Kamau Bobb, the chief of diversity at mega company Google, has the internet clamoring over a blog post attributed to him discussing Israel's place in the Middle East. The blog post, which Bobb reportedly made while a research associate at Georgia Tech in 2007, strongly condemns the Israeli government for their actions against other Middle Eastern nations, while applying it broadly to all Jewish people, which he categorizes as an "increasing insensitivity to the suffering (of) others."
"If I were a Jew," as Bobb named the blog post, finds itself generalizing members of the Jewish religion consistently, and Jewish leaders are concerned how such language went under the radar of Bobb's employer, Google.
"If I were a Jew I would be concerned about my insatiable appetite for war and killing in defense of mysel," becomes one of the most incendiary and charged moments of the blog post-- directly deducing an entire religion of people into one harmful stereotype. Other standout quotes from the post include "Self defense is undoubtedly an instinct, but I would be afraid of my increasing insensitivity to the suffering (of) others. My greatest torment would be that I’ve misinterpreted the identity offered by my history and transposed spiritual and human compassion with self righteous impunity," which asks Jewish people to use their experience during the Holocaust to evaluate their foreign policy.
Bobb faced sharp criticism from Jewish and Pro-Israel users. Author Michael Dickson blasted the blog post as anti-semitic and hypocritical and called for Bobb's resignation from his post. The Jewish Simon Wiesenthal Center raised similar concerns about the post and questioned why Google would hire Bobb for a position as important as Diversity Chief. StopAntisemitism.com joined in on the discourse by referring to Bobb as a "bigot" who must be fired immediately. Just today, Meghan McCain, co-host of The View and daughter of late senator John McCain, condemned the statements while filming the show.
Google has not provided any response or apology so far, and the blog has since been hidden from plain view on Bobb's site (although you can still view it 'hidden' here), but keep yourself posted as a statement should be coming sometime soon.
Do you think Kamau Bobb will be removed from his position?
Check out the tweets below.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1399885230828244992
https://twitter.com/_/status/1400014005717110784
https://twitter.com/_/status/1400122536386437126
https://twitter.com/_/status/1400065933083877376