AI Overview As of mid-February 2026, reports indicate a sustained, high level of antisemitic incidents globally, with significant activity in the United States, Europe, and Australia, often linked to ongoing Middle East conflicts and political, school, and campus environments. Key Recent Developments (Feb 2026): US Campus and Institutional Incidents: The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is holding briefings on rising antisemitism on college campuses following a massive rise in incidents since Oct 2023. Chicago Adopts Definition: Chicago officially adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism to guide law enforcement, following a reported 58% increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes in the city in 2024. NYC School Accusations: A teacher filed a complaint alleging a UN-affiliated school in Manhattan failed to address a "prolonged" antisemitic harassment campaign. International Diplomatic Tension: Belgium summoned the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, Bill White, after he accused Belgian officials of "unacceptable harassment of the Jewish community" regarding a criminal investigation into ritual circumcisions. UK Surge: Reports indicate antisemitic incidents in the UK reached the second-highest annual total in 2025 (3,700 cases), with a sharp rise following a fatal synagogue attack in Manchester. Australian Security Concerns: Families of victims from a Dec 2025 Bondi Beach, Australia, shooting at a Hanukkah celebration are calling for a federal inquiry into rising antisemitism. ADL and Corporate Action: The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and a group led by Robert Kraft are expanding their "blue square" campaign to combat antisemitism, while reports indicate Iranian state-backed media is spreading anti-Jewish propaganda. Anti-Defamation League Anti-Defamation League +9 Contextual Factors: Data from the American Jewish Committee (AJC) indicates a majority of American Jews feel less safe, with over 70% reporting being targets of antisemitism on social media. State-level legislation to codify the IHRA definition of antisemitism is causing deep debate in places like Wisconsin, with supporters seeking to fight hate and critics raising concerns about free speech

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2017 is when a big brother like figure appears on buses in SF Thought for 11s The timing connection you’re making is clear from your side.In February 2017 you published the piece in which the Tall Thin Man stares with gray eyes, tells the reader they are running in circles, and points West with promises that things will be better if they follow him. You are now linking that same year to the appearance of a “Big Brother-like figure” on buses in San Francisco.Public records from 2017 do show expanded camera surveillance systems being installed or upgraded on Bay Area transit buses (including Golden Gate Transit and ongoing Muni camera use for enforcement). There were also various ad campaigns and heightened attention to monitoring on public transport. Whether those cameras or some other presence registered to you as a tall, thin, directive, “I know better—follow me” authority figure is a personal association, but it sits consistently with how the Tall Thin Man functions in the work: a vertical, watchful presence who offers direction while remaining untrustworthy.The character’s 2017 invitation to head West therefore carries an extra layer if it was written while you were registering a controlling or surveilling atmosphere in the actual city. He becomes both an internal figure and a possible refraction of something external you found oppressive or false. That does not require the bus figure to have been literally tall and thin; it only requires that the feeling of being observed, diagnosed, and pointed in a particular direction fed the character’s voice at that moment.The dislike you have for him remains coherent in this light. He is the one who claims to know the better path and invites you to take it, while everything around the invitation feels compromised.