"Accidental Racist"

[tropaka]

Well, this is snarkable:

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/mu ... stock.html

Of course it was no accident that Brad Paisley’s well-intentioned, but predictably inflammatory new single, “Accidental Racist,†began making the rounds on the Internet on the Monday before his ninth album, Wheelhouse, was to be released today.

Of course a direct trajectory could be traced between LL Cool J’s unlikely presence at the American Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night and the public unveiling of his guest rap verse on “Accidental Racist†the following day.

ACCIDENTAL RACIST:Listen to the song

Of course the explosion of baffled and/or outraged emails, tweets and Facebook posts that detonated in the wake of “Accidental Racist†and its ill-conceived message of healing for an America incurably divided by a history of systemic disregard for human rights was perfectly timed to sustain itself through the night and further foment far more interest (prurient or otherwise) than would otherwise have been due Wheelhouse.

Despite whatever calculated, media-manipulating machinations that might have guided its release, however, “Accidental Racist†looked by Monday’s end to have bitten its creators firmly in the behind. The online response to Paisley and LL Cool J’s misbegotten update on the “Ebony and Ivory†theme — a track that begins with a waffling non-apology to Paisley’s Starbucks server for any misunderstanding that might arise from him wearing a Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt emblazoned with the Confederate flag because “Our generation didn’t start this nation/And we’re still paying for mistakes/That a bunch of folks made long before we came/And (are) caught between Southern pride and Southern blame†and ends with LL Cool J observing that “the Mason/Dixon needs some fixin’†— was swift, animated and mostly merciless. For a time on Monday afternoon and well into the evening, it was a full-time job staying on top of the Twitter drolleries being heaped unforgivingly upon the pair’s efforts at mending ways for all the nastiness that preceded … er … the American Civil Rights movement.

By midnight, the widespread, unsolicited derision had apparently taken its toll; pretty much all of the readily searchable links to the YouTube video for “Accidental Racist†that originally circulated — basically an audio clip of the tune that superimposed its lyrics (“When I put on that T-shirt / The only thing I meant to say is I’m a Skynyrd fanâ€) over a montage of photographic stills — were met with a message that the material in question had been “removed by the user.â€

Meantime, Entertainment Weekly was so moved by the “ruckus†over “Accidental Racist†that, it claimed, it was graciously releasing a defence of the song presciently banked during Paisley’s visit to the EW office “a few weeks ago†a day ahead of its originally scheduled Tuesday publishing date.

“This isn’t a stunt,†the magazine quoted Paisley as saying whilst preemptively holding forth on the subject of “Accidental Racist.â€

“This isn’t something that I just came up with just to be sort of shocking or anything like that. I knew it would be, but I’m sort of doing it in spite of that, really.

“I’m doing it because it just feels more relevant than it even did a few years ago. I think that we’re going through an adolescence in America when it comes to race. You know, it’s like we’re almost grown up. You have these little moments as a country where it’s like, ‘Wow things are getting better.’ And then you have one where it’s like, ‘Wow, no they’re not.’â€

Paisley adds in the same Entertainment Weekly piece: “I just think art has a responsibility to lead the way, and I don’t know the answers, but I feel like asking the question is the first step, and we’re asking the question in a big way.â€

Regardless of its authors’ altruistic motivations, “Accidental Racist†was the motivation for a heroic amount of off-the-cuff comedy online on Monday — even the normally reserved folks at Billboard posted a compendium of “LL Cool J’s craziest lyrics†from the one track

The twitter comments are pretty good.

The "song"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4bq4hP35yc

[debrand]

This is one of those issues where I think that the person has to be purposefully blind not to understand why something is offensive. The Confederate flag is a symbol of racism, suppression and terrorism. The same people who fought in and supported the Civil War are the same ones who worked hard after the war to make certain that African Americans didn't have the same rights as whites. The Confederate flag shouldn't be seen as being different than any other racist symbolism

Paisley is not someone who never left their hometown. His fame has probably exposed him to other points of views and thoughts. So, his defense or wearing of the flag is doubly offensive.

When I see someone wearing a Confederate flag, at best, I know the person is ignorant.

[Dysfundamental]

I am disappointed in LL Cool J. I know he's been doing more acting than rapping for the last several years, but many of his early songs were complex and reflected social awareness.

As for Brad Paisley, I am unsurprised. "Accidental" racist? What, did dude just slip and fall into a Confederate flag shirt?

