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Matt Pemberton's avatar

The worst part for me was when Dave Smith claimed the 'clear similarities' between the Concentration Camps Jews lived and died in and Gaza. He didn't name any similarities, just declared it. This is the self hatred of Norm Finkelstein without pretending to do research. Smith watched some tik tok clips.

Great read, as usually. Thank you!

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Jill's avatar

Yes that part was particularly vile.

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Dan Nelson's avatar

Dachau dead 40,000

Gaza dead (thus far) 52,000

Worth contemplating.

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Liora Jacob's avatar

Hmmm…. How many of those Jews murdered at Dachau - or in fact any of the 6 million innocents slaughtered - were active terrorists whose raison d’etre was the extermination of the German people? Classic Nazi tactic - inversion of victim and killer.

But thanks for the excellent illustration of the devastating effect of the insidious antisemitism virus, which turns all working brain cells to mush.

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Matt Pemberton's avatar

That is not comparative. You truly don't think good.

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Jill's avatar

You are an idiot.

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Liora Jacob's avatar

Nah, just a pathetic ignorant loser desperately clinging to the Jew scapegoat to blame for everything wrong in his miserable life.

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Christopher Messina's avatar

I saw that thing with Rogan and Murray and my only comment was, "Who is this idiot?"

Now I know who this idiot is.

He's an idiot.

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Jill's avatar

Apparently Rogan just announced he would only have Murray back on his show if Dave Smith agreed to come too. Because Rogan needs that idiot as his human shield?

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Christopher Messina's avatar

Who knows? Rogan had a good thing going but then veered into bringing dipshits on the show.

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Arnie Bernstein's avatar

Spot on. Who needs the complexity that comes with facts when it’s easier just being smug? The latter gets you social media fame to “build your brand,” while the former gets you bulldozed by the Smiths of this world who mistake their glibness for knowledge. Glib gets you podcast interviews and lots o’ followers. Complexity invokes the worst of all social media sins: challenge one’s thinking.

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James Jenkins's avatar

Thanks for that; good read.

Yes Dave Smith seems to now make a living at Israel bashing and being a misinformation artist ( as Sam Harris also stated). Dave Smith lost me over and over again including when he irrationally absurdly said that Israel should just have only ‘ sent in the COPS’ or words to that effect after Oct 7 horrendous wide spend attack on towns in Israel. ( as Kisin so well pointed out - )

Many others including Douglas Murray would fortunately agree with you too and vice versa.

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Kip🎗️'s avatar

Dave Smith is an obvious, willful ignoramus (and so is Joe Rogan, but that's another issue). However, I don't think it's just that Smith doesn't know what he's talking about, as a result of never having been to the region. It's that he doesn't actually *care* about this conflict--other than how he can exploit it to make his living. If he really cared about the people of Gaza whom he purports to be standing up for, he'd have gone over there at least once by now, but more likely several times, to meet with them, hear what they have to say, including their dissenters, to verify his opinions, AND he'd have gotten the perspective of at least some Israelis--Jewish and Palestinian. The fact he hasn't bothered to do this, despite being a comedian without a real job or any other obvious commitments keeping him in the U.S., is just proof that nothing about this is important to him. He doesn't care about the Gazans. He just wants to monetize them for his own benefit.

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Jill's avatar

💯

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Ian Mark Sirota's avatar

"As a Jew" Jews drive me nuts. Douglas Murray made Smith look like the ignorant idiot he is.

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Jill's avatar

Yeah problem is the comments section on the video is filled with Dave sycophants saying how he “owned” Douglas. They live in an alternate universe.

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Jeff G's avatar

This is the reductio ad absurdum of the democratization the Internet gives us. The problem isn’t so much the ignorance, it’s the pride in ignorance. And to be sure, the elites are bigly responsible for sacrificing the respect people had for them.

But Dave’s followers live by the credo “the gatekeepers are always bad because they prevent access to this brave alternative narrative that DaveCo is purveying”: Israel is Satan, Churchill is bad, etc. Some gates exist for a reason.

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Jeff G's avatar

Also, on a more personal note, I hate his weasely face. It always seems to have a smug little smile on it. Somebody needs to knock that off him.

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Jeff G's avatar

Sorry not sorry

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Darling Sneauxflayke's avatar

Oh they did the same after his debate with Mark Pellegrino on the Ayn Rand Centre UK comment section. Smith has such a sad pathetic group of followers desperately searching for a daddy.

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Steven Brizel's avatar

Smith is clearly ignorant S to t be e facts on the ground and probably has zero awareness of traditional Jewish knowledge

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Jules's avatar

Dave’s sycophants are some of the most insufferable people I’ve had the misfortune of communicating with in awhile. They are following Douglas Murray around everywhere to harass him by making the same joke over and over again that “I’d comment but I’m no expert!”

