Bah. In addition to being "Defense of Marriage Week" it's apparently also "Say Nasty Things About Jews Week". First Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad says that Jews ""Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them." and then a New Republic editor goes off on "Jewish executives". The latter has apologized, the former refuses.
It sounds like what Easterbrook meant was "How can any group of people who have been treated so violently and brutally turn around and glamorize violence and brutality?"
I have heard that sentiment expressed in many contexts and in many ways. It presupposes that people who have been treated badly respond by thinking, "Note to self. I didn't like that one bit. Don't do that to other people and don't let it happen again." Now obviously, that's not the way people really work, though I sure wish it was. We've seen it over and over throughout history. Brutality largely makes people brutal or helpless. It's hard for humans to respond rationally to pain.
Of course, people and nations should try to behave rationally. Of course, we should condemn vile acts, and nobody is above criticism. Yet I do get irritated with the "I'm shocked — shocked, I tell you!..." crap. (Perhaps that "Chosen People" tagline wasn't such a great idea and we should seek to redefine our brand.)
As a side note, I ranted at my boyfriend that I wished Jews really were as powerful as these comments indicate, because then George W. Bush wouldn't be our president — because the majority of American Jews vote for the Democrats. Of course, then he had to go point out that Wolfowitz and a bunch of the other neoconservatives are Jewish too. Dammit.
