On Judaism

[Alexiev]

In a recent issue of The New Yorker, Adam Gopnik opines that Jewish history is the history of losers. Even the Biblical history is replete with Egyptian slavery and Babylonian captivity. Defeat after defeat tormented the Jews throughout the Bible – and has followed them since, in their exile from Spain and their Holocaust in Germany, Poland and Russia.

Gopnik argues, however, the we love losers. We remember the'62 Mets more clearly than the World Series winning '62 Yankees (it's The New Yorker, after all). Christianity arose from this tradition and Churches around the world adorn themselves with sculptures of the crucifixion, rather than the rebirth.

In addition,Gopnik speculates that the Old Testament consists of two quite different histories of the Jewish people, one from the Kingdom of Judah, the other from that of Israel. The Southern kingdom of Judah writes a “Palace” history of Solomon, Saul and Dvid, the Southern history is that of charismatic prophets like Moses.

The poetic value of defeat and loss mirrors the inevitable human condition, of course, although it differs from most earlier mythologies (the Norse Gods, of course, are doomed). The pathos of these stories was recognized by (among others) Homer,who made the family-man, Hector, more attractive than the all-conquering Achilles.

Gopnik points out that here in America this infatuation with lovable losers continues. Why (after all) is the murderous Jesse James (a Quantrill raider) often feted? Why are so many cowboy heroes of the movies displaced Southerners, still better after the defeat of the Confederacy?

Here's a link to the article, if anyone is interested (you may not be able to read it without a subscription)


https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023 ... ook-review

[LuckyR]

In my experience, Judaism is not about losers, it's about playing the victim card. Which is entirely logical. Folks should optimize their situation. Thus why it is disingenuous to criticize the physically attractive from playing off of their looks, the wealthy from using that wealth, the physically powerful from promoting their strength, the well connected from using personal relationships etc.

[alan1000]

No, playing the victim card works very well. It's what enables Israel to get away with pursuing the same foreign policies which provoked World War 2.