Learning from Oliver Stone and Shirley Sherrod controversies

Conservative activist Larry Greenfield argues that Oliver Stone’s offensive comments are a symptom of anti-Americanism on the Left that should make Jews rethink their loyalties:

Three questions arise, one for Hollywood, one for American consumers, and one for Jews. 

a) Will Hollywood begin to reject Oliver Stone and his fellow travelers who stand beside, apologize for, and party with America’s enemies? 

b) Will US audiences reject Stone’s anti-Americanism and Jew hatred? Will we vote with our feet, wallets, and viewing choices and deny Stone our market share? 

c) Will American Jews continue their incremental political awakening and reject the left, which is hostile to Israel, Jewish identity and nationhood, and support American counter-terrorism policies that are necessary in the face of the third Jihad, a political ideology bent on conquest over women’s rights through Shariah law, over modern religious freedom and pluralism, and over secular, humane values as well. 

Perhaps. But while some still hope for the women’s movement, gay rights advocates, and the self-proclaimed human rights community to begin standing up to the genital mutilation, honor killings, and religious based murder that marks radical Islamism, many others have stopped expecting much moral action or thought from the bright lights of American culture.

As it turns out, the piece appears on a website operated by Andre Breitbart — as in the conservative muckraker who circulated the deceptively edited video that ignited the Shirley Sherrod controversy. Which brings us to the Forward’s J.J. Goldberg, who takes aim at Fox News for hyping the video:

The conservatives of Fox trot their hatred out in public for all to see. They raise bigotry and demonization as banners for followers to salute and rally around. Their goal isn’t to identify prejudice or foul play so they can avoid it — they openly seek to write their opponents out of legitimate public discourse.