Comments on: The British academic boycott: anti-Semitic in effect and intent

By: David Foster

David Foster — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:28:29 +0000

I agree with your points, and would add another one: for college professors to engage in boycotts of this kind is an abuse of authority and is, at least in a moral sense, theft.

A college professor is not an independent entrepreneur; he is an employee, hired to do teaching and research. If he refuses to work with Israeli researchers who could add value to his work, he is deliberately failing to do his job to the best of his ability, based on his personal political opinions. Thus, he is converting resources that don’t belong to him to his own personal use.

A professor who engages in such behavior is no more engaging in “academic freedom” than an executive who rips off his company is engaging in “free enterprise.”

By: Meryl Yourish

Meryl Yourish — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 13:55:40 +0000

Edith,

They can see beyond the black/white construct. Just not when it concerns the Jews. Funny thing, that. There’s nuance when it comes to the Chinese occupation of Tibet. There’s nuance when it comes to the Turkish occupation of Cyprus. There’s nuance when it comes to the British occupation of Northern Ireland.

But there’s no nuance about Israel and the territories. Occupation! Evil! Bad!

Say hello to The Exception Clause: “Except for Jews.”

By: Alex Bensky

Alex Bensky — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 13:21:44 +0000

Two posts above from “Anonymous” were from me. I was at the public library and didn’t realize they came across that way. I don’t care for anonymous posting generally.

By: Edith

Edith — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 07:25:40 +0000

Hi! I followed you over from Feministe. I agree with this. What is up with this “boycott” and what is up with this whole craziness of Israeli action automatically being called terror, and Palestinian action automatically being called revolutionary AKA awesome? What the heck ever. I can take this from your normal guy on the street (“I’m just anti-Zionist! I’m not anti-Jew! Really! It has nothing to do with anything! Ever! Really! Really!”) who doth protest too much about such things. But I feel weirded out that so-called “academics” can’t see beyond this black/white, good/evil construct either.

I’m thanking my great-grandfather for leaving London. High fives to him. An email kaddish.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 19:53:46 +0000

By the way, I have noticed here and there the academic and other anti-Israel trope of being “against Likud policies,” pretending that their opposition isn’t to israel per se but just to that nasty party that runs the country.

However, Likud doesn’t run the country any more; the governing coalition is led by Kadima. Yet strangely, I don’t see any change.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 19:51:50 +0000

Now, Meryl, these British academics are consistent–they don’t deal with Chinese academics who refuse to disavow the Chinese occupation of Tibet, and although there aren’t that many Syrian academics active internationally, they don’t deal with them unless they disavow Syria’s occupation of Lebanon.

Oh, wait,they don’t. Well, I’m sure there’s something about Israel that makes its sins unique…OK, there’s that.

By: Joel

Joel — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 18:24:45 +0000

“United” not “Untied.”

By: Joel

Joel — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 18:24:19 +0000

There is a reason why the capital of the Untied Kingdom is referred to by people in the know as “Londonistan.”