As far as I knew, “Zionist” as a negative was primarily used by the Nazis for all that blood libel stuff. I think it may have been used under Stalinist communism as well. The KKK and other white supremacist groups use it. You also see Zion in hymns, usually as a reference to heaven.

FWIW, I’m not a supporter of Israel or the ongoing Palestinian genocide. I also think that most of the Muslim states are terrible as well. Organized religion and its involvement in the state is a cancer and it doesn’t much matter if it’s Judaism, Islam, or Christianity. Fundamentalism is terrible.

Anyhow, when I see “Zionism” to refer to support of Israel, it pings my bullshit detector. It isn’t a part of normal discourse as I know it in the US. It feels like whomever is spouting it has been propagandized when I see it. It seems to be accompanied by varying degrees of jingoism and anger. Tends to be a very black and white worldview, almost naive. Reminds me of Qanon brainwashing but for the Left.

As this is Lemmy, it’s not coming from neo-nazis.

What is driving this?

Is it tankies? (Which I don’t know a lot about, but they seem to be heavily propagandized and unpleasant.)

Is it Muslims?

Some sort of Left ideology that isn’t common in the US?

Is it politically naive kids that have been fed talking points?

Is it Russian, Chinese, or some other state level disinfo/propaganda?

  • @[email protected]
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    717 hours ago

    Anyhow, when I see “Zionism” to refer to support of Israel, it pings my bullshit detector. It isn’t a part of normal discourse as I know it in the US.

    This must be a thing inside the Usa then.

    I know the term Zionists as refering to the political right-wing parties in Isreel.

    • @[email protected]
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      18 hours ago

      That’s like saying “I know the term ‘patriot’ as referring to the republican party in the US”.

      Like, yes, the right tries to take over the term, thus making all other parties “anti-Zionists”/“anti-patriotic”. But in reality the term crosses political boundaries.

      If anything, the far-religious-right parties are the only (non-Arab) parties that don’t refer to themselves as Zionists (they have some issues with Zionism being a secular movent)