No Words To Describe
Israel should not exist
The scope of the American mind is limited. Recently some fans seemed outraged that a too-famous-too-quickly popstar had a nuanced take about politics, god forbid, and declined to full-throatedly endorse a Democratic candidate who, alas, was giving us nothing except Joe Biden but it’s two more songs so it’s the same.
It seems nothing short of incredible to be aghast at such an obvious truth: Donald Trump is scary and bad, sure, but the Democrats have been extremely adept at alienating their base, depending on a fervor of “anyone but that guy” to whip up MSNBC loving liberals into hand wringing about the importance of “defending democracy” while not doing anything (knock on doors, perhaps) to get out the vote instead of, you know, taking a stand and actually believing in anything. One would think a very basic stance would be: no war. The mainstream press seems to still believe that just reporting on Trump having conspiracy theories and being a weirdo will be enough to hand Kamala the presidency, all while we are living through the social cause of our time and pretending we would suddenly stop arming Israel if our coconut-loving chief was in charge.
People already might be trying to preserve the memory of Joe Biden as a reasonable guy, good grandpa, whatever, when he is senile, unfit to be in charge of anything, and supporting a fascist regime in razing entire populations while the world watches and twiddles their thumbs. His legacy will be Genocide Joe, because that is what he has enabled. The Democrats, everyone!
Meanwhile, are we surprised that mainstream media aids this agenda? No, I am not surprised, but there is something still shocking about seeing it, seeing the ire when people even slightly go against the grain, seeing what is printed, seeing what lives are considered important, who matters, what war crimes are padded with passive voice until they slither back down into a maintainable shape, nothing to see here, untold horror is simply here, don’t know where it came from, the aggressor seems to be just out of frame. Don’t ask about their beliefs, or what they have been saying openly from the start, don’t ask where they got the weapons, don’t ask about the mass casualties inflicted and flimsily ascribed to being important for military strategy. Don’t ask, don’t ask. Let the consent factory wash over you, let the media continue a legacy of framing Israel as the David in David v. Goliath. Small but mighty. Surrounded by enemies, and yet incredibly, making it out alive. Israel is, I hope obviously, the Goliath, it is the U.S. backed and funded military might that can raze entire buildings, hospitals, schools, homes, lives to the ground. Is it a highly advanced technological fascist regime that will stop at nothing until the land is theirs. The people on it do not matter. They never mattered. They are not going to stop.
Instead of looking plainly at the atrocities, the media continues this complex knot of reallocating blame, of softening edges, and of alienating those who dare to suggest Palestinian people have a right to live. Doing so means you are antisemitic, a terrorist, a self-hating jew, a Hamas-lover. Do not look at the big picture, instead let the NY Times tell you that the most important thing is antisemitism at Harvard and other elite universities, oh god the Zionists feelings are hurt, we must crack down on this. Lives lost, families eradicated, homes destroyed, schools gone, hospitals gone, children are being killed. But this is the conversation, this is what we’re told matters. The U.S. continues to aid Israel in their mission to commit genocide and fully embrace their reality as an armed, fascist ethnostate which will continue to murder without impunity, with moral and financial support from our democratically elected democrats, and help from our tax dollars.
Those who have humanity and openly condemn what is happening are met with professional setbacks, personal alienation. This video of an interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates on CBS is startling, because it is rare someone with those beliefs would 1) be allowed on CBS and 2) can so eloquently refute the baiting questions from someone (the white host) who is deeply personally invested in Israel.
Watch him be baited and calmly respond – “Either Apartheid is right or wrong.” It’s really incredible and hopefully a good video to send to people who would otherwise be unexposed to these views, and here is someone who has liberal cache and is using that to talk directly to them. Coates will most certainly be ostracized for this, it’s brave of him to do, and it’s important to note that people are speaking up in such ways on much smaller scales, too, and facing repercussions that impact their livelihoods. See: A Cornell Graduate Student Faces Deportation After a Pro-Palestine Action. A friend who is a teacher was doxxed because of their activism, their anti-genocidal stance is an apparent threat to children in the classroom. (Which speaking of, if anyone has resources for those being doxxed in such ways, please send to me, thank you).
Shit is really fucking scary, I don’t have the words, but I will try. I am sending prayers to those of you with family and loved ones in areas that are under fire, I am sending love and strength to those of you continuing to speak up and out about injustice. From the river to the sea.
Here are some assorted links and websites I like to frequent (also for general news I like Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye. Check out Writers Against the War on Gaza also. As always please feel free to send me any links or resources.)