Another Good Polemic

In the world of ideas, polemics play a crucial role. They are the battlegrounds where different viewpoints clash and vie for supremacy. A good polemic is not just about arguing for the sake of it; it is about presenting a well-reasoned and persuasive case.

One of the key elements of a good polemic is clarity. The argument must be presented in a clear and understandable manner, without any ambiguity or confusion. This allows the reader to easily follow the line of reasoning and form their own opinion.

Another important aspect is evidence. A good polemic should be supported by facts and evidence, rather than just relying on personal opinion or emotion. This gives the argument credibility and makes it more likely to persuade the reader.

Finally, a good polemic should be respectful. While it is important to present a strong argument, it is equally important to respect the opposing viewpoint. This shows that the author is open-minded and willing to consider different perspectives, and makes the polemic more engaging and interesting for the reader.

In conclusion, a good polemic is a powerful tool for presenting ideas and sparking debate. By being clear, evidence-based, and respectful, it can help to advance our understanding of important issues and lead to positive change.

I did not enjoy a single page of this book.

From the very beginning, it failed to capture my interest. The story seemed dull and unengaging, lacking any real depth or excitement.

The characters were one-dimensional and failed to come alive on the page. I found myself constantly skimming through the text, hoping for something to happen that would make me want to keep reading.

However, on the positive side, at least it was short. It didn't take me long to finish, which was a relief considering how little I was enjoying it.

If you're looking for a thrilling and captivating read, this book is definitely not for you. Save your time and choose something else.

David Mamet may pen excellent plays, but one should stay far away from his writings on Judaism as they are truly toxic.

This is an updated rendition of Rabbi Kahane's extremist classic "Never Again." Both are incoherent, racist, bizarre, paranoid, bullying, and self-righteous.

Without presenting any evidence (except for one quote from Chomsky) or showing any nuance, Mamet unleashes a tirade against a fictional entity he calls the "self-hating Jew" who supposedly abandons the Torah and tradition and condemns the State of Israel.

Just as in his dreadful movie "Homicide," he claims that "the entire world" hates the Jews. If all Jews were to think like Mamet, I could perhaps understand the world's stance.

Even worse is the so-called "race treason" committed by mild critics of Israel. But whatever.

This pitiful book will remain as an artifact of Jewish paranoia, demonstrating how some Jewish men try to appear macho by insisting they are part of a "race" that demands "loyalty" and resorts to violence to make up for their ignorance and insecurity.

Shame on Shocken Press for publishing this drivel in its widely read "Nextbook" series. May it soon go out of print.

If you have a desire to truly understand the complex and long-standing Israeli/Palestinian conflict, then this book is an absolute must-read.

It offers a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of the various aspects that have contributed to this ongoing struggle.

From the historical roots to the present-day political, social, and cultural factors, every angle is examined with great detail and objectivity.

The author presents a balanced view, allowing readers to form their own opinions based on a wealth of information.

Whether you are a student, a researcher, or simply someone interested in international affairs, this book will provide you with a valuable and enlightening perspective on one of the most significant issues of our time.

So, don't hesitate. Pick up this book and embark on a journey to understand the Israeli/Palestinian conflict like never before.

In the Foreword to his book, The Wicked Son, David Mamet precisely defines his ostensible audience.

He describes the Jews who, in the sixties, envied the Black Power Movement; in the nineties, envied the Palestinians; wept at Exodus yet jeered at the Israeli Defense Forces; nodded when Tevye praised tradition but fidgeted through the seder; might take their curiosity to a dogfight, a bordello or an opium den but found the idea of visiting a synagogue ludicrous; whose favorite Jew was Anne Frank and whose second-favorite Jew didn't exist; were humble in learning about Kwanzaa and proud of their ignorance of Tu Bi'Shvat; dreaded endogamy more than incest; bowed the head reverently at a baptism and had never attended a bris; and who found your religion and race repulsive, and your ignorance of your history a satisfaction.

As expected from such a detailed portrayal, what follows is a collection of essays that are both provocative and unflinchingly polemical (or perhaps more accurately, meditations and monologues) on anti-semitism and Jewish self-hatred.

