Thursday, May 27, 2010

It's All The Same Case: Homophobia and Anti-Semitism

"The homosexual is literally infected with a pathogen (HIV) and will infect heterosexual soldiers; the homosexual will metaphorically infect and weaken the military with his depravity."



The following webpage contains observations about Jews that are as old as Louis Pasteur.  "The Jew is a pathogen who is infecting the white race."

http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t232053-2/

Is there a parallel between the designations "potentially infectious" and "potentially violent?"  One wonders.  In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries anti-Semitism moved away from a religion-based prejudice and became "scientific."  Jews came to be viewed as "genetically inferior" and incapable of redemption through religious conversion.  The Jews had to be eliminated.

Compare the following: We spoke with a physician who warned about the possibility of violence.  He was "unredeemable" and had to be eliminated.  He posed a danger to others.

(Note that I make these observations without mentioning any names!)

3 comments:

My Daily Struggles said...

I wonder what David Catania would make of these observations.

My Daily Struggles said...

I'm not taking a position on military policy. I will say that the HIV argument is a red herring. People who raise the argument were opposed to homosexuals in the military before the arrival of AIDS in about 1980.

My Daily Struggles said...

In Israel openly gay soldiers serve without hindrance in all branches of the military. Discrimination against gay and lesbian soldiers in recruitment, placement and promotion is prohibited in Israel.

Since 1993, homosexuals have been allowed to openly serve in the military, including special units.
In 1956, two soldiers were put on military trial on charges of sexual intercourse 'against nature' and were supposed to be put in military prison for one year, but the punishment was reduced on the grounds that 'homosexuality is a disease, not a crime'. Until the late 80s, the commanders had to report to the military psychiatric department about homosexual soldiers. The vast majority of psychological and psychiatric organizations in Israel and worldwide no longer consider homosexuality to be a disease or defect.

Israeli youth who are exempt from military service can volunteer for national service. Since June 2006, The Association of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Transgenders in Israel (Agudah) qualifies as such a service. However, a steadily increasing number of gay recruits do full military service, often in combat units. The Ma'ariv newspaper reported that one of the largest units in the Israeli army, an intelligence processing unit, is well known for the large number of uncloseted LGBT soldiers serving in it.

In a poll conducted in 2006, half of gay soldiers were found to be harassed during their army duty. Most cases involved verbal harassment.