Friday, August 31, 2012

Ratios

My very smart friend Kathy Shaidle has made an excellent point here-in any given city, the ratio to watch really is Jews: Muslims. 

I have been thinking about that very astute point lately.

It is no secret that politicians pander to certain populations. They do this to remain in power. They court certain groups that have money, and influence or smarts in order to solidify their position as leaders and to remain in firm control of the public purse.

Looking back to the history of Jews in democracies, their influence has either been intellectual and/or financial. Although they never never did actually control any country that they lived in, they have always been disproportionately represented in high-achievement fields, professions, income brackets, philanthropic causes and the arts and media.

By culturing relationships with Jews, politicians in Western nations were not in unfamiliar ideological territory.That is to say that they were bound by the same Judeo-Christian codes of behaviour for the most part. They had that in common.

By maintaining close relations with Jews, they did not risk a complete cultural and demographic overhaul of their nation. There was little to lose, and much to gain.

Kathy's observation that there is a tipping point ratio is therefore just the tip of the iceberg. This is because it is not just a snub of the Jewish community, it is more of a nod toward sharia-condoned behaviours. It is a step away from Western culture and religion and a show of deference to a culture and codes of behaviour and roving populations that have historically not been accommodating-but rather have been exclusively conquerors and not interested in assimilating. This nod, this preference is a relatively subtle move away from Judeo-Christian culture and it can be seen in academia, media, the arts and in politics of course.

It's interesting to try to think of any culture in the very short history of democracies that has done a similar thing-welcomed such large populations of culturally and religiously dissimilar populations into their midst.

Whether one is impressed, or dismayed by such changes, the fact is that they do have an impact on the host culture and country.

When we look at the United Kingdom as an example, it is not encouraging. Few countries in Europe are better examples.

There isn't a single country in Europe that Jews can feel completely comfortable in, wearing their Jewish identity outwards, without fear of an attack from immigrants from Muslim countries. That may not be palatable to consider, but it is the truth.

No society is immune to the charms of strongmen. "Cultured" societies like Germany did strange things during their brief flirtation with democracy.

One must always consider how countries that have abused and murdered their Jews have fared. Where do they stand today? Are these cultures still in existence? How are they doing economically, socially, technologically?

The population ratio is just a symptom of a possibly much larger, worrying direction, but one that may take several more generations to really be fully revealed.