The primary strength of The Wicked Son lies in Mamet's remarkable ability to express himself in a precise and tight prose. The book is organized into well-crafted, narrowly-focused chapters, where Mamet's thoughts on various aspects of Jewish identity, observance, anti-semitism, assimilation, and alienation intertwine with an almost fugue-like flow.

One doesn't have to agree with everything (or even anything) the author has to say to appreciate this book simply for its精湛的 craftsmanship. Mamet clearly has a deep love and takes great pride in Jewish culture and tradition, which softens the sharp, angry voice that pervades many of the musings in the book.

However, when dealing with issues like anti-semitism and Jewish self-hatred, Mamet's approach is that of a psychoanalyst and a cultural theorist rather than that of a sociologist, historian, or cognitive scientist. His arguments are deliberately emotional and polemical, and while they do exhibit a certain Aristotelian rigor, they are not analytical examinations of the subject matter, resulting in a certain level of (perhaps deliberate) abstraction.

Despite the lengthy description of his intended reader in the Foreword (which is more of a caricature than a representation of any actual cultural phenomenon), it is often unclear who exactly falls within Mamet's classification of the "apikoros" or the "self-loathing Jew." It is equally unclear what level of involvement in Jewish culture and Judaism is required to be exempt from such classification (again, perhaps deliberately so - one could generously interpret this fuzziness as a general call for all Jews to more strongly identify with the culture and religion of their forebears).

For example, as borrowed from the book, why does the Jew who has to borrow a satin yarmulke from the kippah bin at a bar mitzvah service face derision, while the Jew who owns a kippah but never wears it outside of the synagogue doesn't? Why single out the Jew who fidgets uncomfortably during the Passover seder, but then mention in passing (and without any hint of self-incrimination or irony) that one drives on Shabbos? In short, one could read this book as simply an extended and well-crafted example of the all-too-common complaint that the Jew who is more observant than oneself is a religious fanatic and the one who is less observant is a heretic.

Nevertheless, it is David Mamet, and the strengths that have made his work as a playwright so provocative and compelling are fully on display here. At the very least, Mamet has the sense to know that if one must be provocative and push the boundaries of civil discourse, one should also be generous and entertaining. The Wicked Son probably has something in it to anger almost any reader, but it also likely has plenty to make almost any reader reflect on their own attitudes about Judaism and Jewishness.

When Krusty The Clown turns holier-than-thou.

David Mamet is the epitome of Hollywood, much like Krusty on The Simpsons. For three decades, he was one of the insiders, a screenwriter who knew the ropes and how to cozy up to the powerful. He indulged in high-stakes poker, told dirty jokes, smoked cigars night after night, had affairs with blondes, did lines of cocaine with Marty, and scripted soulful masterpieces like HOFFA and THE UNTOUCHABLES, fully embracing a life lived to the fullest in the hedonistic world of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Hooray For Hollywood!

But what occurs when a hustler loses his edge? What happens when his vitality wanes, his resources are depleted, and his libido starts to flag?

He turns... Jewish!

That's right, at the age of sixty (or sixty-five, or seventy), David Mamet has found religion. And it's not just about repenting for his own sins. He feels compelled to repent for yours too! So in this book, the former good-time guy becomes an informer, tattling on every Jew who ever sought a good time (except the eternal Dorian Gray in the mirror). Oh, there's some political posturing, some hysterical ranting about how Israel will crumble if American Jews don't stop making excuses for those "evil" Palestinians. (Kind of like the way David O. Selznick rationalized southern racism in GONE WITH THE WIND, David?)

But what truly terrifies Born-Again Krusty is not Palestinian suicide bombers... it's blonde non-Jewish women with ample bosoms, offering pure temptation on Main Street! After a lifetime of succumbing to temptation (and relishing every moment), evidently David Mamet can no longer rise to the occasion, and so he has finally seen the light. Read the (unintentionally comical) section on high school car washes in the good old U.S.A.

You truly witness what happens when Krusty the Clown turns holier than thou.

I almost gave it one star.

