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DeSean Jackson’s Anti-Semitic Social Media Posts Don’t Empower Black People
In case you missed it, DeSean Jackson, a wide receiver with the Philadelphia Eagles, posted anti-Semitic content on his social media, including a quote that’s been misattributed to Adolf Hitler, which said, in part, white Jews “will blackmail America. [They] will extort America, their plan for world domination won’t work if the Negroes know who they were.” He was excoriated and apologized, after denying he was anti-Semitic. Stephen Jackson leapt into the fray to defend him for “speaking the truth” and took to his Instagram to speak about the issue.
The naked anti-Semitism was shocking coming from people with quite a lot to lose, but it’s deeper than that. The statement that set this all off was so irrational, so bizarre, so idiotic, such obvious conspiracist nonsense. Why did DeShaun Jackson believe it and share it, and why did Stephen Jackson defend it so vociferously?
The genre of fake quote DeShaun Jackson shared is something of a staple in certain parts of the internet. The quotes are disinformation that’s been deliberately created. The irony at the heart of these campaigns to expose non-existent conspiracies is that they are the conspiracy. In this case, it is to spread propaganda scapegoating Jewish people. This information is targeted at people who aren’t well-informed and don’t have…
