A non-trivial proportion of your readership perceives that usage in the context of a wide, broad, deep linguistic habit of associating [metaphorical] ‘darkness’ of evil with literal ‘darkness’ of skin tone.

Granted that that’s not your intent, perpetuating the usage of darkness for malignity props the door open for bad actors who actually *want* to equate evil darkness with Blackness. It’s reason enough for me to avoid that if my friends ask me to avoid it in solidarity w/ them.

There aren't any black Jews then? Or Iranian ones, or Sephardim, Mizrahi because we're all the same in every thought, origin, language, deed, cultural reference? Why don't we just all stop talking altogether, and abolish writing.

Surely this is a false dichotomy. Some don’t mind the metaphor, and others take it personally. If you choose to use it anyway, you choose to offend some but not all. I don’t mind choosing other expressions.

I take it personally because it is NOT A METAPHOR.

‘Darkness’ for ‘evil’ isn’t a metaphor? I think I missed a step somewhere. Look, I have no interest in this argument; I thought you wanted an explanation. Please forget I said anything.

I'm debating. Discourse. It's not argument. I gave a reference, I read the one given, I get blocked. That is exclusion. What did anyone learn or expand from that beyond more anger. WE are not taught truth. It's not a personal attack on anyone, but one on historical assimilation.

Sorry someone blocked you. Sorry I irritated you. Wishing you all the best.

You didn't irritate me. It's the repetition of tropes for all humans that seem unsolvable to me, and these are perpetuated by humanity the species as a means of some need of superior and poor eduation, usually intentional. I hate assimilation. I hate myself. That is all I hate.

Jean-François Lyotard:‘[L]et us activate the differences…’ Some things are true for large samples, others for smaller; attention to particularity is where it’s at, as far as I’m concerned. Again, blessings…