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37 reviews for:
Anti-Semite and Jew: An Exploration of the Etiology of Hate (Revised)
Jean-Paul Sartre
3.68 AVERAGE
37 reviews for:
Anti-Semite and Jew: An Exploration of the Etiology of Hate (Revised)
Jean-Paul Sartre
3.68 AVERAGE
My God was that a horrible read! Sartre paints the shallowest possible portrait of the Jew, so one-dimensional, so pitiful, and of such generalization that it is hard - nay, impossible! - to take him seriously. Indeed, Sartre himself comes off looking like the supreme anti-Semite, not just holding but airing his childishly simplistic views of the Jew and maintaining himself as their supreme benefactor. Weak, weak, weak, is all that comes to mind: that is, a weak argument, a weak veil for his own anti-Semitism, and a weak mind. I had heard both good and bad things about this laughable French intellectual in the past, but now my mind is set: Sartre is an imbecile. His play No Exist was enjoyable, but his actual attempts at writing non-fiction seem, so far, to be terrible; though, besides this volume, I have only ever read parts of his The Psychology of Imagination.
Not only does his talk of "the Jew" ring utterly false from its insulting and massive generalizations (indeed, the entire book is generalization after generalization for 100 pages) but this work is filled with the most asinine leaps of logic and absurd claims, such as, on one of the final pages, "anti‐Semitism leads straight to National Socialism." How in the world is Sartre hailed as being so significant a thinker?
Not only does his talk of "the Jew" ring utterly false from its insulting and massive generalizations (indeed, the entire book is generalization after generalization for 100 pages) but this work is filled with the most asinine leaps of logic and absurd claims, such as, on one of the final pages, "anti‐Semitism leads straight to National Socialism." How in the world is Sartre hailed as being so significant a thinker?
Sartre's exploration of the roots of anti-Semitism and bigotry, his excavation of the psychology of the oppressor and the situation of the oppressed has diminished very little in value or truth. Sartre's writing is lucid, clear, and compelling, and I could always follow his arguments. Definitely worth a read.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
This is a very interesting analysis of french antisemitism of 1944 and a glance at the atmosphere surrounding the jewish cause in the post-war France. Some of the claims are quite outdated and some of them are straight up unhinged and uncomfortable (anti-Semite's hatred being really a result of his sexual attraction to the Jew).
But with the context in mind it's fascinating to see how Sartre's more sensible points smoothly translate to the narratives of the present. It's surprisingly easy to substitute "Jew" for a member of any other minority of today and uncover the brutal picture of how human hatred and bigotry is always built on the same fundaments. Just as " .. he [the anti-Semite] finds the existence of the Jew absolutely necessary. Otherwise to whom would he be superior? ", so does the discrimination of today thrive.
An interesting but problematic read.
But with the context in mind it's fascinating to see how Sartre's more sensible points smoothly translate to the narratives of the present. It's surprisingly easy to substitute "Jew" for a member of any other minority of today and uncover the brutal picture of how human hatred and bigotry is always built on the same fundaments. Just as " .. he [the anti-Semite] finds the existence of the Jew absolutely necessary. Otherwise to whom would he be superior? ", so does the discrimination of today thrive.
An interesting but problematic read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
This is a pretty good example of how philosophy and politics can come together to analyze contemporary issues. I must say that there isn't a clear explanation in this book as to how Sartre has observed what he analyzes. Sartre isn't Jewish and doesn't produce any testimonies or examples from the Jewish people he knew, so I'm wary of how he describes the thoughts and feelings of Jewish people. Still, I find this a really interesting application of his foundational idea of authenticity. It makes me intrigued to read more of his works.
reflective
medium-paced
The anti-Semite is afraid of discovering that the world is ill-contrived for then it would be necessary for him to invent and modify, with the result that man would be found to the master of his own destinies, burned by the agonizing and infinite responsibility.
Sharply relevant to today's political climate around hatred toward minority groups (immigration in particular) Sartre's pocket-sized thesis on what creates a social hive mind around the us vs. them ideology and provides smart commentary on the mindset of oppression and how it can inflict generational trauma with lasting effects on how people interact with their own individualism. I annotated the fuck out of this and after I lend it out to a few people I could see myself revisiting it. This is one of the first books someone recommended me for getting into Jewish theology/history and it absolutely lived up to expectations. There were many notable passages and a lot of profound insights/commentary that made rethink or reconceptualize a lot of my understanding of how to view racists and the mindset of someone who has to dehumanize another to feel safe in his own humanity. One part in particular that stood out was his commentary on social complacency toward members of the community who are loudly outspoken with their aversion to certain minority groups. "There was a tacit understanding between Jules and his family: they ostentatiously avoided talking about the English in front of him, and the precaution gave him a semblance of existence in the eyes of those about him at the same time that it provided them with the agreeable sense of participating in a sacred ceremony." which is a sentiment that, again, has great relevance today.
It took me over a month to read this book and even longer to annotate/research the climate and world powers that were central for France in the 40s but it was worth the grind and I couldn't recommend this swiss army knife of a social thesis more. 4 1/2 stars.
Sharply relevant to today's political climate around hatred toward minority groups (immigration in particular) Sartre's pocket-sized thesis on what creates a social hive mind around the us vs. them ideology and provides smart commentary on the mindset of oppression and how it can inflict generational trauma with lasting effects on how people interact with their own individualism. I annotated the fuck out of this and after I lend it out to a few people I could see myself revisiting it. This is one of the first books someone recommended me for getting into Jewish theology/history and it absolutely lived up to expectations. There were many notable passages and a lot of profound insights/commentary that made rethink or reconceptualize a lot of my understanding of how to view racists and the mindset of someone who has to dehumanize another to feel safe in his own humanity. One part in particular that stood out was his commentary on social complacency toward members of the community who are loudly outspoken with their aversion to certain minority groups. "There was a tacit understanding between Jules and his family: they ostentatiously avoided talking about the English in front of him, and the precaution gave him a semblance of existence in the eyes of those about him at the same time that it provided them with the agreeable sense of participating in a sacred ceremony." which is a sentiment that, again, has great relevance today.
It took me over a month to read this book and even longer to annotate/research the climate and world powers that were central for France in the 40s but it was worth the grind and I couldn't recommend this swiss army knife of a social thesis more. 4 1/2 stars.