Happy Holidays

From all of us here at FFSOM, we'd like to wish you a politically-correct holiday greeting:


Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an
environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender
neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable
traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your
choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others,
or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all and a fiscally
successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset
of the generally accepted calendar year 2000, but not without due respect for the
calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make
America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country
or is the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the
race, creed, color, age, physical disability, religious faith, choice of computer platform,
or sexual preference of the wishee.

Legal Disclaimer: By accepting this agreement, you are accepting these terms.

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no
alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually
implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by
law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good
tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting,
whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance
of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Sincerely,

(Name withheld for legal, social and cultural considerations.)

Why D.C. Teenagers Have Taken a Stand Against Police Brutality

By William Bates and Yared Lingo

          This past Wednesday, December 17, The School Without Walls High School of Washington, DC held a protest in front of the White House.  The school was protesting police brutality and unpunished violence against African-Americans. School Without Walls students were outraged by these crimes, particularly the recent deaths of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice.  The students marched from their school at 21st and G street NW, DC to the White House. At the foot of the White House, the students staged a “die-in”, wherein they laid together on the ground for over 30 minutes before marching their way back to their school in time for their midterm tests.

          The demonstration accomplished one thing without a doubt: proving that the youth of America care about this pressing issue. The protest was conceived by teenagers, organized by teenagers, and enacted by teenagers. The student organizers of the demonstration went above and beyond social media posts and hashtags to incite real action. The amount of time and effort put forth by the students, not only the organizers but also the participants, would be noteworthy even in adults. So this protest raises an important question: why is it that a demographic generally viewed as apathetic would take a stand, and in a huge way, on their own volition?

Students marching to the White House (The Nation).

School Without Walls Protest. Digital image. The Nation. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.

        Social media, most notably Twitter, has been monumental in influencing this phenomenon. There is a clear relation between the online movement and the physical actions, as suggested by the chants used by the students during their demonstration. In recent days, masses of Twitter members have used the platform to post their feelings about some of the recent police brutality-caused deaths, including those of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice. Common Twitter hashtags #icantbreathe and #blacklivesmatter were then transformed into call-and-response protest chants by the School Without Walls student body. The students’ yells of “Black Lives Matter!”, “No Justice! No Peace!”, “I Can’t Breathe!” and more could be easily recognized by anyone involved in the movement, largely thanks to their vast popularity on Twitter and other social media.

        Social media also provides accessibility to the movement for the students and helps to explain why this issue in particular garnered support from America’s youth. According to a 2013 Pew Research poll, 96% of black people in the United States aged 18-29 (the youngest age demographic with available data) use a social network, compared to 90% of white people in the same age group[1]. The difference is even more significant on Twitter specifically, where the number for white young adults becomes 28%, and for black young adults becomes 40%[1]. Black youth in particular have taken their outrage at police discrimination and brutality to social media outlets, especially Twitter; this online outrage has, in turn, morphed into student protests including (but certainly not limited to) the one by School Without Walls.

The School Without Walls die-in (The Nation).

School Without Walls Protest. Digital image. The Nation. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.

An important part of the responses to the recent deaths is that young people (especially African-Americans) are realizing that this could happen to anyone. This attitude is shaping responses on social media and also leading to protests all over the United States. Such racial discrimination against African American youth by the judicial system has been occurring for a glaring number of years, as seen in the case of George Stinney (a 14-year-old African-American who was wrongly convicted of murder and executed in 1944). The ages of the recent victims of police discrimination give further explanation as to why teenagers are protesting. They can empathize with Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, John Crawford III, and Trayvon Martin, who were aged 18, 12, 23, and 17 respectively at the time of their deaths.

Student speakers at the die-in (The Nation).

School Without Walls High School Protest. Digital image. The Nation. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.

