Speaking of Humiliation By Jim Lobe

First posted on July 8th, 2008

After posting Mohammed Omer’s account of his treatment at the hands of Israel’s Shin Beth ten days ago, I was reminded of a passage I had just read in the New Yorker’s excellent profile by Connie Bruck of Freedom’s Watch’s co-founder and biggest financier, multi-billionaire and staunch Likudist, Sheldon Adelson:

“Adelson, whose countenance often suggests that he is spoiling for a fight, takes pride in being an outsider, who has suffered rejection and ridicule but has avenged every slight, many times over. Vindication is sweet, if never quite sufficient…”

“Adelson’s father, a Lithuanian immigrant, was a cabdriver in Boston, and his mother ran a knitting shop from home, in a tenement in Dorchester. Sheldon, his three siblings, and their parents all slept in one room. He and other Jewish boys in the neighborhood were beaten up by Irish youths.”

The last point immediately brought to mind the similar childhood experience of another staunch Likudist, Norman Podhoretz

To read the rest simply google Jim Lobe and please do! It's well-worth time out to reflect and read: -Speaking of Humiliation- and you will find this very recent article in quite a few places, highlighted on some very active blogs as well as quite a few comments on some--way more than most.

My Note: I am asking myself and other activists often, why aren't we getting anywhere? Or are we? When I read this, I once again understood that however long it takes us, we've got to understand precursors and we've got to do our dialogue...deep in the gut , tell our stories, listen to one another. Apparently, there is NO hope without doing this. I recently asked my yahoo list-serv group: Deep Listening if anyone was still there as it had been dormant for quite awhile. This group started with the encouragement and inspiration of Thay Thich Nhat Hahn who began Compassionate Listening Projects in many places. He was, is and will be most on the mark: Let's listen to one another no matter what the cost.