Can we start a series called I’M BEING FOLLOWED? Why not! As we feed our paranoia, what with all the increasing surveillance, isn’t it likely we ARE being watched? Here are bound to be found some interesting tales.
I had just come from a conversation about potential protest detractors whose chief strategy is to try to provoke violence. They do it by saying such repugnant things that you want to hit them. They’re not violent themselves, but their intent is exactly that. They don’t have to call you a freak, but they could insult something you care about so much, your cause for example, that you feel compelled to stand up for it. In fact if they are insulting a third party, it’s all the easier to feel self righteous and magnanimous to escalate the vehemence of upholding their honor. The Defenders of Jerusalem is such a group, for example. In Denver they delight in goading the Native American rights groups. Go figure. The Minutemen are another, picking on defenseless immigrants.
Later in the day I was at the supermarket checkout and a woman behind me initiated a conversation. She was complimenting me on my shoes. I thought this was an odd opening line, as I knew my shoes were not particularly distinguishable, they were certainly not attractive. “I love your shoes” she must have repeated. I turned to see a plump frizzy-dark-haired woman looking down at the Tevas on my feet. I never saw her face. She explained, still not looking up, that they were made in the country where she was born, Israel. “Oh, I replied, they’re comfortable” I mumbled, even as it occurred to me that by coincidence I’ve been complaining to myself about them. Teva. I’ll have to go look them up.
Teva is one of the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in the world based in Jerusalem.
And “Teva” the word means “nature” in Hebrew.
The Teva logo on your shoes however, belongs to Mark Thatcher, born and raised in the ghettos of Philadelphia. His mother was jewish and he did name his company in honor of an organization in Israel that made an impression on him as a teenager. But that’s about it.
They are manufactured in china.
Perhaps we are being followed. By one ignorant comment after another.
I had a pair of cork sole, open back sandals with that name and ‘made in Israel” written on a removable tag.
even the “Made in China’ or wherever doesn’t have to be indelibly stamped on the product. Just has to be marked that way for Customs, wholesale and retail.
The buyer “Consumer”<<==dehumanizing Corporate Word… can take the label off if he chooses.
Why would the comment be Ignorant?
By definition, any question would be either ignorant, as in the questioner really does not know the answer, or rhetorical, in which case the person assumes the question answers itself.
A comment taken as a whole can be either true, or false, if stated as a fact.
In all other cases it’s merely stated as opinion, or point-of-view observation.
This is a brotherjonah way of asking a question and defining the terms of that question.
I’m not familiar with the ins and outs of Israeli copyright laws. Copyrighting a word like “nature” would be tantamount to copyrighting the name YHVH.
My semi-legendary semi-eidetic recall fails me here, I don’t recall for sure if they had a tag on them saying “Kibbutz Made” in English and Hebrew.
Since Kibbutzim are a big issue with the IDF as to ‘are they Israel, or illegal settlements”, even within the Israeli Government, would they be exempt or self-exempted from Copyright Laws?
Eric’s statement was that the lady had said the shoes were made in Israel, and that she was from Israel.
Short of capturing and interrogating her, I don’t see any way of verifying or disproving her statements.
And since none of the regular contributors to this site are (G_d, I hope not} in the business of capturing or interrogating people…