Is This Liberal Totalitarianism?

Ayelet Waldman, Jerusalem-born and American resident, author and blogger, wife of author Michael Chabon, very Jewish, is a very left-wing political activist vis a vis Israel. She seeks a “higher standard”.  She is ‘ashamed’ of Hebron. And was attacked for that piece.

As has been reported, she is taking on Israel’s “occupation”, together with Breaking the Silence and other radical extremists, and the project is “editing a book of essays by prominent international authors about the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories”

It’s a special book because most of the writers will have spent one whole week touring under the auspices of anti-“occupation” people.  She is on the warpath.

However, as she has admiited to Peace Now that

When I debate issues of Israel I am sometimes accused of being naïve

it would not be unusual to find her thinking shallow and her knowledge shallower.

The tour has taken place. I I hope that bus-bombing didn’t upset their scheme of things. Or scheming of things.

In response to her tweet, I replied and it looked liked this:

I don’t see anything outrageous in those 140 characters of mine unlike what she wrote.  Even someone named Bobmark’s tag-along is cultured. I asked exactly what “occupation” she was referring to since there is, technically, another “occupation”, one much more violent and much more engaged in ethnic cleansing than the one she dislikes, intensely.

But what happened?

I am blocked.

Is Ms. Waldman a liberal totalitarian?  One who cannot tolerate a reasoned, logical but opposing opinion? Where is her balance? What was her mental state? Her intellectual curiosity?

It seems she can throw a fit. Or a tantrum, at least.  But to block me? Did I shame her in my language or simply point out a problem in her ideological orientation and historical facts? Did I use words like Simone Zimmerman? You know, the type that you need spell with an asterisk.

Peter Beinart similarly reacted to one of my comments to his thinking and blocked me.

They appear to be on the barricades of shutting down debate, preferring to get bothered by only one side (because the other needs to be understood).

To quote a dear friend: <sigh>.

^