[2xx1xy1JD]

Wow.

I'm going to refer back to my comment to Samurai Sarah on the Holocaust remembrance thread. Time alone does not heal wounds. What I admire about post-war Germany was the fact that there was an active acknowledgement of wrongdoing, some real shame and introspection, and a commitment to change in the future. It is actually illegal in Germany to display Nazi symbols. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafgeset ... ection_86a (I'm not saying that absolutely no Nazi sympathy remained anywhere, just acknowledging official actions and a pretty widespread mood.) How we relate to the past, including the symbols that we choose to use TODAY, affects the present. You don't move past old conflicts by wearing symbols of that racist past, because before you open your mouth, it instantly sends a message and creates an atmosphere where someone else can truly fear that you long for a past of racism and slavery.

[GeoBQn]

I was having a conversation with one of my coworkers the other day about this. (Note: Coworker is white, mid-20's, Jewish, considers herself liberal but voted for Romney because of Israel.) When I brought up the Confederate flag and the racism behind it (particularly since it really took off in popularity during anti-desegregation movement in the 1950's), she went on a long explanation of how people display the flag for a lot of complex reasons and "both sides committed atrocities during the Civil War." Later, when I brought up how 1970's punk rockers used the swastika as a symbol of rebellion, she went on a rant about how anybody who uses a swastika is anti-Semitic, should know better because of history, she has absolutely no sympathy for people who use it, etc. Why does one symbol with a hateful history get a pass, and the other one doesn't?

[Khiwanean]

I was having a conversation with one of my coworkers the other day about this. (Note: Coworker is white, mid-20's, Jewish, considers herself liberal but voted for Romney because of Israel.) When I brought up the Confederate flag and the racism behind it (particularly since it really took off in popularity during anti-desegregation movement in the 1950's), she went on a long explanation of how people display the flag for a lot of complex reasons and "both sides committed atrocities during the Civil War." Later, when I brought up how 1970's punk rockers used the swastika as a symbol of rebellion, she went on a rant about how anybody who uses a swastika is anti-Semitic, should know better because of history, she has absolutely no sympathy for people who use it, etc. Why does one symbol with a hateful history get a pass, and the other one doesn't?

It's her myopic attitude: "If it doesn't affect me, it doesn't matter."

[Salamander]

“I’m doing it because it just feels more relevant than it even did a few years ago. I think that we’re going through an adolescence in America when it comes to race. You know, it’s like we’re almost grown up. You have these little moments as a country where it’s like, ‘Wow things are getting better.’ And then you have one where it’s like, ‘Wow, no they’re not.’â€

The fact that a not-insignificant number of people think there's a valid debate to be had over whether the Confederate flag is indeed racist makes me wonder if we've even reached the point of adolescence when it comes to discussions of race in this country.

[Savoring Samsara]

Oh gross my parents really like Brad Paisley. :(

This song is just flat out embarrassing on so many levels - the LL Cool J parts of it even more so than the Brad Paisley parts. It seems well-meaning, but just SO uneducated around issues of race that it comes off as insultingly simplistic.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

:angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

You don't get a pass to wear a racist symbol just because it's for a band you like. You also can't wear a swastika just because you think the Nazis made great advancements in urban planning. Fuck. Is it really that hard to comprehend? :doh:

[JesusFightClub]

This is one of those issues where I think that the person has to be purposefully blind not to understand why something is offensive. The Confederate flag is a symbol of racism, suppression and terrorism. The same people who fought in and supported the Civil War are the same ones who worked hard after the war to make certain that African Americans didn't have the same rights as whites. The Confederate flag shouldn't be seen as being different than any other racist symbolism

Paisley is not someone who never left their hometown. His fame has probably exposed him to other points of views and thoughts. So, his defense or wearing of the flag is doubly offensive.

When I see someone wearing a Confederate flag, at best, I know the person is ignorant.

I saw a shirt the other day in a high street store that I liked and upon examining it it had that flag on the sleeves. I didn't buy it.

But over here it's only seen as being "American" and there's no history. The swastika, too, has a far older history than the Nazis, so I could almost stretch to thinking some types would be trying to reclaim it. You can tell the difference between some SDL/EDL nutter wearing a swastika badge and doing Nazi salutes and a hippy tree-hugging type with a hand-woven jumper incorporating that symbol as part of an "exotic" design.