There is currently a process within the United States in which black people are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that they could lose a friend, an acquaintance, or a family member at any time and they might not get any help from the American justice system. Students, especially black students, have seen that the police do not necessarily only harm people guilty of a crime, and that the justice system might not protect them if they are the victim of a crime at the hands of another civilian. This concept was expressed vehemently when the murder of Trayvon Martin was in the news thanks to the “Skittles and Iced Tea” campaign (naming the only items an unarmed Martin had with him at the time of his death). It was also seen at the protest when Aram Barnett, a School Without Walls student, spoke to his fellow students and surrounding observers during the die-in. His speech ended on a powerful note, stating that the next victim of police racial bias could be one of his friends or even himself.

           The unique nature of this movement has been able to emotionally charge the American youth. Largely thanks to social media, an attitude of “anyone can be murdered by police”, and the relatability of the recent victims, teenagers are taking a huge part in protests and (as seen with this event) even organizing their own. Only time will tell if this newfound solidarity will ultimately lessen police discrimination, militarization, and brutality, but support by teenagers gives the movement much-needed youthful hope in the mean time.

[1]Smith, Aaron. "Detailed Demographic Tables." Pew Research Internet Project. Pew Research Center, 06 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 Dec. 2014.

I Got 71 Problems and the House is One

By Brian Contreras

On Thursday night, the 11th of December, the House of Representatives passed a Congressional spending bill that, if made law, will dictate government spending and appropriations for much of the bureaucracy until late next year. They also crucially extended the deadline for the Senate to vote on this vital legislation by two days, staving off yet another government shutdown by a matter of hours.

This bill, in addition to funding many major federal agencies, supplies money to deal with the ongoing issues of Ebola and ISIS, as well as (in a move that has angered leading Democrats like Nancy Pelosi) reducing regulation on Wall Street bankers and increasing the donation cap for individuals to the RNC and DNC.

However, amid all the tension, one seemingly minor inclusion in the bill is drawing much attention from the nation's capitol - not necessarily by those within Congress, but rather the people who call the city home.

The bill, at least as interpreted by the Republicans who are pushing for it's passage, would stop the District of Columbia from legalizing marijuana; a decision that passed with the vast majority of support in DC's November elections as the widely popular Initiative 71. This has led to a planned march by supporters of legalization in DC and a sit-in in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office, as well as claims by legalization advocates that the bill's language could be interpreted in such a way as to still allow the change (since it had already been passed by voters). Whether such a loophole is available or not remains to be seen, but judging by the climate in Congress at the moment, things don't look good for supporters of DC's right to self-determination.

http://dcmj.org/ballot-initiative/

A campaign poster from the movement which, if the Congressional spending bill passes the Senate in it's current form, will likely be invalidated.

Wideo of the Week

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United Nations Announces Plan to Build Moat Around Eastern Europe

DEC. 3., 13H30M--New York, NY

The United Nations Security Council was called into an emergency session in the morning hours of December 3rd to discuss continued disturbances in the Donbass region of Ukraine. The Ukrainian representation flung increasingly repetitive accusations at a relaxed Vitaly Churkin, the Russian envoy to the UNSC. Visibly sweating and playing around with a tube of natural gas in his hands, the Ukrainian spokesman, Alexander Pavlichenko, expressed concern for "recurrent incursions of the Russian Empire onto proud Ukrainian territory." Pavlichenko delved deeper: "One proud Ukrainian people will be stronger than the multibillion dollar warfare complex of the Russian Federation. We will stand strong, united, bound, and kindred by a common cause and a common ideal. Of course," he added, "this is not an exclusive statement to American investments and international aid." Making a deplorable puppy face, Pavlichenko forced saline-induced tears out of his eyes as he opened up a burlap bag filled with coins of international variety. Attempting to rattle the coins, Pavlichenko threw in scrap metal in forlorn desperation to produce noise. 

Pavlichenko broke down in tears when the Haitian dignitaries bullied him out of his earnings. We received immediate reports of an unprecedented increase in in Haitian GDP. 

Most UNSC parties regrettably informed the ambassador that they would not be able to make contributions at this time, but that their prayers would be eternally with the Ukrainian peoples and their confusing history.

