The Radicalism of fools has been redesigned to make its mission immediately apparent even to casual visitors. Its goal is to promote a rethinking of anti-Semitism since, in my view, the current discussion of this vital topic is severely lacking. The site’s editorial focus will remain unchanged.
The first thing regular readers are likely to notice is the explicit statement of the site’s goals near the top of the homepage (in the box with the yellow background). From the start I have emphasised the importance of free speech – a value all too rarely upheld in discussions on this subject. I also stress the dangers of identity politics as a driver of contemporary anti-Semitism. Finally, a point that has particularly struck me since launching the site in January, is that it is vital to distinguish between Islam and Islamism.
I have also tweaked the logo so it says “rethinking anti-Semitism” rather than “untangling anti-Semitism”. My original idea was to get across the notion that thinking about anti-Semitism is often so confused that key concepts needed to be “untangled”. More recently I have come to the conclusion that it is better to talk in terms of considering the subject afresh. It is really just a difference of emphasis.
Finally, I have introduced a premium subscriber level in addition to free subscriptions. Those who subscribe for free will continue to receive what they did before: access to all articles, articles sent by email as soon as they are published and access to the archive.
The premium subscription service – for £5 a month or £50 a year (or the equivalent in other currencies) – is to help me pay the running costs of the site. In return premium subscribers will be able to participate for free in occasional Zoom discussions and join an invite-only Facebook group. Those who take out annual subscriptions will also be eligible for a free signed copy of my just-published Letter on Liberty on Rethinking Anti-Semitism (more details on this soon).
I would like to thank Martyn Perks for his indispensable work in redesigning the site. I also appreciate Alex Dale’s help in tweaking his excellent Radicalism of fools graphic. Thanks too to Beverley Marshall for her valuable comments.
As I always say, please do contact me if you have any comments or suggestions. This time I mean it more than ever.
Daniel Ben-Ami daniel@radicalismoffools.com