[darareaksmey]

Does the world really need Brad Paisley to bare his soul on this? Yes, dude, you SHOULD feel uncomfortable wearing that shirt, and not just if your Starbucks server happens to be African-American. If you don't feel uncomfortable on your own behalf, you should regret continuing to represent the south as a place where no one likes black people and everyone loves the flag. Poor, poor you, for being misunderstood.

Country music should have died with Hank Williams Sr.

[Sumeri]

The online response to Paisley and LL Cool J’s misbegotten update on the “Ebony and Ivory†theme

:lol:

There are so many things wrong with this song, and it is so. SO poorly thought out and so very offensive. But what's even worse than that is it just SUCKS. I forced myself to watch it yesterday and it is so, so, so bad. From the red flag/do rag bit to LL Cool J talking about his saggy assed pants to poor Brad crying over just being a white boy!! :shock: It's just unbelievably bad.

Am now waiting for all the "I'm not really a racist, where's my White History month?" morons I know to start posting this claptrap on Facebook as the most profound thing they've ever heard.

[Effie]

I was having a conversation with one of my coworkers the other day about this. (Note: Coworker is white, mid-20's, Jewish, considers herself liberal but voted for Romney because of Israel.) When I brought up the Confederate flag and the racism behind it (particularly since it really took off in popularity during anti-desegregation movement in the 1950's), she went on a long explanation of how people display the flag for a lot of complex reasons and "both sides committed atrocities during the Civil War." Later, when I brought up how 1970's punk rockers used the swastika as a symbol of rebellion, she went on a rant about how anybody who uses a swastika is anti-Semitic, should know better because of history, she has absolutely no sympathy for people who use it, etc. Why does one symbol with a hateful history get a pass, and the other one doesn't?

What is it with U.S. and Israel anyway? Apparently you (U.S) are very Israel-friendly? Why? I don't get it... but I'm probably quite influenced by my (northern) European culture in that aspect... We are not necessarily anti-Israel, but anti the regime of Israel. We are pro-Palestine. I have seen people wearing the Palestine scarf ever since I can remember. The support for Palestine against the oppressive Israel has always been there. It's so deeply rooted in our culture that I have never heard anyone express any support for Israel in the Gaza-conflict. The news articles about Israel/ Palestine are always critical of Israel, and sometimes a little critical of Palestine .

[Kitty]

What is it with U.S. and Israel anyway? Apparently you (U.S) are very Israel-friendly? Why? I don't get it... but I'm probably quite influenced by my (northern) European culture in that aspect... We are not necessarily anti-Israel, but anti the regime of Israel. We are pro-Palestine. I have seen people wearing the Palestine scarf ever since I can remember. The support for Palestine against the oppressive Israel has always been there. It's so deeply rooted in our culture that I have never heard anyone express any support for Israel in the Gaza-conflict. The news articles about Israel/ Palestine are always critical of Israel, and sometimes a little critical of Palestine .

1) Fundies. Northern Europe doesn't have shitloads of fundies in its government.

2) I've run into some people higher up on the intelligence/military food chain. Of course we civilians can't know anything, but apparently the U.S.'s support of Israel makes "perfect sense." Of course, I heard this from a friend who was in the police academy... who the hell knows if this is true or not, it's not like country-bumpkin sheriff's deputies need to know that stuff.

3) I know a lot of Jewish people who don't like Israel's regime either, this is the first I've heard of a Jew supporting Israel so strongly they vote Republican rather than Democrat.

[Kitty]

Does the world really need Brad Paisley to bare his soul on this? Yes, dude, you SHOULD feel uncomfortable wearing that shirt, and not just if your Starbucks server happens to be African-American. If you don't feel uncomfortable on your own behalf, you should regret continuing to represent the south as a place where no one likes black people and everyone loves the flag. Poor, poor you, for being misunderstood.

Country music should have died with Hank Williams Sr.

There is nothing "accidentally racist" about wearing a Confederate flag shirt. Accidental racism is when you ask a question out of legitimate curiosity or concern, but it winds up being ignorant and offensive and you understandably feel like a jerk afterward. There's nothing accidental about wearing a Confederate flag when you know someone might have a problem with it, and do it anyway because HERITAGE NOT HATE. My high school actually banned Confederate flags, but it didn't stop the many rednecks from pasting Confederate flag bumper stickers on their cars... and one guy actually had two decently-sized flags flying from the back of his truck.

