[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: "heroes are scarce"

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Posted by Mary Madigan:
"heroes are scarce"
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1193420292.shtml


   Phyllis Chesler interviews a man who helped expose the Al Dura hoax,
   [1]Philippe Karsenty:

     Philippe Karsenty is tall, handsome, charming--and very determined;
     un homme, tres serieux (a very serious gentleman).

   [I met Mr. Karsenty at the Herzliya conference last year, and I can
   vouch for that..]

     Karsenty, a 41 year-old former stockbroker, media analyst, and
     founder of Media-Ratings, came to America on a lecture and media
     tour shortly after his interim victory in a Paris courtroom in the
     matter of the Al Dura Hoax. The state owned TV channel, France 2,
     sued him for defamation when Karsenty insisted that their airing of
     a brief (55-59 second) portion of the (27 minutes of raw footage)
     constituted a Blood Libel. The staged event took place on September
     30, 2000 at the Netzarim Junction and became the Face that launched
     far more than a thousand Islamist riots, anti-Israeli petitions,
     and successful and intercepted Palestinian suicide bombings.

     This past September, almost seven years later, a Paris judge
     finally ordered that France 2 turn over the film to the court by
     November 14th. The trial itself is set for February 27th of 2008.

     Karsenty recently visited me one afternoon and he returned two days
     later to speak at a gathering to honor him at my home. Among those
     whom I invited were a direct descendent of Captain Alfred Dreyfus
     (my friend and neighbor, Gilles Dreyfus) and yes, I took a photo of
     us all. After all, the Al Dura case exemplifies how powerful a
     single photo can be.

     In my opinion, Karsenty is a hero who would not allow me to
     introduce him as one. Karsenty interrupted me each time he thought
     I was about to do so. He said that he is "just doing the right
     thing and standing up for the truth" --the implication being that
     anyone can do so.

     He is right, but only a handful of people do so--or continue to do
     so once they find themselves on trial and very much alone. Thus, I
     believe that Karsenty and I are both correct. He IS a hero but
     mainly because such heroes are scarce; they are forced to "work
     alone" as they assume their bone-crushing historical burden.
     Organizations do not support them.

     Indeed, organizations sometimes obstruct and sabotage their own
     heroes. Such collective bodies do not intervene even when it might
     be in their national or organizational interest to do so. What they
     do instead is stand down, slander, or showcase the hero in an
     exploitative way--and then rush to take credit when the hero
     crosses the finish line at the end of a long, hard race...

     ...When asked why he is doing this--since anti-Semitic
     anti-Zionists will only continue to defame Israel; exposure will
     not stop them, he usually tells people this: "Sir, did you shave
     yesterday? And you will shave again tomorrow? Why bother?" And then
     he says: "It is important to stand up for the truth, no matter the
     cost. That should not make you a hero."

   "He said that he is "just doing the right thing and standing up for
   the truth" --the implication being that anyone can do so"

   That's true - if more people took that advice, the truth-tellers would
   be in the majority, and the process wouldn't be so difficult.

   Sometimes, organizations and people don't know how to look after their
   own interests.

   [2]RICHARD LANDES has more on the Al Dura Hoax and its effects

References

   1. http://76.12.0.56/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=438&Itemid=1
   2. http://www.theaugeanstables.com/category/al-durah-affair/