Sarah Palin and “blood libel”

**Posted by Phineas

(Note: This is an update I appended to an entry at my blog on Sarah Palin’s speech this morning on the Tucson massacre. Rather than append it to ST’s post, because of its length I thought I’d give it its own entry.)

Sigh. How predictable. Now the reactionary Left (and some on the Right, who should know better) are going after Palin for her use of the phrase “blood libel.” Give me a break. While originally used to specifically refer to a horrid slander against Jews, the phrase has expanded in meaning to include any inflammatory slander inciting hatred of an entire group. On the contrary, it’s frequently used in our political shouting matches discourse. Only yesterday, Glenn Reynolds used it in the Wall St. Journal. Jim Geraghty has a broad and growing survey of its use by both the Right and the Left. Ed Morrissey in an update thinks Palin’s use the phrase was appropriate. So does William Jacobson. My friend Jeff Dunetz at Yid-With-Lid asks “What’s the problem?” Finally, Alan Dershowitz, whom only a fool would describe as a conservative or a Right-winger, issued this statement at Big Government:

The term β€œblood libel” has taken on a broad metaphorical meaning in public discourse. Although its historical origins were in theologically based false accusations against the Jews and the Jewish People,its current usage is far broader. I myself have used it to describe false accusations against the State of Israel by the Goldstone Report. There is nothing improper and certainly nothing anti-Semitic in Sarah Palin using the term to characterize what she reasonably believes are false accusations that her words or images may have caused a mentally disturbed individual to kill and maim. The fact that two of the victims are Jewish is utterly irrelevant to the propriety of using this widely used term.

As far as I’m concerned, Governor Palin’s use of the phrase was apt, accurate, and powerful, which is why it’s driving the Left nuts.

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