Tired of the circus-like nature that the internationally community had been fostering in the global arena, US UNSC ambassador Samantha Power introduced a resolution to dam a moat around the former lines of demarcation of the Soviet bloc. Samantha Power, speaking from the desk she was standing on in frantic frenzy to bring order to the chamber, stated "It has become perfectly obvious Russia has no intention of becoming cozy neighbors with the democratic world. Frankly, even Russia seems to be sounding its paranoia alarms. Complete isolation would be the optimal resolution to this pathetic problem." Ending her sentiments, Power brandished a shovel and cargo pants, and proceeded to exit the chamber.

The eight ambassadors who followed Ambassador Power to Berlin to break ground. 

FFSOM visited the village of Wieniscka. In Wieniscka FFSOM observed the new policy of Stupidita, wherein all things Soviet are ignored, ostracized, publicly burned, and thrown out windows into ravines. This has been causing moderate tension. We inquired a nice grandmother who baked us anti-imperial cookies and served us Polish Independence™ tea. Warmed by old Soviet generators, the village youth interpreted her provincial Polish: "We don't want anymore Russian invasions. Praise be god, why do we need Russia? We have our own Western European invaders to deal with. We still haven't dealt with the Germans, and now they are playing their own games with the Euro-Shmeuro. Russia is simply too much to deal for now. I have even brought out my old potbelly burner to keep warm during this time. My son will be chopping wood, but we'll have to use our knives. The axes are Soviet - we sent them back, haha... *inaudible coughing*." FFSOM was informed that our beloved grandmother had a heart attack, but had to be transported to Western Poland to find a hospital that had not been built on Soviet infrastructure. She will be dearly missed.

Her tombstone had to be cut from South American granite, out of overall fear of using a Russian rock. 

Russian president Vladimir Putin mentioned the moat project in his annual address to the joint session of Russian congress. Standing on top of his gilded platform held up by four slaves, speaking into a microphone wrought of solid platinum, Putin jabbed at the United Nations, "Our American partners have decided to sabotage our prosperity once more. We will not tolerate this sort of aggression any further." Putin's words were met with raucous applause, but suddenly, the leader led the room to silence. He elucidated his words, "Russia is a proud nation of proud people who have shown their unmovable ability to tolerate heaps of bullshit. We shall put this to the test again. Russia will again become the leader of its domain. Glory be Russia." After this, Putin put on his hardhat and brought out a shovel that uncannily resembled that of Ms. Power's. This one, however, was made of solid gold and was encrusted with diamonds.

Mr. Putin did not leave before showing off his most impressive finger shadow theater skills.

Fracked Up for the Future

By Arnie Zemzow

US Senator John McCain declared the United States can begin deliveries of liquefied natural gas to Europe before 2020, as reported by Thomson Reuters.

McCain was openly pleased with the breakdown of construction of the project "South Stream” – a discontinued effort to channel more Russian gas into Europe whose failure was abetted by the Ukrainian crisis. According to Republican Senator, he himself put a lot of effort into this development, eventually persuading the Bulgarian government to count on Europe in terms of energy interests of the country and to cease cooperation with Russia. Furthermore, McCain proposed to establish a supply of liquefied gas to Europe from the United States.

Hello Ladies....
 
In June 2014, McCain and four other Republican senators introduced a bill in Congress called the "Act on the Energy Security of the North Atlantic." The bill proposes the acceleration of the process of issuing licenses for fracking system and eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy for gas companies. The Department of Energy proposed to immediately approve the export of liquefied natural gas to Ukraine, Japan, and US allies in NATO. According to the authors, the new law will help the US get rid of excess gas, which is destructive to US energy systems due to lack of pipelines, and at the same time to strengthen the Russian economy and reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 1 Russia's final withdrawal from "South Stream". The project worth 15.5 billion Euros was designed for delivery to Europe 67 billion cubic meters of gas per year. It was planned that the pipe would pass through the Black Sea and through Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Italy and Slovenia. The desire to participate in the new project was echoed by Turkey and Macedonia.

For Her Majesty

By Cam Prudey

London Mayor Boris Johnson tried to calm a drunken passenger on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to London, according to BBC News. 43-year-old David Morris shouted insults at the flight attendants and behaved aggressively. According to witnesses, Johnson warned rowdily that on arrival at Heathrow Airport he could be arrested if he did not calm down.
 
