The following is an editorial and does not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of the Drury Mirror.

Modern anti-Semitism is casual. It’s preteen boys on a school bus carving swastikas into the fake leather veneer of the seats in front of them. It’s tired stereotypes on the television shows that we all watch, scraping under the radar of acceptable racism. Anti-Semitic vitriol has populated and continues to grow exponentially on the internet. And it’s not taken seriously. Anti-Semitism still exists in America, sometimes overtly, and sometimes thinly veiled behind political rhetoric that we hear on a daily basis.

The distrust that so many Americans have in news sources and media, in big banks, in globalization, the obsession and the sense of conspiracy regarding these topics is all rooted in undercurrents of paranoia and hatred. Some of this derives from a legitimate dislike of banking systems whose disreputable financial practices contributed to the 2008 financial collapse and following recession, but this does not account for all of the snarling hatred and distrust that Americans have for their banking systems. These malignant feelings existed long before the recent Recession.

As someone who works for a bank and talks to people daily regarding their accounts, I can observe behaviors and attitudes that consumers have towards their banks. The bank representatives they talk to are “you people,” and the crimes banks are accused of are numerous. Who do Americans think they are addressing when they say “you people?” Representing a bank to masses brings accusations of being “greedy,” with suggestions of trickery and deception inherent to the bank policies, on a daily basis.

This observation is not intended to defend banking institutions, but to draw attention to the fact that this kind of hatred and distrust is not just because of an American sense of disdain towards large institutions we dislike for their complicated nature. There is an undercurrent, perhaps even a subconscious one, of despising large banking systems that is based off age-old stereotypes associating banks with Jews. This is the underlying source of the barely bridled hatred that Americans have towards their banks.

Casual anti-Semitism is a unifying commonality between groups that otherwise disagree, such as the far political right and left. Anti-Semitic feeling and rhetoric is increasing within the left and the right, even as their views grow further and further apart.

The Right

It is undeniable that there has been a global resurgence of Nationalism. Examples include many countries, from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party entering their parliament, to the Bharatiya Janata Party in India, to the rise of Nationalist views within our own government, along with so many more. As one of its tenets, Nationalism often involves rejecting globalization along with international cooperative efforts.

Nationalist rhetoric is often peppered with concerns that international cooperative efforts are controlled by a “ruling elite,” or a small group that influences these groups from behind the scenes. This preoccupation with subversive conspiracy in our government is often rooted in anti-Semitic “canards” or conspiracy theories that have existed for centuries regarding people of Jewish descent. In fact, within the alt-right, terms like “globalists,” or “the elite,” are used as a type of code to reference Jews. These terms have bled into mainstream political discussion, even though their use within the alt-right has been well documented. Our own president has been consistently criticized for his use of inflammatory, politically charged terminology in his speech, often using these terms given their current context by the far right, whose blatant anti-Semitism is not only tolerated, but capitalized upon.

The Left

Examining the left wing of our political system also reveals veiled anti-Semitic feeling. One recent example is the accusations of anti-Semitism that the national Women’s March organization leaders have faced. After a main leader of the Women’s March movement publicly expressed support for a Nation of Islam leader that has overtly anti-Semitic views, the organization has been forced to confront this issue as well as various other concerns of racial bias.

More broadly, some discussion regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within the left can contain anti-Semitic language. While anti-Zionists have legitimate viewpoints regarding the oppression of Palestinians, anti-Zionism can also function as a smokescreen for prejudice towards Jewish people. This isn’t to say that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a complex and nuanced issue. There are arguments of legitimacy on both sides, and it is a bitter and long battle between these two parties that has brewed deep hatred on both sides. However, there is a difference between rhetoric that suggests that behavior Israel has exhibited are objectionable on humanitarian claims, and anti-Semitism disguised as anti-Zionism.

To ignore rising racism toward any racial group is to become complicit in that racism. For anyone that is looking, the rise in anti-Semitic feeling is increasing even as we pretend that it does not still exist within our country. In fact, the Anti-Defamation League reported a 57 percent rise in anti-Semitic incidents in 2017. History has to be fostered and taught, again and again, to build more inclusive and respectful communities and grow from a history of exclusiveness and racism.

It is time to stop ignoring these warning signs and confront these issues. We are responsible as individuals to confront our own ignorance. It is time to educate ourselves.

Article by Lauren Barclay.