However, upon further reflection, it becomes evident that this work makes too many fine and insightful points to deserve such a low rating.

The issue at hand is that David Mamet, being a highly erudite individual, knows an extensive vocabulary.

Consequently, his insights often become over-burdened by the sheer weight of his words.

Similar to Emerson before him, the fundamental unit of thought for Mamet is the sentence rather than the paragraph.

This requires the reader to pay extra-close attention in order to fully grasp his ideas.

Nevertheless, where Mamet differs from Emerson is in their approach to presenting points.

Emerson had a remarkable ability to simplify a point, making it accessible and understandable to a wide range of readers.

In contrast, Mamet seems to only know how to complicate things, perhaps in an attempt to showcase his intellectual prowess.

Despite this flaw, it must be acknowledged that he makes some excellent points, and the book is not without merit.

However, it is a real shame that he appears more interested in hearing himself seem credible than in effectively communicating his ideas to the reader.

A really interesting and thought-provoking read, but I keep finding myself disagreeing with Mamet.

He asserts that Jews have bought into the world's hatred of them and have become anti-Semitic themselves, doing their best to separate themselves from their religion and culture, and assimilate into the Western world. My Jewishness is one that is very different from Mamet's. In my experience, many Jews remove themselves from their religion while still clinging to their ethnic and cultural identity. Self-deprecating humor is indeed a cultural trait, and perhaps it indicates a deeper-lying self-hatred. However, from what I've seen, non-religious Jews inside and outside of my family tend to share the indescribable bond of being Jewish. There's a sense of a heritage in which one had to fight to defend that Jewishness, and because it's an ethnic identity we cling to, a Jew may never be anything but a Jew, regardless of religion.

Mamet's uncritical allegiance to Israel is striking. He emphasizes that the "why" of Israel's formation is important, and the "how" does not matter. When citing examples of ignorant, irreverent, assimilated Jews, he repeatedly returns to the matter of Israel.

Chewing on this at the moment: "For 'Jewish guilt' is not a side effect of being Jewish but of being insufficiently Jewish. Buddhism will not cure it, self-help will not cure it, good works will not cure it, 'A Course in Miracles' will not cure it-- all of these, ranging from religion to nostrum, cannot eradicate the lapsed Jew's sense of being lost. For he is lost." (p. 46) "He feels that, rationally... [he:] may be free to choose, to opt out of any inconvenient association, free of debt, and so of guilt. But he may not and is pursued by an unquenchable sense of loss. He may identify this loss as a desire for justice, for redress, for equality, for freedom. The sense of loss will persist. His guilt and anxiety are not for the unfortunate state of the world but for his identity." (p. 47)

Is Jewish guilt a result of disassociation from religion? I've always viewed it as a definitive characteristic of Jewishness. It seems the cycles of ritualism and striving (and inevitably failing) to live according to the Law, then periodically seeking symbolic absolution, would do little to assuage one's guilt, only make one more aware of his sin and need for real forgiveness.

By the end of this book, I am a little more convinced on certain points. Mamet cites examples we have all met (a Jew who is careful to identify himself as non-practicing, or says that his parents are Jewish, but he is not) and attributes them to shame of Jewishness, while I have always attributed this to pride of culture. My view is that Jews who identify themselves in this way are proud of being Jewish, even though they don't actually believe in Judaism. But Mamet says that this is a Jew doing his best to deny his Jewishness, confessing and apologizing for his identity. I wonder if each apostate Jew feels a tinge of both pride and shame.

Also, Mamet astutely observes: "Anomie is the sickness of the American Age-- the feeling of rootlessness, of purposelessness, colored over by the vehement assertion of freedom (whatever that may mean), and the unstated but essential implication that this freedom confers, upon the nation and individual, some unnameable preeminence. We find this cant of freedom (which is to say, preeminence) in the mouths of corrupt politicians wishing to incite and inspire-- fettered by the absence of ideas, reduced to the recitation of magical chants." (p. 89,90) And: "Each human being has a certain amount of awe that must be discharged. It can be discharged only through ritual. If he does not engage in existing religious ritual, the individual will seek out or invent other avenues for his submission to powers greater than himself. These rituals include political conventions, sports rooting, and celebrity worship." (p.61,62) He goes on to talk about idolatry and emptiness, this anomie. That people are meant to have reverence for God, and when that is missing in an individual (as in the apostate Jew to whom this book is addressed), he lives, often unaware of its source, in confusion and guilt. And corporately, this lack of reverence for God being replaced with a reverence for false, empty, superficial things, results in the "sickness of the American Age".

