Daniel Finkelstein at The Times of London has a problem with what uber-atheist Richard Dawkins has to say about Jews:
I have just come across the most extraordinary statement by Richard Dawkins. It is right there on the Guardian website without a sentence even questioning it. Here it is:
When you think about how fantastically successful the Jewish lobby has been, though, in fact, they are less numerous I am told – religious Jews anyway – than atheists and [yet they] more or less monopolise American foreign policy as far as many people can see. So if atheists could achieve a small fraction of that influence, the world would be a better place.
So Dawkins, a liberal hero, believes, er, that Jews control world power. And, judging from the Guardian, it is now a part of mainstream debate to say so. Perhaps you think I am over-reacting, but I am a little bit frightened.
Chris Dillow manages some elegant reflections on social proof.
All I can manage is Oh My God.
It’s no mystery that atheists want a louder voice in Western politics. They should, and I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t want to follow the Jewish model for success. But, based on Dawkins’ use of the word “monopolize,” I’d guess the two books in his nightstand—the place you’d find a Gideon’s Bible in American hotels—are “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” and “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” Sweet dreams.
