Michael Jackson, Racism And Misogyny

In his best-selling album, Michael Jackson articulated two problems that have since then been a blight of the African-American community. In “Billie Jean,” he talked about men saddling their women with children for whom they did not want to provide. And in “Beat It,” he talked about senseless, stupid, directionless violence. Both of these have been the blight of the African-American community to this date.

I do not blame Michael Jackson for either problem. Like many creative types, he was only articulating what was going on all around him. The real problems are much deeper.

I have been close to a number of African-American women. And when I care about a woman, I adopt her concerns as my own. What some of these women told me made me want to punch the men who did those things to them in the face. And I am hardly a violent person.

So there have been people portraying me as a racist or a misogynist. This is completely irresponsible behavior. This is crying wolf. And crying wolf makes you – and others – not credible when a real wolf appears. And of these there are plenty. The real misogynists have called me such things as a pussywhipped idiot and a male feminist. The real racists attack me for being a Jew. So we are seeing many real racists and real misogynists on the march right now. And this should give these people a sense of perspective that they sorely lack.

So we see women in American feminist movement claiming any white man who does anything that they do not like as a misogynist or an abuser. Then they excuse vicious abuses by people who are African-American, or Muslim, or Mexican. This makes these people worse than hypocrites. It makes them traitors and fools. Now maybe calling people fools is not Christian behavior. However they have been saying much worse things, especially about people who otherwise would be their allies.

I once knew a young black woman who was studying to become a police officer. I told her that she was exactly what the punks deserved. If a white man busted them, then they could say that he was a white man. If a black man busted them, them they could say that he was an Oreo. But if a black woman – of the kind that they believed themselves justified to subject to hideous violence – then they were getting exactly what they deserved.

There was a band in 1990s that said, “You do not call me black, you call me African-American.” I will call you African-American if you'd like, but if you are an asshole then I would call you an asshole whatever your race happens to be. I come from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union did a lot to fight racism. I do not qualify as a “western imperialist” or anything of the sort. I qualify as a man who cares about how people are treated.

So we see many women involved in feminism claiming that they are strong people. I got the news for them. They are nowhere close to owning strength. My grandmother was a Jewish woman who lived through the Second World War while living under Stalin. She was a very strong person. However she did not have a bad attitude. She behaved in a humble and reserved manner while actually doing genuinely courageous things.

To the people who think that me or anyone like me is a racist or a misogynist or anything of the sort: You are completely irresponsible. You do not know what a racist or a misogynist is. A real racist or a real misogynist will beat you to pulp or do anything in his power to destroy you. And if you are alienating your potential allies by calling them things of the sort, then you are making yourselves and your people vulnerable to people who are actually misogynist or actually racist.

Unlike many of these people, I have hands-on experience in working with people who have been victims of things such as racism and misogyny. And unlike these people, I have understanding of what racism and misogyny is and what it is not. These people have been spending most of their energy attacking white men nearest the liberal centers of learning and culture who are the least misogynistic and racist men out there while having neither the guts nor the power to confront real racists and real misogynists. This makes them hypocrites, and this makes them cowards.

I have had it with these kinds of attacks. I know what racism and misogyny is, and I know what it is not. If you are really the strong people that you fancy yourselves to be, then go and fight real racists and real misogynists. I have done both; and I refuse to be subjected to such attacks.