Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson called out for social media posts
A look at why Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson called out for his social media posts
The Atlantic staff writer Jemele Hill addressed the anti-Semitic posts made by Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, suggesting in an op-ed on Monday that it stems from a much larger issue among Black Americans, including herself.
Hill began her op-ed by recalling an incident back in 2008 as a columnist for ESPN.com when she trivialized the brutality of Adolf Hitler. She apologized and was suspended for a week but wrote that she still "cringes" when she thinks about it.
"I had made a joke about the Nazi leader who orchestrated the murder of 6 million Jewish people," Hill wrote. "I was, of course, aware of the Holocaust, but I had given little thought to the feelings of the Jewish community because, frankly, it wasn’t my own. When others pointed out the insensitivity of my statement, I was mortified."
Hill linked her incident to the NFL star, writing, "Like Jackson, I am Black. And had anyone made a remark trivializing slavery, I would have been incensed."
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"I learned that just because I’m aware of the destruction caused by racism, that doesn’t mean I’m automatically sensitive to other forms of racism, or in this case, anti-Semitism," Hill explained. "Black people, too, are capable of being culturally arrogant."
The writer slammed Jackson's Instagram posts that attributed quotes to Hitler as "ugly" and acknowledged how his praise for Nation of Islam founder Louis Farrakhan can prompt people to "question his true feelings toward Jews" due to Farrakhan's lengthy history of anti-Semitism.
Jackson created a firestorm when he highlighted three paragraphs from a book that falsely attributed quotes to Adolf Hitler. He posted the picture of the highlighted passages to his Instagram. Jackson then posted two pictures of noted anti-Semitic preacher Louis Farrakhan.
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"Regardless of what happens with Jackson, the unfortunate truth is that some Black Americans have shown a certain cultural blindspot about Jews. Stereotypical and hurtful tropes about Jews are widely accepted in the African American community," Hill wrote. "As a kid, I heard elders in my family say in passing that Jewish people were consumed with making money, and that they 'owned everything.' My relatives never dwelled on the subject, and nothing about their tone indicated that they thought anything they were saying was anti-Semitic—not that a lack of awareness would be any excuse. This also doesn’t mean that my family—or other African Americans—are more or less anti-Semitic than others in America, but experiencing the pain of discrimination and stereotyping didn’t prevent them from spreading harmful stereotypes about another group."
Hill then pointed other examples of prominent Black figures involved in incidents of anti-Semitism like LeBron James and rappers Jay-Z and 21 Savage while acknowledging other athletes who have come to Jackson's defense like former NBA player Stephen Jackson.
"Black people’s fight for their humanity is unrelated to Jackson’s error, but they must use their own racial experiences to foster empathy for others," Hill continued. "The thirst for liberation and equality can never come at the expense of dehumanizing other marginalized groups—especially at a time when hate crimes against Jews have increased significantly."
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She added, "The good news for Jackson is that some are willing to characterize this incident as ignorance rather than hatred. Regardless, Jackson is going to have to work to regain the trust of the Jewish community—and everyone else who understands that Hitler was evil. Just because he says he’s sorry doesn’t mean they have to believe him.
Jackson apologized for his Instagram posts after facing heavy criticism.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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