I cannot be convinced of his view on Israel (that Jewish suffering is more painful and tragic than that of the Palestinians), or of many of the strange sexual metaphors he inserts throughout the book, but Mamet is certainly a discerning observer of many strata of our culture. I would recommend it to anyone to read thoughtfully while considering his own possibly embittered attitude towards religion, the idea of God in general, and what might be the objects of his own reverence and awe.

This book is truly a captivating meditation. It delves deep into the profound themes of otherness and belonging, community and ritual, as well as history. On these various levels, it strikes a chord within me, even when I find myself in disagreement with some of its ideas.

In some respects, I approach the reading of this book with the understanding of Israel as elucidated by Levinas. He states, "I have it from an eminent master, each time Israel is mentioned in the Talmud one is certainly free to understand by it a particular ethnic group which is probably fulfilling an incomparable destiny. But to interpret in this manner would be to reduce the general principle in the Talmudic passage, to forget that Israel means a people who has received the law, a human nature which has reached the fullness of its responsibilities and its self consciousness. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are human beings who are no longer childlike."

This book has the power to evoke strong emotions within you. It may make you angry, and you may firmly disagree with certain aspects. However, it is undeniably intelligent and well-written. It demands to be read, even if it means engaging in healthy disagreement. It challenges our perspectives and forces us to think deeply about the complex issues it presents.

The book under consideration mainly zeroes in on Jews who have a desire not to identify as Jews and explores why they might be regarded as bad individuals. It also delves into the reasons why the world holds animosity towards Israel and thus deems those associated with such views as bad people. However, in all honesty, it offers a rather comprehensive examination of what it truly means to forsake one's heritage and roots for something less substantial.

It's important to note that this analysis seems to have a certain universality to it, applicable in many cases where people choose to turn away from their fundamental identities.

Unless, of course, one is Honduran. In that particular instance, the author wishes them a long and prosperous life.

It's an interesting perspective presented in the book, though perhaps a bit controversial in its generalizations and the way it simplifies complex issues.

Nonetheless, it does raise thought-provoking questions about the significance of heritage and the consequences of abandoning it.

Geraldo Pablo Calabazas Jerry P. Clark.

There's a truly remarkable book waiting to be written about Jewish self-loathing. However,

this particular work fails to meet that expectation. Mamet has often faced criticism for his artificial Mametspeak and characterization in both his plays and movies. To that, I would respond: it's simply a unique style. If one dislikes this, they must surely also despise Pinter.

But when it comes to reading a book that is supposed to be about real people yet always feels like a collection of straw men,

well, it's just not a pleasant experience. It's as if the author has failed to capture the essence and authenticity of the individuals, reducing them to mere caricatures.

This lack of depth and realism makes it difficult for the reader to engage with the subject matter on a meaningful level.

Overall, while the topic of Jewish self-loathing is an important one, this book unfortunately does not do it justice.

Okay David Mamet, don't feel like you have to hold back your thoughts or anything. You are a renowned playwright and filmmaker, and your unique perspective and voice are what make you so special. Whether it's through your sharp dialogue, complex characters, or thought-provoking themes, your work has had a significant impact on the world of theater and cinema.

So, go ahead and let loose. Share your ideas, your opinions, and your creative vision. Don't be afraid to take risks or push boundaries. Your audience is waiting to hear what you have to say, and they will appreciate your honesty and authenticity.

Remember, as an artist, you have the power to inspire, challenge, and change the way people think. So, use that power wisely and don't hold back. Let your creativity flow and see where it takes you. We can't wait to see what you come up with next.