Doing The Hard Part - Editorial
Last week, the Anti-Defamation League released a harrowing report: America is seeing a massive spike in antisemitic incidents following the October 7 Hamas attack against Israeli citizens, up nearly 400 percent from this time last year.
A total of 312 antisemitic incidents—ranging from verbal assault and vandalism to harassment and physical acts of violence—were recorded by the ADL between October 7 and 23, 190 of which were found to be directly linked to what is happening in Israel and Gaza. That statistic is viscerally disturbing, even more so given that one of those 312 incidents occurred right here in Bourne.
Prior to the release of that report, the Enterprise was informed by a concerned resident of an incident involving the use of an antisemitic slur in a public meeting. The resident, Jack MacDonald, had attended the October 10 meeting of the Bourne Historical Commission and informed us that during the discussion of a project on Sandwich Road, commission chairman Carl Georgeson used the term “Jewish lightning” when referencing alleged late-night tree removal on the site.
Many of us in the newsroom were not familiar with the term or its meaning; however, we largely agreed that even absent the necessary context, the term is easily recognizable as derogatory. Mr. MacDonald, on the other hand, said he was immediately alarmed by its use. He said he was troubled by the fact that nobody in the meeting spoke up—himself included, although he now says he wishes he had.
In the weeks since that meeting Mr. MacDonald has alerted the select board and the media and filed a report with the ADL. Select board chairwoman Mary Jane Mastrangelo, who confirmed Mr. Georgeson’s use of the slur with other meeting attendees, said she spoke to the chairman and requested he make a public apology at the commission’s meeting later this month, to which he agreed.
In the press, however, Ms. Mastrangelo has said that Mr. MacDonald should not have made “a big thing” out of it. We respectfully disagree.
Giving Mr. Georgeson the benefit of the doubt, this incident could be chalked up to an unfortunate choice of words—at best, it was a poorly worded attempt to characterize greed. But the term itself, the ADL said, is an age-old trope that has repeatedly reared its head in political and social discourse throughout the decades. It was even used on the popular Hulu show “The Bear” earlier this year. It functioned as a plot device to further the show’s story arc regarding restaurant staff no longer using pejorative language.
By definition, casual insults or offenses such as this one are microaggressions: thinly veiled instances of racism, antisemitism, homophobia, et cetera. They’re often brushed off, with many failing to recognize them as derogatory or arguing there was no malintent. But that perspective may change when you consider how daily microaggressions can pile up over a lifetime. Just two months ago, a Sandwich advocacy group hosted a panel about rising antisemitism, during which a number of the Upper Cape’s Jewish residents attested to the harm of such casual cruelties.
The ones who do speak up against casual microaggressions, like Mr. MacDonald, can make a great impact. It is the hard part that too few are willing to do.
We by no means think Mr. Georgeson—who has served Bourne as a volunteer committee member for many years—should be publicly vilified for this. “Cancel culture” is not productive. What is productive, though, is to use this moment as an opportunity for growth: a chance to acknowledge the harm of a term or action committed, to set a standard of zero tolerance, and to move forward with better awareness and intentions for inclusivity.
Regardless of the intent behind Mr. Georgeson’s words, what matters most moving forward is a willingness to correct the wrong, to be open to listening and learning and to be better in the future. It seems that the chairman possesses all of these things, and Ms. Mastrangelo has expressed confidence in his willingness to learn from his mistakes.
Sweeping things under the rug takes away the opportunity to learn from a mistake, and we commend both Mr. MacDonald for raising the issue and the town for its follow-through on amending the harm done. Having these types of productive, inclusive conversations is extremely important to the town—hopefully, that is something we can all agree on.