Mitch Albom Blasts Tepid Reaction to DeSean Jackson's Anti-Semitic Remarks

Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free-Press wrote a stirring rebuke to those in the NFL and beyond who minimized Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson's anti-Semitic remarks. Albom argued the response to Jackson's anti-Semitic remarks was tepid:

But the truth of Jackson’s wrist slap is likely this: Anti-Semitism doesn’t cause the same fury as other prejudices. There is rarely as loud or sustained an outcry when a synagogue is attacked or a Jewish person is killed for his faith. Or the entire Jewish population is slandered.

This was reflected in the tepid reaction to DeSean Jackson, and in Jenkins’ statements that “Jewish people aren’t our problem” and “Let’s not lose focus on what the problem truly is … ”

No, Malcolm, this is what the problem “truly is." Intolerance. Stereotyping. Repeating others’ hate-filled rhetoric. It’s all wrapped together, and if you go ballistic on one, you should go ballistic on the other, especially when it’s within your own industry.

DeSean Jackson got his Hitler quote wrong. But here’s one that’s accurate. It comes from Hitler’s autobiography, "Mein Kampf," which, despite our recent trend of banning offensive works, you can still buy on Amazon:

“The personification of the devil, as the symbol of all evil, assumes the living shape of the Jew.”

That’s the kind of venom Jewish people have been living with for centuries, before and after Hitler tried to wipe them from the face of the earth.

Maybe Stephen Jackson can understand now why you can’t just say, “I could give a (expletive).”

“Silence is compliance.” That’s a popular sentence today. But you can’t be selective with your noise. Not against hate. For all the bigoted garbage stirred up against Jews last week, it was disturbingly quiet out there. We should think twice about why that is.

I think Albom is spot on here. However, I do think he should have acknowledged the strong statements made against anti-Semitism by both Cam Heyward and Zach Banner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. There certainly needs to be a more concerted effort to combat anti-Semitism. Nevertheless it is important to amplify the voices of those who have seen fit to speak out on behalf of the Jewish community.