To what John describes below. I went to one meeting at the insistence of my parents, and decided I was not looking to hunker down with a bunch of Jews, which is what it felt like to me (my 18 yr old perceptions might have been off). But…if, I’m sure when, they wanted to rent a venue for anything geared towards Jews, like potentially a play, everyone involved probably would have been white and Jewish, and the attendees they’d be seeking would also be Jewish (and white). Nobody would have thought twice about that when I was a kid.

Same probably would have been true of an Italian organization. Context would matter. I’m not a fan of the new emphasis on identity in all things I perceive on the left, and especially in academia. It’s an overreaction - a pendulum swing. It needs to swing back, somewhat. But imo JM is similarly overreacting. I don’t think this is actually about a segregated theater. I think it is about a racially focused theater group which is being assumed to only appeal to members of that race. One goal in academia used to be to make something like that less true. I do think we’ve lost our way on that concept - wrongheaded way to address race and inequity.
[Post edited by hoolstoptheheels at 04/12/2024 08:42AM]