Douglas asked if Dave had been there because Dave said the blockade is “like a concentration camp.” Ppl have nothing to defend their position about the actual topic at hand so they are using the “expertise” red herring.

I see now that, from their perspective, Israel shouldn’t exist in the first place, so anything it does is overstepping and anything done TO it is justified. Morally repugnant but have never heard anyone say any other country should be “put in its place” except Israel. Why Israel shouldn’t exist is mostly cause Jews bad (hatred/bigotry) or Jews stole land (ignorance/disinformation.) Jews are sadly often in either or both camps.

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Jill's avatar

UGH, these people are insufferable. NO ONE is saying one must be an “expert” to comment on an issue. Lord knows I am no expert and I talk about this issue constantly! The point is the self-righteousness in his position, no matter how wrong it is. And when an actual informed observer of the conflict pokes valid holes in his argument, he responds with “you missed the point.” No dude, more like your entire point was bs from the start.

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Liba's avatar

100%

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Manuel Lopez's avatar

I heard the whole podcast. He kept going back to "the slaughter of Palestinians". What an idiot!

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Jill's avatar

You have far more patience than I do.

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Omer Golan Joel's avatar

Typical well-fed Westerners who never fought in any war and were (most likely) never under a direct terror threat criticizing nations they know little about. One can, and should, sharply criticize the Netanyahu government's policy and its recent scandals (e.g., QatarGate); but this should be done from a position of knowledge, not of proud ignorance. And it should be done with facts, not slogans. And that Mr. Smith seems to be sloganeering to the cheers of his online fans.

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Kip🎗️'s avatar

Sweet takedown. Well deserved. And I’ve never gotten Rogan’s appeal either. He’s a dolt, and not even a good interviewer. The only reason this guy got so big is the low standards of the masses.

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Steve S's avatar

"As a Boomer" let me tell you I enjoy your posts, most of the time, even when I disagree with your comments about Mr. Dershowitz. This latest post on smug, snarky, well read but moronic Dave Smith was especially entertaining. Couldn't listen to Smith's imbecilic monologue for more than one minute, the guy clearly loves to hear himself talk. As for how to increase your viewership, easy, just become an "As a Jew" basher of Israel and supporter of hamas. You might even receive funding from some charities or large contributors connected in some way with Qatar or Soros. By all means though, keep bashing Boomers like myself. We love the attention and like loving parents, appreciate any contact from kids and grandkids.

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Jill's avatar

Great advice but I’m not able to bankrupt myself morally in that manner.

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Steve S's avatar

I am an old boomer and so confused. How would you be morally bankrupting yourself by continuing to bash clueless boomers like myself??? Oh, you mean by becoming an "As a Jew" basher of Israel and critic of pro hamas protesters. I get it. Took a while. Keep up the good work and appreciation for your integrity!

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Liba's avatar

Haha

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Liora Jacob's avatar

The point being, for his army of sycophants whether he is right or wrong is completely irrelevant, as long as it subconsciously appeals to something fundamentally broken.

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April's avatar

Going to have to read this after work but I love 💕 the title!

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Sally P's avatar

I knew nothing about Dave Smith before that interview but nothing he said was original, nor was his position as an authority with a very blotchy understanding of the region or the conflict. People exist to hate on others and will be sucked in and back up any bullshit if it serves the general narrative of hate. My As a Jew friend has stopped her relentless tirade and I suspect she finally saw the immorality in it with the hostage parades during the ceasefire. Anyone with any true moral compass will see the tyranny in Gaza, especially with the recent protests against Hamas, and would be willing to speak up about it. It’s very telling that they don’t.

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Jill's avatar

Speaking up on Hamas’s tyranny doesn’t get you a ton of followers, apparently.

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Jules's avatar

They have proven by this that they care about hating Israel, not Palestinians. That is why they are pro-Hamas and won’t talk about the Palestinian recent protests.

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Jeff G's avatar

They proved this a long time ago. Plenty of Palestinians have been killed in Syria, and nobody made a peep.

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Dov's avatar

My gosh all I a able to say is who is this idiot and why do people listen to him. Let me tell you, there is nothing moral about war and the two should not be used in the same sentence. War, is ugly deadly, and destructive. always has been and always will be. An I am sorry there are times when innocent/non-combatants get killed- (have seen the ugliness first hand) I like your cartoon graphic,,hehe Dave is just another what I call a "Self appointed expert", who knows nothing. Oh and as an alte kaker I do like your articles, even if I disagree. Keep up the good work!

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Jill's avatar

He actually prides himself on *not* being an expert, thinks it gives him increased credibility among his audience.

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Dov's avatar

If he only knew how idiotic he looks........

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