Anti-Semite and JewJean-Paul Sartre
Anti-Semite and Jew
by Jean-Paul Sartre · first published 1965
23mentions
5recommended by
19HN commenters
2012–2026first – last mentioned
26% recommend74% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A short analysis of how antisemitism works, arguing that hatred is a chosen stance rather than a set of facts. It explains why ordinary people adopt it. Suited to readers of the philosophy of prejudice.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…the things we were taught are the basis of society seem to be completely worthless in the face of fascism's brutality, how could we but not feel helpless and passive? Here's an excerpt from Sartre's Anti-semite and Jew [1]. I think it's illuminating: The anti‐Semite has chosen hate because hate is a faith; at the outset he has chosen to devaluate words and reasons. How entirely at ease he feels as a…
on “Why So Few Resisted Hitler” ↗…Buckets of ink have been spent debunking specific ones, tracing their spread, analyzing their rhetorical structure and political uses, etc. etc. You might start with Sartre, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Semite_and_Jew https://archive.org/details/antisemitejew00sart/page/n5/mode... > Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous,…
…for collective identity, desire for power, difficulty with women. If you'd like some reading material: The Rise and Faull of the Third Reich by William L Shirer - the single best historical overview Anti-Semite and Jew - by Jean-Paul Sartre - an examination of the fundamental dynamic of nazi ideology The Nazi Conscience by Claudia Koonz - examines the nazi worldview in detail Kill All Normies by Angela Nagel - examining…
on “The Terrifying Power of Internet Censors” ↗If you read Anti-Semite and Jew, one of Sartre’s main points about the rise of anti-semitism is the intentional adoption of a “nothing matters, lol” attitude of its adopters. The entire point is to invite/allow otherwise “good” people…
on “EFF is leaving X” ↗…hate is taught or memetically-acquired in the absence of sane reasonableness and the Golden Rule; and ignorance is the lack of experience, knowledge, or wisdom. The Nature of Prejudice by Allport and Anti-Semite and Jew by Sarte are good reads.)
on “Google diversity head in 2007: Jews have ‘insatiable appetite for war’” ↗…Council. Whatever you think of him and how he may have fallen, he has a platform and he speaks to many millions of people and his words carry weight. I am reminded yet again of a Jean-Paul Sartre quote from Anti-Semite and Jew: "Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their…
on “Zuckerberg defends not suspending ex-Trump aide Bannon from Facebook: recording” ↗> I wish I could find the exact book, but there was a philosopher writing about anti-semitism after WWII. You may be thinking of Sartre's Anti-Semite and Jew https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Semite_and_Jew Here's a quote: Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous,…
on “The Efficacy of Reddit’s 2015 Ban Examined Through Hate Speech [pdf]” ↗…past. It is not that they are afraid of being convinced. They fear only to appear ridiculous or to prejudice by their embarrassment their hope of winning over some third person to their side. - Sartre, "Anti-semite and Jew", 1944
…also take into account that very angry people have their thinking under an AngryCloud — so the troll with cool mind always has the advantage over the angry community members. There's also a passage from Anti-Semite and Jew by Sartre. Page 13 touches on this: > Never believe that anti‐ Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they…
on “Reddit just passed Facebook as #3 most popular website in US” ↗…Marxist and was critical of Leninism, publicly attacking the Soviet Union's abuses of human rights and freedom. He was one the first to out the Soviet labor camps. Also, Sartre said that quote in the Anti-Semite and Jew in 1945, before most of his writing of the Soviet Union (not after).
on “Departing Facebook security officer advocated for shifts in company’s culture” ↗…Weaponized ideological compliance isn't always a bad thing. We don't engage Nazis or hooded members of the KKK in debate, because our priors tell us that they won't engage in good faith (c.f. Sartre's Anti-Semite and Jew) Instead of "Don't do this because of how it could affect your DEI rating", try "Don't do this because of how it makes you look", or Vonnegut's "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about…
on “David Sabatini, fired for sexual misconduct, lands millions from private donors” ↗Read the Jean-Paul Sartre quote below. Let me ChatGPT that for you: This quote is from Jean-Paul Sartre's work "Anti-Semite and Jew" (originally "Réflexions sur la question juive"), written in 1946. In this passage, Sartre analyzes the behavior and motives of anti-Semites. He argues that anti-Semites are aware of the absurdity and…
on “Cruise slashes 24% of self-driving car workforce in sweeping layoffs” ↗…your point. I also understand that it was the type of "Lol, nothing matters" flamebait, meant to ruffle feathers intentionally, but it's relevant that this is exactly that ethos pointed to in Sartre's Anti-Semite and Jew about the actual brownshirts and blackshirts this salute is meant to directly reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Semite_and_Jew No, I would agree with you that the salute isn't directly relevant…
on “X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube sign EU code to tackle hate speech” ↗I noted in a comment above that this type of behavior, "Lol, nothing matters" is exactly the kind of behavior described by Sartre in Anti-Semite and Jew about the behavior of actual brownshirts and blackshirts that this salute is meant to directly reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Semite_and_Jew It isn't that this type of behavior is designed…
on “X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube sign EU code to tackle hate speech” ↗…disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.” ― Jean-Paul Sartre This quote is from Jean-Paul Sartre's work "Anti-Semite and Jew" (originally "Réflexions sur la question juive"), written in 1946. In this passage, Sartre analyzes the behavior and motives of anti-Semites. He argues that anti-Semites are aware of the absurdity and…