There are people who treat the word "antisemitism" as a term to hurl at anybody whose politics they don't like. Just had an encounter here with another one of them.

I spent 2 years building a machine learning system to detect antisemitism in social media posts, working with a variety of experts to define and collect tens of thousands of examples of what was and wasn't antisemitism. I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I have developed a nuanced understanding of the term, as well as a good appreciation for the historical importance of antisemitism and why we must fight it relentlessly. (And the same goes for a lot of other kyriarchic nonsense.)

At this point, I think the people abusing the term are nearly as dangerous as the actual antisemites; if the term becomes just another content-free epithet, it gives the antisemitic loons much more freedom to operate.

Words should mean things.

And John Ganz just came out with a great piece on how the US right has alternately tolerated and cozied up to the antisemites. This stuff persists because we let it. https://www.newsblur.com/newsletters/story/9048495:bc1c77
@williampietri yes! “I don’t like Israel’s behaviour” is _not_ antisemitism!
@labria Generally agreed, but I'd say it depends on context. Protesting Israel's behavior on the street or in front of the Israeli embassy? Not antisemitic. Doing it in front of a synagogue or shouting it at anybody in a yarmulke? Probably antisemitic.