Granted, I don't see the Confederate flag as something that is still racist, necessarily... but it is a major, major sign of ignorance and/or disrespect for anyone who isn't a white Southerner. It's really not wise to display it as a badge of pride. My views on it are a bit complicated and I admit I don't know exactly how I feel about as a white (non-native) Southerner.

I do agree, however, that country music now sucks horribly and it's all redneck pop.

[crazyforkate]

I can't imagine why anyone would willingly wear a symbol of hate. Or write a song defending it. Or have that song become inexplicably popular.

The world is stupid.

[Guest]

I'm actually a fan of most of Brad Paisley's music, but this song is just so off the wall. In his song "Welcome to the Future," he also addresses racism in a much less offensive and slightly more elegant way. This is just ...weird. Even in the country music world.

[tropaka]

as to what is it with the US (and Canada) and Israel, that's a whole other kettle of fish....there are many people (not just "fundies") who see any support for Palestinians as antisemitic....it's complicated.

Confederate flags up here (Canada) are definitely a sign of racism, although I saw some dipshit stuff about some kids in a spot north of Toronto claiming it was a sign of "rural pride"....here's that article

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/02 ... _flag.html

York Region high school in flap over Confederate flag

Some students see the Confederate flag as a symbol of rural pride, but Sutton District High School has slapped a ban on the flag that has long been synonymous with racism.

A high school in York Region has banned a controversial flag long synonymous with America’s Deep South, but also with prejudice and racism.

The Confederate flag became popular at Sutton District High School in the last two years, said principal Dawn Laliberté, emblazoned on bandanas, lighters, belt buckles, backpacks and pickup truck windows.

After explaining the flag’s symbolism to students this week, the school implemented a ban.

“Our first step is always to educate. We are only dealing with a handful of students who view it as a white pride kind of thing, so we thought now is the time to get the message out,†Laliberté said.

At the sprawling school parking lot, marked by pickup trucks and snowmobile tracks, most students were angry the administration was intervening in what they choose to wear or accessorize with.

Some students in the town on the east shore of Lake Simcoe said the display of the flag wasn’t widespread, and many debated its meaning.

“It’s more about the country values, we don’t think of it as racist,†said a Grade 10 student, who has T-shirts, belt buckles and hats with the symbol, and plans to keep wearing them.

“I didn’t even know it was racist,†said Grade 12 student Jess Pasco, as her friend agreed. “Then I Googled it.â€

Rosemary Sadlier, president of the Ontario Black History Society, said the fact people are embracing the symbol “shows that not only is there a lack of black history awareness, but there is also a lack of regular history awareness.â€

“The Confederate flag doesn’t represent heritage at all, it doesn’t represent white heritage, or country values or the American way for that matter,†she said. “What it represents is the interest of people in the Deep South to maintain a way of life that fervently and significantly was built upon and included an ongoing use of Africans as enslaved people. For that very reason alone, it is inappropriate and wrong.â€

Sadlier said students who want to represent their rural roots should consider an old Ontario flag.

On Friday, officials with the school did not return calls, but the York Region District School Board emailed a statement saying the decision to ban the flag was in line with board policy about respectful workplace and learning environments.

“The board recognizes and respects the diversity of our people as a source of strength and does not tolerate any expression of prejudice,†the statement read in part.

In the United States, debates about the flag’s symbolism continue to make news, and one online petition says the flag is “tearing apart the very fabric of our society.â€

A 2011 study in Political Psychology by psychologist Joyce Ehrlinger showed exposure to the Confederate flag resulted in “more negative judgments of black targets.â€

In addition to its use by Confederate soldiers in the Civil War, the flag was also a popular emblem in 1950s among people opposed to the civil rights movement and school desegregation, and continues to be a symbol for white supremacist groups including the Ku Klux Klan, the study notes.

Ehrlinger’s study was undertaken using white college students at a “large state school.†Students were invited to read a story about a black man and then answer questions. When each student came into the room, there was a folder on the desk. Some students saw a blank folder while others saw a folder with a Confederate flag sticker in the corner, which was explained away with, “Oh, someone must have left this.â€

The students who saw the flag rated the black character more negatively than those who did not.

Standing on a big pile of snow in Sutton District High School’s smoking area, Grade 12 student Cody Ley said he sees “Southern pride†when he looks at his Confederate flag lighter. He said the rule is “pretty stupid†since people have freedom of speech.