The staff tried to restrain the passengers of the aircraft, but the man who was drunk went on shouting and demanding alcohol. Airline employees had to force handcuffs on Morris, tie his legs and sit him in a designated chair. However, he continued to shout and require hard liquor. It is noted that only one hour of struggling took to sober this man and calm him down.

London Mayor thanked the members of the crew for their excellent performances of their duties.

After landing at Heathrow, the aggressive passenger was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct on board the aircraft while intoxicated. He was taken to a police station in West End London. On December 18, the Morris case will be heard in court.

Wideo of the Week

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I Scream, You Scream.... Because of ISIS (Opposition - Max Segal)

It was seldom 5 years since the United States exited Iraq with whistles and ticker tape that a crime syndicate named the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria reared its all-too-powerful head in Iraq. Straight off, we heard calls for “boots on the ground” and how it was Obama’s folly not keeping troops in Iraq in perpetuity – because, you know, it’s not like we have a dormant debt crisis or that Iraq is a sovereign state. As we move further into our fight with ISIS, it is critical to understand that the only way to dominate the enemy’s home turf is to be strategic, not cathartically offensive.

Perhaps it is smartest to go about this listening to our Commander-in-Chief’s words: “After a decade of massive ground deployments, it is more effective to use our unique capabilities in support of partners on the ground so they can secure their own countries’ futures.” That is genuinely as smart a conclusion as any other.

 'Murica's knocking!

We must also bear in mind, it’s too early to judge about ISIS. Here is an excerpt from military specialist William Bowman:

Now, during the Operation Desert Storm in Iraq back in 1991, the U.S. was launching 650 airstrikes every day. Now, obviously we're talking about different kinds of enemies here. You're comparing terrorist fighters with mostly assault rifles to Saddam Hussein's large, mechanized army, but this gets to the main criticism here - that this is not really an air campaign. It's just strikes here and there. Some call it whack-a-mole.

ISIS is not your classic state, they say so in their doctrine, wherein they think themselves a caliphate, a hub-based functional domain. They don’t function within set borders or set territories. ISIS has land-grabs in the al-Abnar province, but only a general hold of other regions. A full-out offensive simply wouldn’t work- classic warfare only works against a state. ISIS is not. Airstrikes are the best option we have. 

We need also remember our calling. We’re dealing with a bit of guilt here, how we’re failing to secure the prosperity of every Iraqi citizen. Well, here’s some news: we’re not. Official Pentagon reports have stated: “The bombings helped the Yazidi religious sect reach safety, and thousands of them had been trapped on that mountain top.” Our goal isn’t to obliterate ISIS, though that would be nice and just, considering the inflicted damage they caused this country- it’s to secure Iraq. It would be faulty to say that we haven’t done so. The Kurds, while beleaguered, are fighting back against ISIS better and more efficiently. According to the New Yorker, the front line of the ISIS-Kurd fight in Kobani stretches a 650-mile ridgeline. What better way to attack a serpentine, sinuous battlefield than with God’s own F-16s?

 

 All we need vis a vis the Kurdish question...


Withal, we must remember: we have money, we have weapons. If we use them strategically and to the right people (see: not the Iraqi government, but grassroots defense funding to civilians), the welfare of the Iraqi state will be as promised as it ever was.

Ball's in your court, Ausubel...

Wideo of the Week

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Wideo of the Week

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I Scream, You Scream.... Because of ISIS (Affirmation - Nathan Ausubel)

Hello followers! Yet a new column between our Co-Editor Max Segal and Editor for Editorials, Nathan Ausubel. We will be doing a series of "Crossfire™" dialectics, getting to the core of issues concerning politics and beyond. Enjoy!

Stay Curious, 
FFSOM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

When the United States set out to defeat ISIS, it planned to drive ISIS from a position to inflict damage. However, even though the US has launched airstrikes, coordinated efforts of Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish forces on the ground, and built a coalition of countries, it has still not managed to defeat ISIS.

