Another Tack: Ocean of Schmaltz [Instead of Policy-Driven Democratic Choice], by Sarah Honig
Excerpts;
“The populace evidently reveled wallowing in this bottomless ocean of schmaltz and saccharine. It was a melodramatic kitsch-fest rivaled only by post-Rabin assassination de-rigueur mawkishness, which could at least superficially be construed as arising from genuine shock at the suddenness of the historical upset.”
“… Sharon, though recklessly obese, had reached – in relatively good health up until last month – the average life expectancy of an Israeli male. A medical crisis in his case could hardly have been a bolt from the blue. Indeed, if anything confounded logic it’s the apparent assumption that he’d carry on for another term or two.”
“Sharon’s own braggadocio contributed to the conceit. His pose was central to political hype aimed at convincing the electorate that it’s entrusting its fate in capable hands for the long haul.”
“The deception was self-serving for Sharon and his political entourage, while satisfying a grassroots cop-out desire to count on a larger-than-life guardian, one who’d make all angst disappear and who had all the answers.”
“The need to maintain the air of invincibility and unchallengeable wisdom accounted for why Sharon and his cronies pooh-poohed his warning stroke, commissioned an upbeat medical opinion, demanded a speedy release from hospital and allowed the patient to venture so far from his caregivers. This wasn’t mere hubris; it was cynical preference for short-term political gain – hence the deliberate obfuscation during the first cerebral incident.”
“Since the devastating aftermath couldn’t be denied, the other politically exploitable card was subsequently played. If earlier it was best that we discover as little as possible about our national father’s condition, we were later inundated with an indecent deluge of detail.”
“ … Political considerations overrode propriety. Though no longer vigorous, a sanctified Sharon could elicit sympathy. The object now was to market a hallowed legacy to voters deprived of their autocratic dynamic dad. Obliging opinion-makers occasionally even spuriously extolled him as one of Zionism’s founding fathers (no less). Those not conversant with facts could almost surmise that without Sharon there’d have been no State of Israel, that without him we’re doomed.”
“Had he not expelled 9,000 Jews from their homes and destroyed 25 thriving villages, the deification of Sharon would have never begun. Had he not of late performed a key function in weakening the Jewish state, he’d never have earned the world’s indefatigable interest in his vital signs.”
Commentary;
It seems that the opinions expressed by this author here seem to be shared
by other journalists. MB