Can't we all just get along?

There are two sides to every story, and sometimes they're both right.

Mike Silverman at Red Letter Day has a great point about the tendency of certian "activists" to be anti-semetic. I have heard the language he describes as unacceptable and been very pissed-off by it. You can't say Israel is unfairly persecuting the poor Palestinians and then turn around and unfairly persecute Israelis. It makes you sound just like Ann Coulter.

Also, the particular brand of trendy, shout-in-the-streets protesting he seems to be referencing has always annoyed me. I remember during my wild college years encountering a "Free Tibet" protest on campus and thinking "All you're doing is making me late for class and getting on the local news." I'm sure the people of Tibet really, really appreciate that some white kids are dancing around, shouting, and waving giant banners in my face while they labor under Chinese opression. (For a good bit about these sort of irritating screaming young adults, see this post at Tapped.)

However I have also heard the language he describes as acceptable immediately decried as anti-semetic. See here (and several personal examples from my own experience). Also, I take issue with a particular point he makes.

Be specific when criticizing Israel's policies and avoid hyperbole. Acceptable: Israel's policy of demolishing the family homes of suicide bombers is wrongheaded and inflames the situation. Unacceptable: Israel's policy of demolishing the family homes of suicide bombers is a horrible war crime and proves how violent and evil Israel is.

Punishing people for the crime of being related to a criminal is not just "wrongheaded" but morally incorrect. Saying that the actions of the Israeli government are amoral doesn't make one anti-semitic or condone the actions of suicide-bombers. I might say that I feel the actions of the American government are consistently screwing over everybody else in the world, but that doesn't automatically mean I hate all Americans and think they should all die. Again, it's toeing the Ann Coulter boundary.

Salon also has an article on anti-semitism today, if you have their premium subscription. (I don't. Someone tell me how it ends.)