After three months of airstrikes, ISIS remains a serious threat in Syria. It is prepared to capture Kurdish towns along the border in spite of US airstrikes. Perhaps most troubling, ISIS has placed the town of Kobani under siege and is now advancing on three fronts. If Kobani falls to ISIS, ISIS fighters will be within striking distance of Turkey, and they will be positioned to massacre Kobani’s Kurdish residents². To make matters worse, the Syrian army recently suffered a humiliating defeat to militants that overran the command center of commander Jamal Maarouf. The attack was carried out by terrorists with affiliations to al-Qaida, suggesting that ISIS is no longer working alone³. With the help of extra recruits, ISIS is stronger than ever.

 

(ISIS's very probable plan of Pan-Arabic domination). 

 

The United States has started to train Syrian fighters, but its efforts will not be enough. The US is expecting to train only around 5,000 Syrian rebel fighters, whereas ISIS has as many as 30,000 recruits³. US training efforts are well intentioned, but the Pentagon will have to rethink its strategy if it hopes to overpower ISIS fighters.

ISIS poses a similar danger to the Iraqi government. Despite the efforts of Iraqi ground troops and despite US airstrikes, ISIS now controls most of the Al Abnar province, the largest governing unit of Iraq. ISIS has already executed three hundred members of the Albu Nimr tribe, and it is prepared to massacre even more people if they resist the ISIS takeover³. As the Iraqi government debates how to respond to the terrorist threat, ISIS is consolidating control over the region. Meanwhile, the Pentagon warns that a counteroffensive to drive ISIS from Iraq might not happen until next spring³.

(Iraq's very ineffectual Prime Minister, al-Abadi)

The US government needs to realize that its strategy against ISIS is a losing strategy. As long as Syrian and Iraqi forces are poorly trained and as long as jihadists arrive to assist ISIS, the United States cannot expect to turn the tides against ISIS. The US strategy is failing to stop the terrorist threat, and it will need to be rethought in the coming days.

Stay tuned for Max's kickass response.

¹ Ferran, Lee and Rym Mortaz. “ISIS Trail of Terror.” ABC News. American Broadcasting Company, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

² Dearden, Lizzie. “ISIS in Kobani: Where is it and why is the battle to defend it so important?” The Independent. Independent Print Limited, 7 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

³ Chulov, Martin. “US plan for proxy army to fight Isis in Syria suffers attack.” The Guardian. Guardian Media Group, 2 Nov. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

 

A Question of Blood and Belief - Part Three

By David Tamas-Parris, Candidate for A.A. at the University of Vermont

(Link to part 1: http://51ststateofmind.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-question-of-blood-and-belief.html)

(Link to part 2: http://51ststateofmind.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-question-of-blood-and-belief-part-two.html)

It would seem just from the above information that Jews are their own race. It isn’t, however, so simple. The divisions among Jews make it difficult to think of the group as one race. There are certainly differences in physical appearance between Jews of different background, and in Israel, where they all live together, there has been corresponding tension. Especially of note are the Beta Israel community, who are Jews from Ethiopia whom most people in the United States would describe as “Black.” These Jews were subjected to discrimination parallel to that of Blacks in the United States. Upon immigration to Israel, many faced nonconsensual injections of birth control, mirroring the American eugenics movement (The Independent). Using the same logic as expressed throughout this paper, one could reasonably argue that the divisions among the Jewish ethnicity can be considered races of their own. So, there isn’t quite an answer for whether “Jewish” is a race. When having a discussion about race, a social construct, one discusses how society forms ideas concerning a group of people. But different societies think differently, so whether a group is defined as a race depends heavily on the context. For example, it would be difficult to argue that the Rwandan Genocide came out of anything but racism, but it came from a conflict among two groups that most Americans would describe as “Black.” Since race doesn’t really exist for any good reason, racial divisions aren’t necessarily obvious, and this is demonstrated among Jews. 