“You can buy a f------ swastika if you want, it’s still racist,†said a student walking by.

When asked if he sees the flag as a symbol of racism, the student replied: “You’re either racist or you’re not,†before he walked away.

“Depends on the way you look at it,†Ley said.

It has to be noted that Sutton is also known as a place where teens were pushing Asian fisherman into the lake, calling it N*pp*r tipping, so there are some real charming folk up there (this is maybe 100km from Toronto, if that. Maybe Kidist would be comfortable, if not welcome, in that neck of the woods).

ETA comment to previous poster - luckily I don't think this song is "popular" in a good way - more like "accidental laughingstocks"

[bananacat]

Accidental racism is really just a euphemism for unexamined privilege. He could be aware of his privilege, but instead he insists on remaining ignorant of it.

[alba]

I once saw a house in Canada flying the Confederate Flag, the Canadian Flag, and the Scottish Royal Standard (which most people outside the UK seem to use interchangeably with the Scottish flag, the Saltire). One of these things is not like the other ...

Accidental racism is really just a euphemism for unexamined privilege. He could be aware of his privilege, but instead he insists on remaining ignorant of it.

I was really, really hoping this would be a song about white privilege and the necessity of examining one's own privilege and dealing with it.

[idonthaveajname]

Oh ffs.

One of my cousins posted something about this on Facebook yesterday. I was planning on reading it, got busy, came back and he had posted a picture of a girl in a prom dress (or maybe wedding dress) that was basically a huge confederate flag. There were a number of people who had commented on the post how much they loved it. Several of them had confederate flags as their profile pictures.

Upshot? I unfriended before I read the Brad Paisley thing.

Sigh.

[FaustianSlip]

as to what is it with the US (and Canada) and Israel, that's a whole other kettle of fish....there are many people (not just "fundies") who see any support for Palestinians as antisemitic....it's complicated.

Um, no, at least not in the case of the United States. A handful of loonies (and it is a handful- I'm Jewish, and I don't know any Jewish person who is one hundred percent in favor of the way the Israeli government conducts itself or thinks that anyone who supports Palestinian rights is an anti-Semite) is not enough to prompt the level of political and financial support that the United States gives Israel. Not even close. The gigantic Christian right demographic, on the other hand....

Evangelicals vastly outnumber Jews in both number and political influence in the United States. Christians for Israel is a significantly larger organization than AIPAC. Particularly when to take into account the number of evangelicals (way more than you would think) who believe that in order for Jesus to come back, every Jew on Earth must return to Israel, it's not entirely surprising that fundies funnel a huge amount of financial and political support to Israel. The average evangelical that I've met is far, far more pro-Israel than the average Jew, and I don't think some Congressman from Mississippi is going on and on about how much he loves Israel because he's super concerned about losing the Jewish Mississippian vote.

Certainly, groups like AIPAC lobby extensively on behalf of Israel, but the level of support that the United States gives to that country would not exist were it not for the demands of the Christian right. That's part of where some of this crazy-ass faux Jew/cultural appropriation crap has sprung from- right-wing Christians, enamored of Israel, either because it's "where Jesus was from" or where the Jews need to return to for Jesus to come back, adopting Jewish rituals in an offensive attempt to "understand" and "embrace" Israel. Most of the Jews I know, certainly most younger Jews and/or Jews of a non-Orthodox stripe (which is the vast majority of Jews in America- something like eighty percent) are conflicted about Israel at best and usually give the Israeli government some serious side-eye for a variety of reasons, starting with the treatment of Palestinians and usually ending somewhere around Women of the Wall or the abuse heaped on those Modern Orthodox girls in Beit Shemesh.

As for the song, I read about this on Gawker, and it's just atrocious. LL Cool J should be ashamed of himself for participating in a musical abomination, let alone actually saying those lyrics.

[2xx1xy1JD]

as to what is it with the US (and Canada) and Israel, that's a whole other kettle of fish....there are many people (not just "fundies") who see any support for Palestinians as antisemitic....it's complicated.

Confederate flags up here (Canada) are definitely a sign of racism, although I saw some dipshit stuff about some kids in a spot north of Toronto claiming it was a sign of "rural pride"....here's that article

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/02 ... _flag.html

It has to be noted that Sutton is also known as a place where teens were pushing Asian fisherman into the lake, calling it N*pp*r tipping, so there are some real charming folk up there (this is maybe 100km from Toronto, if that. Maybe Kidist would be comfortable, if not welcome, in that neck of the woods).

