Oy, my friend. This question haunts me, frankly. I'm American and Israeli, and I can't say I'm hugely inspired by the leadership of either country. Yesterday I was talking to my mom and she was describing all the civilian initiatives in Israel right now — random people organizing clothes, and furniture, and food, and activities for all t…
Oy, my friend. This question haunts me, frankly. I'm American and Israeli, and I can't say I'm hugely inspired by the leadership of either country. Yesterday I was talking to my mom and she was describing all the civilian initiatives in Israel right now — random people organizing clothes, and furniture, and food, and activities for all the displaced people. Folks driving folks to doctor appointments. And I think of the civilians who drove to the kibbutzim in the south to save people from Hamas while the gvmnt floundered. And I think of the poisonous water in Flint. And the migrant crisis in NYC. And the lack of healthcare. And the skyrocketing rates of homelessness. While the GOP is fighting about nonsense in the House of Representatives, people are gong hungry. Sleeping on sidewalks. 76% of Israelis want Netanyahu to resign. But he won't, because he's awful. So instead soldiers and civilians will continue to die.
And I think, what the hell? How do we get a government that actually represents any kind of anything we want? I have no answers. And lately I feel like no one is actually interested in listening to each other and focusing on the wellbeing of other human beings.
I think it's very astute that you say the U.S. is "invested in its own military goals that have nothing to do with the well-being of either Israelis or Palestinians." If you zoom waaaaaaay out, this is in many ways a proxy war between Russia (who backs Iran who backs Hamas and Houthis and Hezbollah) and the United States (who backs Israel and has a stake in Saudi Arabia). And while these powerful men, because they are all men, play a high-stakes game of chicken (or Risk?) babies starve. My heart is broken.
Yep... did you ever read Terry Pratchett? There's a quote in one of the Discworld books where Captain Vimes says that to solve a crime you always follow the money and I feel like that applies to *so many* real-world situations. Which is to say, how much of this war is happening because Bibi doesn't want to go to jail for corruption and bribery and Hamas leadership want to keep sitting in their shmancy suites in Qatar? By hating on each other we are doing *exactly* what they want us to do. It's like the worst sleight-of-hand trick — when we are fractured they enrich themselves and get themselves more power.
Also. On the point of being a "real Jew." (*rolls up sleeves*)
No. One. Gets. To. Tell. Anyone. They. Are. A. Real. Anything.
These purity tests that pop up everywhere are nonsense invented by insecure people who can't handle the reality of messy human-ness and the magic variability of human experience. Pretend you're a duck and let that inanity flow right off your back.
100% to all of this. I often think of the Vimes Boots Theory when I hear economists talking about all kinds of nonsense, making things too complicates. Just, like, the Boots! And, yes the union strengthening is a huge source of hope <3
Oy, my friend. This question haunts me, frankly. I'm American and Israeli, and I can't say I'm hugely inspired by the leadership of either country. Yesterday I was talking to my mom and she was describing all the civilian initiatives in Israel right now — random people organizing clothes, and furniture, and food, and activities for all the displaced people. Folks driving folks to doctor appointments. And I think of the civilians who drove to the kibbutzim in the south to save people from Hamas while the gvmnt floundered. And I think of the poisonous water in Flint. And the migrant crisis in NYC. And the lack of healthcare. And the skyrocketing rates of homelessness. While the GOP is fighting about nonsense in the House of Representatives, people are gong hungry. Sleeping on sidewalks. 76% of Israelis want Netanyahu to resign. But he won't, because he's awful. So instead soldiers and civilians will continue to die.
And I think, what the hell? How do we get a government that actually represents any kind of anything we want? I have no answers. And lately I feel like no one is actually interested in listening to each other and focusing on the wellbeing of other human beings.
I think it's very astute that you say the U.S. is "invested in its own military goals that have nothing to do with the well-being of either Israelis or Palestinians." If you zoom waaaaaaay out, this is in many ways a proxy war between Russia (who backs Iran who backs Hamas and Houthis and Hezbollah) and the United States (who backs Israel and has a stake in Saudi Arabia). And while these powerful men, because they are all men, play a high-stakes game of chicken (or Risk?) babies starve. My heart is broken.
Yep... did you ever read Terry Pratchett? There's a quote in one of the Discworld books where Captain Vimes says that to solve a crime you always follow the money and I feel like that applies to *so many* real-world situations. Which is to say, how much of this war is happening because Bibi doesn't want to go to jail for corruption and bribery and Hamas leadership want to keep sitting in their shmancy suites in Qatar? By hating on each other we are doing *exactly* what they want us to do. It's like the worst sleight-of-hand trick — when we are fractured they enrich themselves and get themselves more power.
Also. On the point of being a "real Jew." (*rolls up sleeves*)
No. One. Gets. To. Tell. Anyone. They. Are. A. Real. Anything.
These purity tests that pop up everywhere are nonsense invented by insecure people who can't handle the reality of messy human-ness and the magic variability of human experience. Pretend you're a duck and let that inanity flow right off your back.
100% to all of this. I often think of the Vimes Boots Theory when I hear economists talking about all kinds of nonsense, making things too complicates. Just, like, the Boots! And, yes the union strengthening is a huge source of hope <3