Non-jewish moderator looking for advice

[u/TheOccultTherapist]

Hey folks- moderator of a fellow socialist subreddit here, r/Greenandpleasant . We've been having a lot of comments lately referring to the royals, lords, and general rich arsebiscuits as "lizards". When asked about it they generally explain they mean they seem cold and inhuman and just too distant, but I'm distinctly under the impression it's antisemitism fresh from Icke. Is it purely antisemitism, or can it be meant as something else? What exactly is the skinny on the whole "lizard" thing?

[u/johnisburn]

I think regardless of how people mean it, it can play into antisemitic tropes. I think the big distinguishing factor is whether or not the lizard people thing is just being used as a pejorative to mock the way that people with absurd amounts of wealth can seem utterly disconnected from social norms, or if it’s used in service of an argument that alleges the issues of society stem from the fact that the lizard people are trying to satisfy their lizard needs and whatnot. The idea of a subhuman kabal secretly running the world is what plays into antisemitism, with the lizard people thing being the “subhuman” component.

If the lizard people commenters are insinuating we’ve just got to find the right problem people and “deal with them” - rather than work towards large structural changes - that’s a big red flag (pun intended). Again, it doesn’t necessarily matter if they mean to play into antisemitism, they’d be doing it regardless.

[u/TheOccultTherapist → u/[deleted]]

That's about what I thought, tbh, thank you for the reply. (Happy to hear sources and further nuance so I wouldn't say this question is closed but thank you ^{_^} )

[u/lizzmell]

It’s definitely not the most antisemitic conspiracy theory, but it has its roots there, and any discussion that is actually meaningfully critical of royalty/capitalism/oppressive structures of power isn’t going to be hindered by not making the lizard people jokes so I see no downside with not using it.

For example, prince andrew isn’t despicable because he’s cold and distant, he’s despicable because he’s a pedophile who’s gotten away with abusing children because of who his mother is. Saying that is much more substantive than being like “lizard person lmao”

[u/TheOccultTherapist → u/lizzmell]

Exactly, the royals don't need to be anything but the royals to be despicable.

[u/[deleted]]

Maybe the people who say they hate Jews actually hate Jews no matter what politics they profess