Scorning Arabic culture in 1966 Israel meant scorning half its population

Evidence

After a long pause, Bar-Haim sighs and says, “Oh. What a terrible question.” Then he responds that those in Israel who scorn the Arabic language and culture are potentially scorning half the Israeli population. Such an attitude, notes Bar-Haim, is “pregnant with danger.” Interestingly, neither of the other panelists respond to Bar-Haim’s remarks, but rather embark on a discussion of Israeli and Arab mutual perceptions. — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 720

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: the broadcast moment where a panelist names the internal-other problem (‘scorning our own half’) and is met with collective silence — a case study in public-contestation failure.