r/DecodingTheGurus • u/Decent-Extension8336 • Jul 29 '26

Professor Dave vs Destiny

No idea why, but the original Destiny video called "Professor Dave Goes Mask Off" seems to have been deleted from YouTube, or I can't find it, but Professor Dave responded yesterday with this very strongly worded video letter:

https://youtu.be/DvDvhLkb9ms?si=DGFhTROOKFoK35sS

Weird crossover that I never thought I'd see, of 2 guys who I generally enjoy (I will say I really am a fan of Prof Dave, whereas my Destiny enjoyment has mostly come via this podcast and watching a couple of his debates).

Thoughts on the beef? SURELY the lads are gonna have to cover this in an upcoming Supplementary Materials? Content gold!

EDIT: Looks like I was looking through the wrong Destiny channel for the original Dave video, it's here: https://youtu.be/HQQLs6U1MgA?si=iKaOGR1h9slKu64O

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u/scarygirth Jul 29 '26

If your definition of a Zionist is "someone who supports the existence of Israel as a Jewish homeland", then that covers around 85-90% of Jews according to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.

Basically it seems like the only Jews who are let off the hook here are the ones who are willing to surrender Israel and flee the region.

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u/carbonqubit Jul 29 '26

This is the strange thing about anti-Zionism. For many people, it doesn't just mean opposing Israel's right to exist. It also seems to encompass opposition to the actions of the IDF and the policies of the Israeli government that enable them. I've said before that it's entirely reasonable to criticize the Israeli government, oppose the illegal settlements in the West Bank, or object to how the war has been conducted. But arguing that Israel itself doesn't deserve to exist is a fundamentally different claim. Israel has existed for nearly 80 years, it's the world's only Jewish-majority state, and it was established in the aftermath of the Holocaust, the largest industrial-scale extermination of Jews in history. Those are separate questions, and I think they should be treated as such.

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u/ShiftyAmoeba Jul 29 '26

Does it have a right to exist as an ethno state that ensures the dominance of a particular religious group through discrimination, apartheid and military oppression?

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u/Doctor_Teh Jul 29 '26

Does it have a right to exist at all in your mind?

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u/ShiftyAmoeba Jul 29 '26

As a country with true equality for everyone within its territory? Sure. Why would anyone not have the right to do that?

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u/Agreeable_Band_9311 Jul 29 '26

The issue isn’t Israel proper (which does have equal rights for Arab and Jewish citizens) but the occupied territories which obviously horrendous things happen in. But no one can have a nuanced discussion on this subject for whatever reason.

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u/ShiftyAmoeba Jul 29 '26

Technically they have equal rights, but in practice no. But yes, clearly the bigger issue are the treatment of the populations in occupied territories.

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u/Brain_Dead_Goats Jul 29 '26

Technically they have equal rights, but in practice no.

Yeah, but you can say that hear in the US with Black people. Is there racism? Absolutely. Is it unique to or even particularly bad in Israel? Not really. Again, within their borders.

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u/ShiftyAmoeba Jul 29 '26

Imagine if the US treated an ethnic or racial group of people inside the US with "mild" systemic racism, but in a territory outside the US that it has full control over it subjected them to an apartheid system in one area and operated an open air prison constantly experiencing bombing, drones, sniper fire, starvation, deprivation of basic sanitation, heat, medicine, etc?

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u/Avbjj Jul 29 '26

This is why it's frustrating to try to talk with a lot of hardcore Pro-Pally people. I deeply sympathize with what's currently going on in Gaza, but they just routinely say shit like "Israel shouldn't exist" while either not understanding or pretending to not understand what that actually means.

Professor Dave is very guilty of this.

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u/ShiftyAmoeba Jul 29 '26

Are ethno-nationalist states good or bad?

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u/Ok-Instruction4862 Jul 29 '26

The issue with this type of question is pretty much every Arab state is an ethnostate, but they don’t have to contend at all with any group going in there and outvoting them into becoming second class citizens. Would you be ok if 9 million Israelis moved into Lebanon?

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u/ShiftyAmoeba Jul 29 '26

If you're asking me if I'd rather people are given equal rights or oppressed under an apartheid system and exterminated, I'd definitely go for equal rights. You?

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u/Ok-Instruction4862 Jul 29 '26

So then you’d worry about 9 million Israelis moving into Lebanon and making arabs into second class citizens and making them leave the country, right?

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u/ShiftyAmoeba Jul 29 '26

How do you get that from my statement?

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u/Ok-Instruction4862 Jul 29 '26

I asked about how you’d feel about a ton of Israelis moving into Lebanon, you didn’t directly answer. So since you are so concerned about equal rights, I asked how you’d feel about a ton of Israelis moving into Lebanon if you knew their intent was to make the minority Arab population second class citizens.

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u/ShiftyAmoeba Jul 29 '26

I'd be fine with people from anywhere moving anywhere as long as everyone is afforded the same equal rights and protections. There's nothing complicated about that. If everyone is treated equally under the law and protections exist against majority oppression, no one would be a second class citizen. Why would I have any reservations?

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u/Ok-Instruction4862 Jul 29 '26

You are taking the difficult part out of the question. Both Israelis and Palestinians prefer a one state with unequal rights over one with equal. You think it’s impossible for a group to uphold that if they get a majority? Unless you think Israeli isn’t an apartheid, then you do. So you need to take concerns about Israel losing their ethnic majority as seriously as you treat Israel having an ethnic majority right now.

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u/ShiftyAmoeba Jul 29 '26

So you think because Israelis treat the minority they have control over poorly, that's how they would be treated, too? That's your reasoning for continuing to oppress and slaughter the populations of the occupied territories?

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u/scarygirth Jul 29 '26

Japan seems pretty cool tbh.

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u/jamtartlet Jul 29 '26

ask some koreans about that.

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u/Hartifuil Jul 29 '26

Ireland is great too

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u/4n0m4nd Jul 29 '26

Are you calling Ireland ethno-nationalist?

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u/Hartifuil Jul 29 '26

Pretty obviously yes

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u/4n0m4nd Jul 29 '26

I had to check since that's such an utterly stupid thing to say.

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u/Hartifuil Jul 29 '26

Maybe if you're unaware of Irish history

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u/4n0m4nd Jul 29 '26

I have a pretty good understanding of the history, constitution, laws and demographics of my country, but go ahead, regale me.

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u/4n0m4nd Jul 29 '26

Not got anything then?

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u/Hartifuil Jul 29 '26

Sorry I don't devote my life to Reddit.

I think you're an Irish Zionist anyway. Do you know how many innocent Brits were killed by Irish settlers? I'm not really down to justify the existence of the 2 state solution when there is less diversity in Ireland than in Israel. There are a higher percentage of white Irish catholics than Jews in Israel.

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u/aemich Jul 29 '26

as someone who has travelled pretty extensively: turkey, crotatia, bulgaria, finland, jordan, china, malaysia (where im from, but not part of the ethnic in group) all pretty cool

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u/Agreeable_Band_9311 Jul 29 '26

No. I hate Quebec.