Love us or hate us ? (part 1)

And now for the big one. Why does the world all hate us Jews so much? It's a big question and I'd like us to consider what reasons people give.

Is it religious, like between Muslims and Hindus in Asia? Is it about land, like over the Falkland Islands? Is it economic, blaming us for the financial misfortunes of others? Is it because of our insularity, the way 'they stick together', just like every immigrant group in this country? How about the supposed world-wide Zionist conspiracy for taking over the world, just like those attributed to the Freemasons, Catholics or countless cult groups?

Historically, it has in fact been all of these, all have been given as reasons for hating the Jews. Yet it is my belief that it has also been none of them. That's confused you, so let me explain.

Let's say you've been invited out to a party but you have absolutely no desire to go; it's an old school reunion, and you were the one they all used to pick on! You need an excuse, and fast. You phone them up and tell them that you've already planned to go elsewhere. There's a silence on the phone and you panic. Your conversation continues like this : "Oh yes, and our car's acting up .... and my husband's feeling a bit peeky .... and I can feel a headache coming on ... ". Basically you pile on the excuses as if the sheer quantity of them somehow makes it more acceptable for your absence at the party. Meanwhile your schoolfriend has seen through all of this and is saying to herself, "She doesn't really want to come to my party, does she"?

If you'd just given one reason and left it there it would have been alright, but by giving excuse after excuse you create confusion and doubt in the other's mind.

Returning to my story and fitting it all together we arrive at the situation that, because so many justifications have been given for hating the Jews, it's a smokescreen hiding the real situation; the truth is that people in general just don't like them. Deep down they don't really know why and are quite happy to believe any explanation put forward by others, and the more reasons the better - it helps to justify these irrational thoughts.