(TJV) In the heart of Rockefeller Center on Monday, chaos ensued as pro-Hamas, pro-terrorist demonstrators sought to disrupt Christmas celebrations, resulting in scuffles, arrests, and injuries to law enforcement. For many New Yorkers, this has sadly become just another day in the post-October 7 reality, raising profound questions about the city’s growing tolerance for such reprehensible behavior, said the New York Post’s Bob McManus in a hard-hitting and spot on editorial.
The late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a keen observer of societal shifts, introduced the concept of “defining deviancy down” over three decades ago. McManus also noted that in these contemporary times, as we witness a slow-rolling celebration of Islamist terror entering its third month, one can’t help but wonder if we are now witnessing the city “defining depravity down.”
Over three years ago, New York’s response to looting at Macy’s Herald Square included painting political graffiti in front of Trump Tower. While appalling, it was at least comprehensible in a city where the George Floyd riots were sometimes viewed as legitimate political acts, and elected officials displayed notable cowardice.
However, the recent demonstration at Rockefeller Center took this descent to a new low. McManus also observed that hundreds of pro-Islamist demonstrators gathered to mock Christmas, one of Christianity’s holiest days, all in support of Hamas — the group responsible for the heinous acts on October 7 in Israel, including 1,200 murders.
The question arises: who targets Christmas Day for a celebration of mass murder, torture, hostage-taking, and rape? It is a level of moral sickness that shocks the conscience.
The response from official New York has been beyond disappointing, sending a disheartening message. McManus writes that while the NYPD has managed to keep events under control, the frequency of the pro-Hamas displays of sheer rancor, each more extreme and threatening than the last, remains troubling.
For nearly three months, the city has experienced daily disruptions, traffic blockades, and intimidating tantrums in Midtown, all without strong moral censure from elected, religious, or civic leaders, according to McManus’ editorial. The lack of official disapproval in the face of unadorned evil allows the descent into depravity to continue unchecked.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s assertion that Jesus was Palestinian and city councilors donning pro-Hamas T-shirts indicate a disturbing alignment with forces that seek to disrupt and undermine the city’s values, as was suggested by McManus in his Post editorial. When iconic celebrations are flamboyantly disrupted, silence from leadership becomes a tacit endorsement.
Pat Moynihan, were he alive today, might weep over what has become of his hometown, but he foresaw this decline. McManus said that he understood that there is nothing morally redemptive about silence in the face of unadulterated evil. As New York grapples with this alarming trend, it must confront the reality that allowing depravity to be defined down only weakens the moral fabric of the city.
