As you might imagine I get a lot of email I don’t post. Indeed, there are whole categories which almost never see the light of the blogosphere. One interesting sub-category which comes along every few weeks is a form of argumentation about Israel and the Palestinians. It goes like this: The Palestinians are simply doing what we would do if Texas was being invaded by Mexicans trying to take our land. Now, I havve used a similar argument to defend Israel’s self-defense against Palestinians. So as an analogy, I don’t have huge problems with it even when used for exactly the opposite perspective to my own. What I find interesting is what comes next.
I will, if the emailer seems reasonable enough, point out that the more apt application of the analogy would have the Mexicans play the role of Palestinians. After all, white Europeans came and took Texas (and lots of other land) from Mexicans and indians. Indeed, the Europeans were more alien to North America than Jews who’ve always been in the region and have a historic claim on the land.
Now, keep in mind, I don’t buy all the implications of this counter-analogy, I just think it’s useful to point this fact out to some emailers. What is amazing to me is that on occassion I’ll hear back from these people complaining “How dare you question America’s God-given right to this land?” After that the nastiness usually commences. Though sometimes I do try to ask where in the Old Testament God promised the Scots-Irish a big chunk of North America, since I know where in the Old Testament God promised Israel to the Hebrews.
Now this has only happened in one form or another a half-dozen times, so I want to be clear I’m not trying to create a strawman or apply to broad a brush. But it seems to me that this does illuminate a certain strain of cognitive dissonance. There are lots of folks out there who dislike Israel and believe its claim to its land is tenuous while they have an unquestioning, pretty much theological, conviction that white America deserves our slice of North America. Now, don’t get me wrong. I think America should hold on to its real estate against all encroachments. I just think the inconsistency is fascinating and revealing.