holympic frames: what about freedom & justice ...?


strange times
wonderful places
mysterious people
confused me

1945 - 2008
low lands - far east - africans - indians - americans - all times - all places - all peoples - every person
italians greeks jews arabs turks persians afghans pakistanis tibetans indians japanese russians chinese
roman catholics greek orthodox moslims christians tribals castes samurai huns boeddhists hindoes sikhs

{Babylonian Talmud Avoda Zara}
Although our text is couched in the form of a critique of the woman here, and that (unfair) judgment,
that blaming of the victim if you will [stiil happening all the time everywhere!], ought not to be papered over in our reading, at the same time, there is also encoded here a critique of the male gaze itself.

It is no accident that it is the important men of Rome who are represented at this moment.
They are the proverbial (or stereotypical) "construction workers" in this text.
And Rashi comments, citing the biblical verse:
"A respectable king's daughter remains indoors,"
at one and the same time a "sexist" demand for a kind of purdah for women and,
since the daughter of the king is Israel, a comment on the proper behavior
of Jews in general in the world.

The daughter's story then doubles the critique of her father's provocative behavior.
Through this doubling, the approved practice for Jews is gendered feminine,
while the behavior of the Romans is gendered masculine.
The violence of their gaze is congruous with the greater violence of their bloodshed,
and the resistance of the Jews is to be veiled: "eternal" through being "in hiding," as the double meaning
of the verse implies.

"Remain indoors.
Continue to live, continue to maintain Jewish practice, but do not behave in ways that draw attention to us
or provoke the hostile intervention of the ruling powers.
It is G d who has sent them to rule!"

Thus, if we return to the terms of the contestation encountered before, some time ago,
this text once more seemingly endorses the view of Rabbi Yose the son of Kisma {and the practice of Rabbi El'azar ben Perata, was well!} that the trickster is to be preferred over the martyr,
but it does not by any menasn entirely erase or delegitimate the way of Rabbi Hanina, either.

De enige conclusie die je aldus kunt trekken uit ons myditijdreisgedoe
is dat we allen [alleen maar] gediend zijn met tolerantie, moderatie, vergevingsgezindheid & begrip.
Tat tvam asi: zo zijn wij [ook]!
Rak kach: alleen zo.
De rest is
bijzaak
...
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Asih, man, 81 jaar
   
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