Nuance is Dead
Along with everything else in civilized society
A few days ago, the Harry Potter actor, Emma Watson tweeted her support for the Palestine, quoting Sarah Ahmed:
Solidarity does not assume that our struggles are the same struggles, or that our pain is the same pain, or that our hope is the same for the future. Solidarity involves commitment, and work, as well as the recognition that even if we do not have the same feelings, or the same lives, or the same bodies, we do live on common ground
No sooner had these words and image were tweeted, than the backlash came in, and it was served very hot, as with everything online, these days.
Emma Watson was denounced as an anti-semite for daring to speak up on behalf of the Palestinians.
At what point does solidarity with Palestinians and the Palestinian cause become anti-semitism?
Does anti-zionism equate to anti-semitism?
Has polite society in a bid to stifle dissent, killed nuance?
Does every criticism imply bigotry?
I pose these questions because the same issue did rear its ugly head several months ago in the immediate aftermath of the release of Dave Chapelle’s stand up special.