poisoning the well | #TranslateHate
poisoning the well
trope \ 'poiz(ə)niNG thə wel \
: a smear tactic in which an opponent introduces negative information about their adversaries in order to discredit them. The term derives from the ancient war tactic of poisoning an opponent’s water to diminish his strength
WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:
“Poisoning the well,” an accusation rooted in the 14th century Bubonic Plague, blames Jews for purposefully spreading disease. As the Black Death spread across Europe, Jews were accused of spreading the infection through common drinking wells. Thousands of innocent Jews were murdered in response. This trope can be found on all sides of the political spectrum— from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, which accused Jews of being “vermin” and spreading bacteria, to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan’s diatribes labeling Jews as “termites” also spreading disease. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jews were blamed by alternative figures on various far-right fringe platforms for creating and/or purposefully spreading COVID-19. This trope reached a more mainstream audience on the far-left, where political cartoons and statements were made saying Israel (or “Zionists”) created COVID-19 in order to hurt the Palestinians and/or profit off the vaccine.
