Hi Folks,
Michael Sylvester wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Jun 1999, Linda M. Woolf wrote:
>
> > or "Jews because they believe themselves to be the chosen people feel they have the
> > right to oppress others" Are these ideas or a derogatory comments?
>
> THese are ideas that guide peoples behavior.Hey,I do not like any
> policy of ethnic cleansing,but psychologists must understand how
> entrenched ideas guide behavior and these are even more potent than
> political and economic realities be it in Kosovo or in the Middle East.
However, this is not an "entrenched idea"; it is based on an anti-Semitic stereotype.
You
have misinformation as was discussed in a previous post. You need to do your homework
before making offensive comments.
My area of research concerns genocide, ethnopolitical conflict, and human rights. And
I
can tell you that the idea you presented above is grossly simplistic and erroneous.
That
would be like saying that the Rwanda genocide was the result of century's old hatreds
between Hutu and Tutsi. A common myth perpetuated to draw attention away from the
effects
of colonization but oversimplified and just plain wrong.
If anything, the "entrenched idea" of Jews as perceiving themselves as "chosen" or
"superior" play a role in the Holocaust. Anti-Semitism played a role in the Holocaust.
However, this was not the sole causative factor but one of a gestalt of factors that
interacted to result in the deaths of 6 million Jews and 5 million others (Poles,
Jehovah's
Witnesses, Gypsies, Gay men, etc.).
Regards,
linda
--
linda m. woolf, ph.d.
associate professor - psychology
webster university
main webpage: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/
Holocaust and genocide studies pages: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/holocaust.html
womens' pages: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/women.html
gerontology pages: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/gero.html
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
