 |
So Long, Jewcy |
|
| Goodbye, Tschüß, Adieu, שׂלוםׂ, خدا حافظ, La Rivedere, Valete | ||
 by Daniel Koffler, June 30, 2008 |
||
TAGS:
Jewcy has been my digital shtetl (as Michael Weiss would say), since last fall. During the first third of that period, I was a blogger for the late, lamented Cabal; in the latter two thirds, I've had the privilege of being temporary custodian (as Tim Russert would say) of Jewcy's political coverage. It's been an eventful, tumultuous stretch of time, but edifying as well. We learned that contrarianism is occasionally wrong --- shocking, I know --- as, for example, black people are not dumber than white people.
We learned that when it comes to pre-emptively surrendering ancient liberties to the
Ulli The German Shepherd: My dog, if I had a dog exponents of Sharia, Canadians have us Yanks dominated (we don't pre-emptively surrender our liberties to Muslim theocrats; we pre-emptively surrender our liberties because of Muslim theocrats). We learned that marginally-classier-than-Apollo Braun Jewish opponents of Barack Obama will stoop to anything, including doctoring his advisors' language, to insinuate that he is an antisemite. We learned that Leon Wieseltier's pre-eminent place in the public intellectual world is a symptom of profound cultural rot. And we learned that Obama is more in tune with Jewish culture than anybody who's gotten as close as he has to the presidency --- and that doesn't necessarily augur well if he's elected.
In other words, it's been a blast writing for you, editing for you, and occasionally duking it out in comments threads. And now it's time for me to move on. I'm so tired of America, as Rufus Wainwright would say, and so I'm leaving --- first to go to Israel, from which I'll come back, and then to move to England, where I'll be living for the foreseeable future. (More details here and in my revamped bio.) In the meantime, I'm going to do a month-or-two rotation blogging for The Art of the Possible, a brilliant entrepreneurial left-libertarian group blog I recommend all you hipsters check out soon, so that you can claim you were into it way before it sold out (when it was still cool). And also, there are a couple of projects that have been sitting on my back burner for too long, that I need either to finish or ditch before setting sail.
If there's one message I want to leave you with, it's that all opposition to Barack Obama is racist this small corner of the web is home to some of the most vibrant, fresh ideas going on anywhere (and some of the best original artwork!), so keep reading. And also, we really are enough of a shtetl that if you feel like dropping me a line, please do. That goes for everyone, including our own Castor-Pollux duo Naftali and Ismail, but not including the guy who keeps posting those several thousand word neo-Nazi tracts or that asshole "Kid Blast," who is anything but. You know where the messaging tab is (top right quadrant of the home page).
When Izzy left, she posted pictures of her cats. I have no pets; however, if I did, I would have a German shepherd dog named Ulli, pictured conceptually above. Adieu, adieu.
An artificial country is on the brink of dissolution
Long, personal, gut-wrenchingly honest stories from the comments...
We must break from the Orthodox
Paleoconservative firebrand Paul Gottfried and his French-speaking,...
The Orthodox Emcee Riffs about His Latest Album, Obama, and the...
| Dev Blog | Privacy | Submissions | Contact | |  | | Comment Policy | About Us | FAQ | Masthead |
| Hosting provided by Tilted Planet | ||
thecreator
So long
You'll be missed ...
Roi Ben-Yehuda
Salaam Daniel,
You were like a logic machine with a heart. It was nice to have you with us.
Ali Eteraz
i second roi
like Data when he revolted against the Borg Queen.
