As with your earlier "briar patch" post, you describe the current situation well. It is profoundly ironic, and sad, that the Jewish people who have suffered so much during the long course of history are now implicated in such a tragedy. Not only have Netanyahu and his accomplices caused egregious harm to the Palestinian people, but they have caused long-standing harm to the state of Israel itself. At the same time, I don't find that the "pro-Palestinian" protestors speak for me, in part for the reasons you suggest, and I find myself having to navigate my own course through this quagmire.
Indeed! Here in Berkeley, we now have a part-time emergency mobile service for unhoused persons having a mental crisis. Not yet 24/7 but that's the goal. I think the impetus to create such a service was supported by the underlying goals of 'Defund the Police.'
Ducat does an excellent job of reminding us how language is weaponized. He cites 'Defund the Police,' and I recall several deconstructions, some with visual aids, that were created to 'explain' what the phrase was supposed to really mean. Much to our chagrin, we live in a era where a soundbyte is the prominent form of communication, as if humans no longer have the intelligence or patience to understand any combo of words longer than 3-5!
Thanks, Summer. That example is an excellent reminder of the well-worn but accurate cliche about political communication: if you're explaining, you're losing.
As with your earlier "briar patch" post, you describe the current situation well. It is profoundly ironic, and sad, that the Jewish people who have suffered so much during the long course of history are now implicated in such a tragedy. Not only have Netanyahu and his accomplices caused egregious harm to the Palestinian people, but they have caused long-standing harm to the state of Israel itself. At the same time, I don't find that the "pro-Palestinian" protestors speak for me, in part for the reasons you suggest, and I find myself having to navigate my own course through this quagmire.
Indeed! Here in Berkeley, we now have a part-time emergency mobile service for unhoused persons having a mental crisis. Not yet 24/7 but that's the goal. I think the impetus to create such a service was supported by the underlying goals of 'Defund the Police.'
That's great. It also highlights what was missing from the clunky "Defund the Police" meme: foregrounding what we WANT funded.
Ducat does an excellent job of reminding us how language is weaponized. He cites 'Defund the Police,' and I recall several deconstructions, some with visual aids, that were created to 'explain' what the phrase was supposed to really mean. Much to our chagrin, we live in a era where a soundbyte is the prominent form of communication, as if humans no longer have the intelligence or patience to understand any combo of words longer than 3-5!
Thanks, Summer. That example is an excellent reminder of the well-worn but accurate cliche about political communication: if you're explaining, you're losing.
Here is a messaging blunder almost too moronic to be believed. I can picture Netanyahu's smile of satisfaction as he sees this: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/26/nyregion/columbia-student-protest-zionism.html