    Although it depends on the context, Jews are a race in most respects. The definition of race allows for this, and the possibility of identification, on top of malice towards the group provide strong justification, although there are complications. Race is deeply flawed concept, but one that is necessary to face. Many Jews don’t prefer to see themselves as a race, essentially since the most prominent man to hold this position was a certain failed painter-turned-statesman. When talking to a friend about the premise of the paper, she replied that making the case for Jews as a race concerned her because she thought it would lead to more division. The point is valid. If the public acknowledged Jews as a separate race, more people might be encouraged to “other” us. I am not, however, arguing that my argument be adopted into public opinion. This is a completely different debate, and one that should occur, but I am simply trying to find truth, not necessarily to publicize it. I am contending that the flawed concept of race makes a comparable amount of sense applied to Jews as to anyone else whom we apply it.

Best regards, 

 David Tamas-Parris

A Question of Blood and Belief - Part Two

By David Tamas-Parris, Candidate for A.A. at the University of Vermont

(Link to part 1: http://51ststateofmind.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-question-of-blood-and-belief.html)

Jews are very frequently identifiable as Jews. To be considered a separate racial entity, Jews would have to experience separate racism, and for this to happen, those seeking to apply this strain would have to know whom to apply it to. This does not always happen, especially in comparison to “Blacks,” who have the label applied to them simply through the presence of substantially darker skin pigmentation; I certainly am not immediately identifiable as Jewish. Although I have brown hair and brown eyes, my hair is straight and my I don’t have a “Jew nose.” I spent my senior year in Hungary, during which I experienced tremendous amounts of antisemitism. People spewed things such as “All Jews are bad people” and “what can you expect from a Jew?” but I was never once the direct target of an antisemitic slur or insult. This was despite my classmates’ frequent honing of their abilities at identifying Jews by using celebrities as practice. People knew I was Jewish only if I told them. 

My father, though, has quite a different story to tell. He does have a “Jew nose.” His black hair left unchecked would develop into a “Jew-fro,” and in his youth it did. His appearance makes bald men in dark parks suddenly curious about his status of Jewishness. I strongly believe that my friend Joseph, the one who feels “pretty white,” would be immediately identified as Jewish by an interested party. The author of the tumblr blog This Is Not Jewish adds this: “As a blonde, blue-eyed Jew with an Anglo last name living in metropolitan America I have undeniable white passing/white privilege. But my Jewish friends with dark curly hair, ‘swarthy’ skin, and ‘Semitic’ noses? My friends with last names like Weber and Katz and Rosen? They don’t pass in America, let alone in Europe (and I feel 100% confident in stating that you know jack-all about how Europeans view race, but spoiler alert: Jews definitely don’t make the white people shortlist there, light skinned or not). Ever notice how white supremacist groups always include Jews on their list of ‘enemies of the white race?’ Or how the place where Jews are really overrepresented is in hate crime victim statistics? Millennia of rape and forced assimilation in diaspora may have lightened some of our skins (fun fact: many Jews, including many Ashkenazim, are people of color), but neither we nor white Gentiles have forgotten that our ethnicity and culture stem from the Levant” (Anonymous). Jews do not all share these physical characteristics, but many do, and if one so desired, he could identify a Jew and target him for racism.

The only remaining question is whether people exist who want to make the identification, and whether they use this identification, knowingly or unknowingly, to do harm. There is an unfortunately vast amount of evidence that the answer to both questions is yes. Mostly, wherever Jews have gone in the world, they have at one point or another been met with exclusion from society, violence, and worse. Nazi Germany took this pattern to its logical conclusion: the slaughter of six million Jews along with five million other “undesirables.” In this process, the word “Judenhass” (Jew-hatred) was ditched to make room for the word “Antisemitism” in an effort to ascribe the difference to the Jews themselves, instead of to German perception. It would be one thing if this racism was confined to the past, but, again unfortunately, it isn’t. According to a recent survey conducted by the ADL, “1.09 billion people have anti-Semitic attitudes.” It is not believed the men in the park inquiring about my father’s heritage were seeking cultural exchange. “Jew” was an insult at my middle school, and fair few of the student body of my high school thought “Jew noses” were undesirable and to be laughed at. It is clear that people, currently and throughout history, have applied harmful ideas and actions towards Jews.