Anonymous
Have fun hanging out with
Have fun hanging out with Stephen and Hilary Rose, Sue Blackwell, Derek Summerfield, Tom Paulin, David Irving, Canon Paul Oestreicher, Faisal Bodi, Abu Hamza, Mona Baker, John Pilger, Max Hastings, George Galloway, Ken Livingswine, Tom Dalyell, Gerald Kaufmannn, and a multitude of other creatures. Stay in the UK as long as you like. The US of A is tired of u as well
Elvis Baldwell
Why visit Israel when you
Why visit Israel when you flee from the US? Visit Iran instead and brush up on your Farsi. You could meet with AHmadinejad and assist his efforts to whitewash his image in the west, while he supplies Hamas and Hezbollah with arms and training for the next war with Israel. Perhaps while you work on your Farsi, the Basiji could regale you with stories on how they blew up the JCC in Buenos Aires. Who knows, perhaps you could have tea with Ron Arad
Similarly, Bruce C. Thornton, a professor of Classics at American University of Cal State Fresno wrote:[9]
David N. Friedman
Save your postings
Daniel, I encourage you to keep your postings on this blog as a memorial for how you once thought as your growth brings you to hopefully a new awareness of reality.
The folly of youth is revealed by the wisdom of experience. Some liberals just grow old--it is my hope that you will grow to see the error of your current understandings and you will bank on your fine intellect for future rewards instead of poor rationalizations.
Then, you will actually win some debates and there is pride and value in holding higher truths and principles.
hannah247
Turn about
Wishing you all the very best in your new home, Daniel
I have just returned to Israel after 24 years in the UK. What can I say about my experience, you might ask? British politics are unbelievably complex. As a recent case in point; London is, a far as I know, the only capital city where a Jewish politician has joined the far right National Front and made her party membership public.
Enjoy the chaos of British politics and...
All the best of British..........
Hannah
David Kelsey
Best of luck
Best of luck, Daniel. I will miss you. No, I'm not kidding.
Spongedaniel Yalepants
I am confused how to
I am confused how to pronounce your name in Farsi. Is is Ghoffler, Chchoffler, Moffler, Kookhler, Khoffler?
Is it Khaniel, Spaniel, Ganiel, Daniekh, Blahniyel?
Eli Valley
And Adolf Hitler
Have fun hanging out with Adolf Hitler, Koffler.
But seriously, I'll miss you around these parts. Good luck doing the Philosophy thing, and say hi to The Queen for me (just mention February 2002, eight snake bites, and the "royal cavalry." She'll remember, and she'll blush profusely before retiring to her chambers for a fortnight.)
Anonymous
This sucks
Come back!
I'll read you wherever you go...
Anonymous
These few precepts in thy
These few precepts in thy memory:
You're a smart kid, but you're like a terrier, yapping in all directions. Try to let some of that vaunted English reserve rub off on you, and be a little more sparing in your opinions.
Try to be less judgmental of your intellectual sparring partners. It may in fact be the case that some of your own ideas evolve to bear some similarity to theirs, improbable as that might seem. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened.
Make sure you name your dog Ulli, not Blondi.
Drop the weary-of-American-coarseness pose, even if it wins you points with aging bachelor dons. It's a dull cliche.
Have fun.
Barbara Reader
You'll be missed.
One of your comments brought me here. I'm not exactly here all the time, but I'll miss you.
Anonymous
Great...
Another Jew-hater joins the ranks of British academia.
Khaniel Ghoofler
I object to being called a
I object to being called a self hating Jew. I dont hate myself. I just hate it when other Jews go beyond their historical roles of victims and defend themselves. I feel more self righteous when Jews are victims, like yesterdays attack in al Quds. That attack allows me not to cringe and feel shame when Israel is brought up in philosophical circles. Yesterday, I was able to strut and say- see, we are not all bad. Whne Israel responds, it looks bad in the Guardian and the BBC, and my colleagues criticize me, flailing my thin skin. That is why I am really encouraged by developments in Iran- it allows martyrdom on a massive scale and if successful, I will be able to hold my own in the hallowed halls of Oxford, Cambridge, or the SOrbonne. Only when Jews are weak and decimated can I feel good about myself. Of course, when the destruction occurs, I will be nowhere near the site, but in sunny UK. That is why I favor the peace of the brave-the brave Israelis get destroyed, I get the peace and prestige
kid blast
DK got out just in time. No
DK got out just in time. No need now to rationalize his Great Man's tack to the middle. DK loved him when.
As for being an "asshole", let me quote the Dude: "No, you're not wrong...you're an..."
Post new comment