Antisemitism vs. Mental Health

So I guess when mental health and antisemitism square off there's a clear cut winner. Guy lost his job of ten years, that required supervision, for doing something he apparently thought was conveying something else. Maybe some can't let an opportunity to feel persecuted get in the way of common sense and forgiveness.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Madison Children's Museum has fired a Wisconsin man with cognitive disabilities after he wore an Adolf Hitler costume over the Halloween weekend.

The museum said the man believed he was making a mockery of the Nazi Party's leader when he wore the costume on a busy street near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on Saturday. He was fired Tuesday night, after his costume was condemned on social media and by some news outlets, including the Jerusalem Post.

The museum said in a statement that it fired the man after it “determined that his continued employment would create an environment at odds with our values and unwelcoming to visitors and staff.” The statement said the man's costume was “completely unacceptable" and that the museum stands against antisemitism, bigotry and discrimination.

The museum also said the man has cognitive disabilities due to a traumatic brain injury and that his work over the last decade has been supervised.

“It is our understanding that he believed his costume to be mocking Hitler,” the statement said.

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bijouxbroussard · F

Dumb, but if no previous behavior indicated he was actually bigoted, why couldn’t they have accepted his explanation ? But I imagine they were also receiving pressure from the community.

justanothername · 51-55, M

@bijouxbroussard sometimes it’s best just not to go there.
Some years ago HRH Price Harry was photographed at a party jokingly giving the Nazi salute. I understand he was berated by the Queen for his actions. The photo was on news stations around the world.

bijouxbroussard · F

@justanothername No question it was a dumb thing to do—that’s what I meant. I remember the incident with Prince Harry. Remembering the embarrassment of his great-grand uncle’s photo greeting Hitler, it was a huge misstep.

Ynotisay · M

@bijouxbroussard There's not much more out there than what I shared on this. But that was my question too. This seemed to be ALL about making a statement irrespective of how it hurt someone who, apparently, had different motivations.

I'm an atheist who doesn't care if someone prays to a rock as long as they're a decent person. But I lived in an almost entirely Jewish area in L.A. for a while and I can say, without flinching, that I was treated like shit. I was an outsider. Walking down the street they'd avert their eyes. Or give me the stink eye. On more than one occasion I had parents move their kids away from me if I was talking with them. I'm not making that up.
Wh
at I know for sure is that "persecution" lives at the core of a whole lot of Jews. It's about enemies for way too many. And they will never miss an opportunity to promote that. If saying that makes me 'antisemitic' I don't care. My thoughts are based on behavior. Behavior that, in my opinion, doesn't fly.

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bijouxbroussard · F

@Ynotisay It’s a funny thing. When we first integrated the neighborhood where I spent most of my childhood the only white kids whose parents allowed them to play with us, who came to our home and invited us into theirs, were Jewish. Someone on EP said once, "You were their ‘liberal’ card." Maybe, but as a child I wouldn’t have cared. They were consistently kind, and because they befriended me, others eventually reached out, too.

Ynotisay · M

@bijouxbroussard Interesting experience. I don't doubt it in the least. I"m not sure if it was the "liberal card" but I doubt it was. I do think it might have had something to do with connecting to the "underdog." Either way, the result was that a young child didn't feel ostracized. So that's all kind of good.

Ryderbike

@LordShadowfire good idea..,,,

LordShadowfire · 46-50, M

@Ryderbike That's the idea!

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SW-User

@Ynotisay this treatment of you in LA was all for being an atheist?

Ynotisay · M

@SW-User No. They didn't know if I was an atheist. They did know I was someone who didn't dress or look like them. It was an Orthodox neighborhood with a sprinkling of Hasidic. I was invisible on the street. That said, there was a very old Israeli woman I used to help if she was in need. She didn't speak a word of English but she would hold my face in her hands after I'd help her and was so appreciative. It really does come down to individuals but as far as the collective? They didn't want anything to do with me. It was a trip. Safe neighborhood though. They had their own patrols.

bijouxbroussard · F

@Ynotisay The people in my neighborhood were Reform. A friend once explained the difference to me: "Reform is ‘lazy’, Conservative is ‘hazy’, Orthodox is ‘crazy’ !"

Ynotisay · M

@bijouxbroussard HA. That's PERFECT. :)