Sticking our Head in the Sand

Poor ostriches get the unfair treatment; we make fun of them for burying their heads when danger is lurking. In fact, the common phrase “don’t stick your head in the sand” is actually based on their seemingly peculiar behavior. I mean, how dumb can an animal be? If danger is clearly visible, why would ignoring it change the reality? Maybe there is a comfort in ignorance? You know the saying “ignorance is bliss”.

For a thinking creature, this is a comfort that’s not worth the price. As it turns out, the ostrich actually has a perfect explanation for sticking its head in the sand; it is simply turning over its eggs in a nest which it makes in the ground. You see? The ostrich actually loves its offspring.

Do we have such a good explanation if we choose to stick our head in the ground? When we see danger, when we see the terrain shifting in front of our eyes, we have a responsibility to ourselves and to our children. After making so much fun of the ostrich, let’s take a lesson on looking after the next generation. After all, they depend on us.

Anti-Semitism in America is a real problem. Anti-Semitism in New York is a real problem. Anti-Semitism in Queens is a growing problem. How many anti-Semitic incidents have we had in the past month? One? Two? How many do we need to wake up? What happened to the phrase “one too many?” Why not take the facts and draw your own conclusions. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the difference in reported American anti-Semitic incidences between 2016 and 2017 is a whopping 60% increase. The numbers for 2018 have not been crunched, but I suspect they will trend in the same direction.

The ADL’s report highlighted that a huge chunk of Anti-Semitic incidents occur in connection with schools and college campuses, which have doubled since 2016. Does this ring any bells? The FBI released in a separate report that it saw a 37% increase in anti-Semitic crimes. What’s the discrepancy between the two sets of data? The FBI only counts incidents reported by the police as Hate Crimes. This effectively means 23% of Anti-Semitic incidents remain unaccounted for.

What exactly is a hate crime? Well, the law leaves much in the hands of the police department regarding that interpretation. Unfortunately, the stats clearly indicate a line distinguishing hate crimes from anti-Semitic incidences, and that should make all of us wonder, does the law serve us right? The law can be changed by legislators under political pressure, albeit what is surely a process. But what should we do as concerned citizens?

We need to understand that an incident can be purely Anti-Semitic even if it is not recognized as a hate crime. We also need to do a good job reporting Anti-Semitic incidents. This means taking the time out to make the calls to 911, expressing ourselves to elected officials via email, mail and phone calls, and being proactive. We may be frustrated that the law doesn’t necessarily recognize Anti-Semitic incidents as hate crimes, but the worst thing we can do is simply stick our head in the ground and say “It’s not a hate crime, there is nothing to worry about”.

 By Adam Suionov