I get a lot of e-mails. Alot.
Actually I often receive as many as 100 e-mails a day. They come from all kinds of sources, and most of them are benign.
Lately, though, I have detected a disturbing new trend. I have begun receiving e-mails that are filled with hatred, misinformation and accusations about the fundamental badness of "the other".
Lately, most of these have concerned the brief but devastating war that flared recently in Gaza and southern Israel. I receive e-mails supporting the Israeli side that talk not only about the fundamental badness of the Palestinian political party called Hamas, but sadly about the fundamental wrongness of Palestinians...and Islam. On the other hand, I also get e-mails from people favoring the Palestinian side, or more particularly the Muslim side. Some of these are filled with words filled with hatred about Zionists and"The Jews." Ironically, the e-mails from both sides are at some level anti-semitic---in the broadest sense of that word. Meaning against people of semitic races (both Arabs and Jews).
To the people of both sides I ask, "What good does it do to spread hateful words?" I certainly understand the need to share factual information about the disasters unforlding in Southern Israel and certainly in Gaza. But resorting to name calling and epithets is just a sad attempt at beating our chests, pointing the finger of blame at the "other" and shouting "Hooray for our side!"
I would much prefer to see a thoughtful sharing of facts and a genuine dialogue in which both sides could air their often legitimate grievances.
Until that happens, whever I see an e-mail that is hate-filled I won't hit "forward." I will push "delete."
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