is very simple. Declare any dissenting viewpoint as “right-wing.” Declare right wing opinions automatically invalid. Declare these same opinions “not respected.”
I wrote a piece about this a few weeks back over on No Oil For Pacifists —
Name Calling
Jersey;
“Micky, political correctness has never brought down an empire. And don’t think the Right is powerless.”
How the hell would you or anyone Know ?
This disease of the english language hasnt been aroung till a little while ago.
So far its done a pretty good job of screwing things up and i’ve given you plenty of examples.
“many of the people who are disappointed with Obama are lefties, not righties. Know your country, man.”
Nice try buddy but you have to make the difference between “disappointed’ and flat out thinking he sucks as a president.
Theres not a doubt in the world that anyone with conservative ideals cant stand the mans policies.
The majority of the country is disappointed with the left as a whole period.
Theres difference between knowing your country and saying things that have absolutely no bearing.
You’ve got nearly 40% of the country ( conservatives) who think he sucks. The majority of independents dont want anything to do with him and then theres the other 40% (democrats) whom about 1/2 of are disappointed in him.
That makes you wrong and either full of spit or not knowing your country.
“Ask Obama, he’s unwilling to salute it with hand over heart. Maybe he can tell us.”
True, but I doubt Jersey will answer that question.
“And don’t think the Right is powerless. The Right is very rich and powerful.”
Thats not the point Einstien.
The point is that as a party we hold no resposibility for the idiocy weve seen in the last 10 months.
You cant have it both ways. What Bush left us was 1/10th of what Obama has bestowed upon us since his term began. So stop blaming everyone and thing you can besides your own idiotic policies and decisions.