Yeah, I’ve heard some of Finklestein’s discussions on that. He’s pretty ungenerous in some of those opinions, but I’m in no position to deny their veracity.

It’s an uncomfortable fact that an abuser disguised as the abused is so much more successful at abuse than one that presents honestly. It’s got to be more than just media conditioning, maybe an instinctive desire for simple things, that plays such a part in conditioning us to think in concepts of good and evil and whoever we meet will just tell us which one they are and take that at face value. As it turns out sympathy is such an easy thing to exploit, but it’s too cynical to believe anyone would.