Famous sports journalist and author Mitch Albom criticized the “lukewarm” response to anti-Semitic posts made by Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
“These days, you may lose your job through a tweet. You may lose your job through a retweet or your spouse’s tweet. If your message is deemed racist or hateful, it can lead to an avalanche of condemnation, quickly followed by an elimination of your reputation and his career, “Albom began a column Sunday at the Detroit Free Press. “So it may seem surprising that after NFL star DeSean Jackson posted several anti-Semitic messages on Instagram last weekend, including a quote he (wrongly) attributed to Adolf Hitler claiming that the Jews’ would extort money from States. United ‘and’ will have a plan to dominate the world ‘”There was no mass outrage from their industry and no immediate punishment from their team.”
Albom criticized the Eagles for their gentle and belated punishment of Jackson, which was an “undisclosed fine,” as well as the defense Jackson received from other athletes such as former NBA player Stephen Jackson and New Orleans Saints player. Malcolm Jenkins, who dismissed the controversy as a distraction. “
STEPHEN A. SMITH, MARK LEVIN SPAR ON DESEAN JACKSON’S ANTI-SEMITICS, PROTECTING THE KNEES
“The reason why Jews are not surprised by hateful comments is because anti-Semitism is the oldest form of intolerance in the world,” wrote Albom. “It goes back to Biblical times and has never had a pause.”
The columnist summed up the centuries of hatred that Jews have faced from being enslaved in Egypt and massacred during the Crusades, to the six million who were killed during the Holocaust.
“The truth about patting Jackson’s wrist is probably this: Anti-Semitism does not cause the same fury as other prejudices. There is rarely such a strong or sustained protest when a synagogue is attacked or a Jewish person is killed for their faith. Or the entire Jewish population is slandered, “wrote Albom. “This was reflected in the lukewarm reaction to DeSean Jackson, and in Jenkins ‘statements that” the Jewish people are not our problem “and” Let’s not lose focus on what the problem really is …’ No, Malcolm, this is what the problem “really is”. Intolerance. Stereotypes. Repeat the hateful rhetoric of others. It’s all wrapped up, and if you go crazy in one, you should do it in the other, especially when it’s within your own industry. “
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
He continued: “Silence is fulfillment.” That is a popular prayer today. But you cannot be selective with your noise. Not against hatred. For all the intolerant garbage that was raised against the Jews last week, it was eerily quiet. We should think twice about why that is so. “
Jackson received strong criticism for his Instagram posts that praised Louis Farrakhan, who has made a number of anti-Semitic comments over the years, and shared a quote falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler. Jackson has since apologized.
