The Jerusalem Post and Aussie Dave have announced the winner’s of the right-wing Jewish blogfest, the JIB Awards. Undoubtedly, one of the most surprising outcomes was that Little Green Footballs, the blog that never met a Muslim it didn’t hate, won in the only two categories in which it competed. But nothing was fixed according to Dave. You see anyone could vote and all you had to do was persuade enough people to vote for you. The fact that LGF has 100,000 visitors per day didn’t necessarily mean they had to win, did it?
New Abu Graib torture photos–they bore Charles Johnson to tears (photo: SBS/BBC News)LGF won in the ‘Israeli Advocacy’ and ‘Mega Blog’ categories. You know, I like that term ‘Israeli Advocacy.’ Makes it sound like you’re David taking on Goliath in defending Israel before the world. But personally, I think “advocacy” is just a euphemism for “propaganda.” Go ahead, read something over at Charley Johnson’s blog-shmatte. If you’re a reasonable person you’ll have to admit that the hot doo-doo he serves up over there is pure propaganda. Here’s a random sample of one of his recent headlines: Abu Ghraib, the Endless Hamster Wheel. Here’s a shock: New Abu Ghraib abuse photos anger Arabs. You wouldn’t want to admit that Arabs might have a right to be a tad upset at seeing prisoners’ bodies covered by excrement (one of the delightful features of this new batch), would you? LGF is all attitude and distortion with little concern for truth or fact.
As for the other winners, as I’ve written here before, there isn’t anyone much to the left of Attila the Hun. Well, yes CK of Jewlicious (which won two categories) boasts that he’s a “liberal” though I’ve critiqued that claim…so there is one winner somewhere to the left of Attila. The one blog I WAS rooting for, Jewschool, placed second in two categories. Clearly, virtue and quality are not rewarded in JIBA.
So hats off to JIBA. Mazel tov, Dave, you’ve done it again. Celebrating propaganda and mediocrity in the pro-Israel blog world.
Well, Jewlicious is definitely right of you. But if critiquing simplistic arguments that claim that Israel is an aparthed state is simplistic right wing propaganda, then by all means, color me simplistic and right wing. There’s just no pleasing some people …
You seemed to have left out the Dry Bones Blog which won best blog ( overall ), Best Political & Current Events Bog, Best Jewish Humor Blog, and Best New Blog. No other Blog won first place in more than 2 categories.
Dry Bones
Israel’s Political Comic Strip Since 1973
Yeah well Yaakov, you’re not part of Pyjamas Media and not a foaming at the mouth right wing demagogue. Your victories sort of undermine Mr. Silverstein’s critiques of the JIB awards. So best to ignore you I think.
CK: You’re really making it too easy for me. So Dry Bones isn’t right-wing? How ’bout this little piece of anti-Arab propaganda regarding the cartoon controversy from Kirschen’s blog:
The blog post contains these choice morsels of anti-Arab hysteria:
I realize that Arab-hatred is considered quite centrist in some Israeli circles. We even have it here in the U.S. But luckily we don’t get quite as mired in Islamophobia.
Let me make clear that I’m no fan of anti-Semitism or such cartoons published in the Arab press. But unlike Kirschen, I don’t engage in wholesale condemnation of an entire religion or ethnic group based on the actions of a minority of warped individuals. I’d no sooner endorse Arabs making judgments about all Jews or Israelis based on the warped actions of Baruch Goldstein, Meir Kahane, Yigal Amir or the extreme elements of the settler movement.
So yes, Kirschen can be quite right wing (though not always so). I’ve read his cartoons since I first lived in Israel in 1972-73 and, but for intermittent exceptions, I found them uninspiring and unwitty. To me that’s the kiss of death for a cartoonist. If the latter doesn’t inform or entertain in a meaningful way, then he’s not worth the paper his cartoons are printed on. If Kirschen tickles your funnybone–good on ‘ya. I know he’s popular with the Jerusalem Post/Anglo-American Israeli crowd. He doesn’t tickle mine. Plus I don’t like his politics much of the time.
My problem with Kirschen’s and your approach is that it’s all surface and lacks nuance. In a way that’s understandable because you and your people are in what you see as a death struggle with Palestinians in which they can and do do great harm to Israelis. I too sympathise with your plight. But I don’t extrapolate a global view about Arabs and Islam based on such actions as you both do.
If I’ve lumped Kirschen’s views and yours together I’m assuming that they’re similar since you’ve taken up his “cause” in your comment above.
You have seriously GOT to be kidding me. You’re omparing the uniquely singular and roundly condemned acts of Baruch Goldstein to the Muslim response to the Danish cartoons? Meir Kahane? Yigal Amir? Man Mr. Silverstein, talk about lacking any nuance. I recognize that there have indeed been Muslim voices raised in protest against some of the more eggregious responses to the the Cartoon controversy – but those are so not mainstream and sadly very exceptional. And then there you go talking about lack of nuance.I don’t even know why I bother coming here – I see your pitiful arguments and distortions from a mile away. For whatever reason, you caught my attention. I guess it has to do with the awe and wondement I feel whenever you come off with one of your patented zingers. I have to ask mselfhow can someone aually believe some of what you say, let alone commit it to the Internet for all to see. Well, by all I guess I mean whoever it is that comes to your blog. I hav to say though, I am no longer entertained and I was never edified. So hasta luego Mr. Silverstein. Vaja con dios!
And YOU are SO wrong. Just a short stroll through Googleland (only two of at least ten pages of results) takes you to these sites:
Muslim Scholars, Leaders Condemn Cartoon Violence, Islam Online
FMC Condemns Reaction of Muslims to Unfavorable Cartoons of Prophet Mohammad, Free Muslims Coalition
Musharraf, Karzai condemn blasphemous cartoons, violent ralliesIslamic Republic News Agency
Area Muslims condemn violence, Miami Herald
Muslims condemn violent protests over cartoons, Spero News
Muslim Crowds Decry Cartoons, Violent Retort, Washington Post
Danish Imam Condemns Cartoon Violence, Yahoo
American Muslims Give Moderate Voice amid Cartoon Violence, Christian Post
BTW, I’m averaging 250,000 unique visitors a year. And I’m averaging 20% growth in readership ea. yr. I guess those folks disagree with you. But whada they know? They certainly lack your acute insight into my intellectual “deficiencies.” Do you think maybe we should tell ’em what a bad person you think I am? Maybe they’ll all desert me. Omigod.
I don’t think anyone here will miss you though, bud.
okay richard,
here’s a dry bones cartoon about the extent to which appeasers in the west are willing to bend over backwards to avoid seeing what’s happening.
Is this “right wing”?
left or right of attila?
hmmmm?
Yaakov: Your comment is clearly right-wing (at least to me). I don’t see the controversy in the same terms you do.
As for your cartoon, no I wouldn’t call it right or left-wing. From what you wrote about the Iranian’s comment it sounds like he was being off the wall in the way that the Ayatollah lovers (but not all Iranians) always seem to be.