Anti-Semitism

The other day in a chapter meeting for my sorority, two guest speakers came to talk about an appalling issue. Bradley Smith had written an article to the Badger Herald in which he speaks about denial of the Holocaust. He argues that the killing of 6 million Jews NEVER even happened. He posts a link to his denial website, in which he is only provoking anti-semitism.

Jason Smathers then writes an article explaining why he will not take the article down from the Badger Herald. He claims that although the piece promotes anti-semitism, it does not rise to the level of threats and so it cannot be rejected. Smathers claims that to remove to article would only suggest that the individuals reading the piece lack intellectual integrity to see the piece as untruthful.

This issue really caught my attention because I think changes need to be made to the Badger Herald. This article has NO right being posted for others to view. The article can potentially gain support and followers, promoting a horrible misconception. I believe that articles must be filtered even stronger before being posted online. This article disgusts me, and it ties back to many lectures and readings from class. This article raises the issue that division of minorities is prevelent and difficult to monitor. Every group of people have their opinions about other groups, due to feelings of inferiority or superiority. Some people find that they have the right to distinguish between different group, whether by minorities, race, or religion. The fact that Brown felt comfortable enough to post his article means he truly believes in what he has written. His misguiding opinion should not be publicly known nor provoked, and this article must be taken down.

The only benefit that I can see about this article is that it has brought the Jewish community together at the University of Wisconsin. The girls who came to my sorority meeting have planned a rally. This week, a rally will be help to stand up for the Jewish community and commemorate the difficult times Jews went through during the holocaust.