All of this talk about black people divides the country. They fought so hard [as did many white people] to erase segregation, yet in a weird way, America is becoming segregated again - this time with the blacks pushing for it.
Case in point: "Since late June, the Office of Residential Life and Housing Services at New York University (NYU) has been working closely with a small, student-led task force to make racially segregated housing a reality in undergraduate student dorms."
Or: A general graduation ceremony at Columbia in addition to ... ".... several multicultural, virtual celebrations taking place in April. Those include ceremonies for Latino, Black, Native and Asian students, along with a Lavender graduation celebration for LGBTQ students and allies, and a ceremony for first-generation graduating and low-income students."
DIVISION. A woman is attracted to other women. OK. Why does she need a separate graduation ceremony??
It has sadly become black people vs. white people. And white people in favor of black people being preferred over white people vs. white people who think that people shouldn't be judged b/c of the color of their skin.
Then there are the constant voices that pit women against men. And men who think women are basically the same as men against men who think that women aren't men.
Then there is this endless talk about sexual identity. Why is this such a central issue? Why do non-heterosexuals feel a need to constantly assert their sexual identity. Heterosexuals don't constantly tell the world that they are hetero. It is a non-issue. It is just a fact. There are no "Heterosexual Pride Parades". Why is one "proud" of being a homosexual or of having had surgery to alter one's sexual organs? One should be proud [maybe] when they were kind or generous. But to be proud that he has sex with other men??? What moral accomplishment is there in that? To be proud that one was born a woman but felt manly so she took testosterone? Why is that a source of pride? Why does one march for that? If you are male - are you "proud" of the fact that you are attracted to females? I hope not.
I used to say in jest that I want to go to Michigan, become a Chasidishe Rebbe and call myself the "Michiginner Rebbe". My Chasidim would be the "Michigginer Chasidim". But I nixed my plans. The US doesn't need any more Meshugenners. It is actually becoming the NORM to think crazy thoughts. And if you think the way normal people thought until very recently then you are a homophobic, racist, misogynist, white supremacist. Or the worst of all - a supporter of Trump, making you a closet Nazi.
So for the sake of clarity - some unwoke reality checks:
Women are not men and men are not women.
A traditional family consists of a man, woman and children. Anything else is NOT HEALTHY.
Crushing a fetus to death is not kind. This fetus is alive and will one day be a human being like me and you. Unless it is crushed to death in the name of feminism.
There is nothing to take pride in for lusting after one's own gender or having surgery to change one's gender.
Black people are not greater than white people. They are also not inferior. People should be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character [plagiarized from Dr. King!!]. All human beings should be treated w/ dignity. בצלם א-להים ברא את האדם. White lives matter no more and no less than black lives.
More blacks are in prison than whites b/c they commit more crimes. When a black person is killed, odds are very very good that he was killed by another black person. Except for a few white supremacists, nobody believes that one should mistreat blacks in any way. Police brutality should not be tolerated - against any race.
Israel is the only normal free country in the Middle East. It doesn't need permission from the UN to build on it's own property. Jews don't want war. Their enemies quite openly do. The UN has been notoriously Anti-Israel over the years so WHO CARES what those שונאי ישראל say.
Anti-Semitism is a major problem today in the world and it is not b/c of anything Jews have done. People have always hated us. There are plenty of "civilized" Americans who would love to see the Jews erased off the planet. [People are talking about a video when someone posed as collecting money to wipe the Israelis out and college student after college student donated to the cause while expressing solidarity with the endeavor]. America is not a safe haven for Jews.
That being said, it is clear we often don't act the part of the "Chosen People". To say that we have serious faults is not NECESSARILLY Anti-Semitic. The Tanach and Chazal are replete w/ criticism of Jews. The Neviim were not Anti-Semitic. We really have to get our act together.
Some of the biggest enemies of the Jewish people are Jewish. Having a big nose and knowing a few Yiddish words doesn't give one license to harm and slander us.
Our values are thousands of years old and come from Hashem. We shouldn't change them b/c of all of the crazy ideas out there and need not apologize.
Our השקפת החיים should be determined not by twitter, not by Facebook, and not by journalists - even frum ones. But by the Torah, Chazal and our true חכמים. Getting tens of thousands of views on youtube doesn't make one a true חכם.
Degrees from Harvard, Yale and MIT aren't worth understanding one mishna. A degree is a piece of paper designed to help one get a job. Nothing more, nothing less. Nobody pretends that universities are places of pursuing knowledge. The fact that some Orthodox Jewish parents fight their kids who want to learn Torah and pressure them instead to go to college b/c only a secular degree has importance in their minds is a ביזיון התורה. I wouldn't want to be them after 120.
Learning Torah is a more worthwhile endeavor than doing anything on one's phone.
A large percentage of frum Jews spend lots of time they could be learning or doing other mitzvos playing with their phones.
That is a personal and national tragedy.
We can never forget that the purpose of life is to get close to Hashem in every possible way. There is so much NOISE out there that we often forget.