ETA comment to previous poster - luckily I don't think this song is "popular" in a good way - more like "accidental laughingstocks"

I'm not saying that high school students in Sutton are stupid, ignorant hicks....it's these stats that are saying it:

http://www.yorkregion.com/community-sto ... asure-up-/ Sutton scored lowest in math and second lowest in literacy.

http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensem ... m=&TABID=1

If you scroll down to the part on mother tongue, you'll notice something interesting: For York Region as a whole, only about half the population has English as their mother tongue. For Georgina (the township in which Sutton and Keswick are located), almost everyone has English as a mother tongue. The southern half of the region has a completely different ethnic makeup than the northern half.

Now, compare that to the literacy scores. The schools in areas where people don't speak English as a mother tongue score HIGHER on literacy that the schools in Sutton and Keswick, where they do.

[Hane]

Last night on my way home from work, I got stuck behind a pickup truck that was flying two ginormous flags: an American one and a Confederate one. It made me stabby. FTR, I'm in Connecticut, and, around here, displaying a Confederate flag is in-your-face racism.

“It’s more about the country values, we don’t think of it as racist."

And what, exactly, might these "country values" be, Little White Kid? Using a symbol of hate and not caring whom you hurt?

[2xx1xy1JD]

Um, no, at least not in the case of the United States. A handful of loonies (and it is a handful- I'm Jewish, and I don't know any Jewish person who is one hundred percent in favor of the way the Israeli government conducts itself or thinks that anyone who supports Palestinian rights is an anti-Semite) is not enough to prompt the level of political and financial support that the United States gives Israel. Not even close. The gigantic Christian right demographic, on the other hand....

Evangelicals vastly outnumber Jews in both number and political influence in the United States. Christians for Israel is a significantly larger organization than AIPAC. Particularly when to take into account the number of evangelicals (way more than you would think) who believe that in order for Jesus to come back, every Jew on Earth must return to Israel, it's not entirely surprising that fundies funnel a huge amount of financial and political support to Israel. The average evangelical that I've met is far, far more pro-Israel than the average Jew, and I don't think some Congressman from Mississippi is going on and on about how much he loves Israel because he's super concerned about losing the Jewish Mississippian vote.

Certainly, groups like AIPAC lobby extensively on behalf of Israel, but the level of support that the United States gives to that country would not exist were it not for the demands of the Christian right. That's part of where some of this crazy-ass faux Jew/cultural appropriation crap has sprung from- right-wing Christians, enamored of Israel, either because it's "where Jesus was from" or where the Jews need to return to for Jesus to come back, adopting Jewish rituals in an offensive attempt to "understand" and "embrace" Israel. Most of the Jews I know, certainly most younger Jews and/or Jews of a non-Orthodox stripe (which is the vast majority of Jews in America- something like eighty percent) are conflicted about Israel at best and usually give the Israeli government some serious side-eye for a variety of reasons, starting with the treatment of Palestinians and usually ending somewhere around Women of the Wall or the abuse heaped on those Modern Orthodox girls in Beit Shemesh.

As for the song, I read about this on Gawker, and it's just atrocious. LL Cool J should be ashamed of himself for participating in a musical abomination, let alone actually saying those lyrics.

Evangelical support for Israel tends to be far more over-the-top than Jewish support. Jewish support tends to involve a bunch of Jews debating everything amongst themselves.

No, not everything that is pro-Palestinian is anti-semitic or even anti-Israel. It depends on what exactly is being advocated or defended. It is possible to advocate a peaceful solution that would result in political and economic rights for everyone, mutual recognition, an end to hostilities and more prosperity for all. You have a large middle group among both Israeli Jews and North American Jews who would support a Palestinian state - but not if it posed a major threat to Israel. Much of the internal debate revolves around what conditions would allow a Palestinian state to emerge. Because this group is not on either extreme, it doesn't get nearly as much press, but these are the swing voters in Israel and ultimately the key to any peace process. Rabin was able to win over this middle group, and Sadat had previously won them over. I would view efforts to encourage a political solution based on mutual recognition, and to convince and reassure the middle group that a deal meets their security needs, as something that benefits both sides. OTOH, I do view efforts to undermine and demonize Israel, and to support violence and violent or corrupt organizations, as being not only anti-Israel, but ultimately harmful to Palestinian interests as well.