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0 pointsthrow3108222y ago0 comments

Note that the ADL is not the first organisation singled out by Musk: a month ago X filed a lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a non-Jewish organisation. So the argument that he chose a Jewish org is weaker given it's not the only one or the first one.

As for the accountability, it seems obvious to me that if accusing a Jewish organisation of wrongdoing automatically exposes you to such a terrible suspicion as that of making antisemitic dogwhistles, then these organisations get free rein to say whatever they want because even challenging them produces an unacceptable reputational damage.

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5 comments · 2 top-level

sidibe2y ago· 3 in thread

Regardless of what you think about ADL, he is now retweeting white nationalists like Keith Woods.

throw310822OP2y ago

Not sure that it was the only interaction- but the Keith Woods' tweet was a link to an article critical of the ADL written by a renowned Jewish scholar, Norman Finkelstein. What is important, who tweets the link, or the link's contents?

noduerme2y ago

Let's just also stipulate that Norman Finkelstein is not a renowned Jewish scholar. He is a profound antisemite whose Jewish ethnicity makes him a favorite prop for neo-nazis to trot out.

shadowgovt2y ago

Both. While avoidance of ad hominem is a useful rule for sophists using argumentation as an intellectual game or to better their ability to argue in a Greek court of law, in the modern world there is content of the topic but also, very much, the reason a particular channel chose to share it and the reason a particular influential individual chose to reshare it. Even in our modern law courts, it is germane to question not just the testimony of a witness but the character of said witness.

The critique in the article can be considered on its own. The fact that it comes to us via Elon Musk resharing Keith Woods, and not as an original link from Musk, tells us volumes about how Musk is willing to be publicly portrayed and who he appears to be listening to, which are also relevant information for the topic at hand.

freejazz2y ago

It's besides the point because Musk's targeting of the ADL occurs while he also boosts anti-semitism on his platform.

>As for the accountability, it seems obvious to me that if accusing a Jewish organisation of wrongdoing automatically exposes you to such a terrible suspicion as that of making antisemitic dogwhistles, then these organisations get free rein to say whatever they want because even challenging them produces an unacceptable reputational damage.

I'm not sure how they are any less accountable than he is. If he wants to sue them, he can. There is nothing stopping that because the ADL is a Jewish organization. What accountability do you think there is aside from that? The ADL can't force anything to happen, they can just advocate for their side as he does.

You are being purposefully obtuse. Musk isn't being called an antisemite because he's singled-out the ADL, it's because he's amplified antisemitism and doesn't seem to care about it.

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