LeftOfTheDial
@ericshapiro3.bsky.social
DSA’s messaging on Israel-Hamas is not beyond reproach, but let’s be real: there is no way for a socialist org to show solidarity with Palestinians without a backlash. Many attacks on DSA are opportunistic and have nothing to do with Israel. [Thread]
October 12, 2023 at 4:46 PM
DSA’s messaging on Israel-Hamas is not beyond reproach, but let’s be real: there is no way for a socialist org to show solidarity with Palestinians without a backlash. Many attacks on DSA are opportunistic and have nothing to do with Israel. [Thread]
Using the evil of Hamas to absolve Israel of responsibility for CHOOSING to besiege, bomb and impose collective punishment on the Palestinian civilians of Gaza is all too common and it’s BS. That’s not how morality works. [Thread]
October 12, 2023 at 4:43 PM
Using the evil of Hamas to absolve Israel of responsibility for CHOOSING to besiege, bomb and impose collective punishment on the Palestinian civilians of Gaza is all too common and it’s BS. That’s not how morality works. [Thread]
Naomi Klein: “Supposed comrades on the left continue to minimize massacres of Israeli civilians, and some even seem to celebrate them, as if doing so proves their bad-ass anti-Zionism… these callous displays are a GIFT to militant Zionism.” [Thread]
October 11, 2023 at 9:42 PM
Naomi Klein: “Supposed comrades on the left continue to minimize massacres of Israeli civilians, and some even seem to celebrate them, as if doing so proves their bad-ass anti-Zionism… these callous displays are a GIFT to militant Zionism.” [Thread]
Part of manufacturing consent is manipulating empathy to fit a preferred narrative. People learn about wars from biased sources that display atrocities/suffering of one side and not the other. Public opinion forms accordingly. [Thread]
October 11, 2023 at 9:10 PM
Part of manufacturing consent is manipulating empathy to fit a preferred narrative. People learn about wars from biased sources that display atrocities/suffering of one side and not the other. Public opinion forms accordingly. [Thread]
How can anyone claim RFK Jr. is “anti-establishment” or an acceptable candidate for any progressive to support? His comments on Israel/Palestine in the wake of attacks might as well have been dictated by AIPAC.
October 10, 2023 at 10:24 PM
How can anyone claim RFK Jr. is “anti-establishment” or an acceptable candidate for any progressive to support? His comments on Israel/Palestine in the wake of attacks might as well have been dictated by AIPAC.
It’s wild how a few attendees at a DSA rally make gross, widely-condemned pro-Hamas statements, and the narrative becomes “all democratic socialists/leftists love Hamas and cheer dead civilians.” Pathetic smears.
October 10, 2023 at 10:20 PM
It’s wild how a few attendees at a DSA rally make gross, widely-condemned pro-Hamas statements, and the narrative becomes “all democratic socialists/leftists love Hamas and cheer dead civilians.” Pathetic smears.
Whenever Rashida Tlaib trends, I check for something spicy 🤞 only to find that she’s being attacked for the crime of existing as a badass Palestinian American socialist in Congress. Oh no, a Palestinian flag! 😱
October 10, 2023 at 7:00 PM
Whenever Rashida Tlaib trends, I check for something spicy 🤞 only to find that she’s being attacked for the crime of existing as a badass Palestinian American socialist in Congress. Oh no, a Palestinian flag! 😱
Reposted by LeftOfTheDial
If, like me, you are horrified by Hamas’ attack on civilians, you should be at least as disturbed by Israeli’s decades long military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
Thousands of innocent Palestinians die every year at the hands Israeli violence. Millions are denied basic rights.
Thousands of innocent Palestinians die every year at the hands Israeli violence. Millions are denied basic rights.
October 10, 2023 at 2:02 PM
If, like me, you are horrified by Hamas’ attack on civilians, you should be at least as disturbed by Israeli’s decades long military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
Thousands of innocent Palestinians die every year at the hands Israeli violence. Millions are denied basic rights.
Thousands of innocent Palestinians die every year at the hands Israeli violence. Millions are denied basic rights.
I was raised in a community where Zionism was considered compatible with human rights & democracy. But I learned that when the chips are down, liberal Zionists’ loathing of Netanyahu doesn’t = solidarity with oppressed Palestinians. [Thread]
October 10, 2023 at 2:26 PM
I was raised in a community where Zionism was considered compatible with human rights & democracy. But I learned that when the chips are down, liberal Zionists’ loathing of Netanyahu doesn’t = solidarity with oppressed Palestinians. [Thread]
Jews who defend Rashida Tlaib and show solidarity with Palestinians get called “self-loathing.” But if you’re Jewish and don’t condemn Israel for collective punishment/apartheid, you haven’t learned the lessons of our history. [Thread]
October 10, 2023 at 7:44 AM
Jews who defend Rashida Tlaib and show solidarity with Palestinians get called “self-loathing.” But if you’re Jewish and don’t condemn Israel for collective punishment/apartheid, you haven’t learned the lessons of our history. [Thread]
U.S. media and government have Israel’s back unconditionally. Who has Palestine’s back? Who will defend the human rights of Palestinians and value Palestinian lives just as much as Israeli lives?
October 10, 2023 at 7:40 AM
U.S. media and government have Israel’s back unconditionally. Who has Palestine’s back? Who will defend the human rights of Palestinians and value Palestinian lives just as much as Israeli lives?
Targeting civilians is wrong. But when Israelis are killed, it’s a major news story reported in terms meant to generate maximum sympathy. When Palestinians are killed, it’s a number. [Thread]
October 10, 2023 at 7:34 AM
Targeting civilians is wrong. But when Israelis are killed, it’s a major news story reported in terms meant to generate maximum sympathy. When Palestinians are killed, it’s a number. [Thread]
Defending Palestinian rights and condemning Israeli apartheid is not “defending Hamas.” Conflating Palestinian civilians in Gaza with Hamas is justified collective punishment. [Thread]
October 10, 2023 at 7:30 AM
Defending Palestinian rights and condemning Israeli apartheid is not “defending Hamas.” Conflating Palestinian civilians in Gaza with Hamas is justified collective punishment. [Thread]
There is no greater way to dishonor the memories of Israeli civilians killed at a music festival than by slaughtering Palestinian civilians in retaliation. Don’t compound horror with horror, trauma with trauma.
October 10, 2023 at 7:28 AM
There is no greater way to dishonor the memories of Israeli civilians killed at a music festival than by slaughtering Palestinian civilians in retaliation. Don’t compound horror with horror, trauma with trauma.
It’s pathetic to watch politicians who are progressive on most issues spout talking points on Israel/Palestine that might as well be dictated by AIPAC. There is no “progressive except for Palestine.” Do better.
October 10, 2023 at 7:22 AM
It’s pathetic to watch politicians who are progressive on most issues spout talking points on Israel/Palestine that might as well be dictated by AIPAC. There is no “progressive except for Palestine.” Do better.
Reposted by LeftOfTheDial
Like Andrew Cuomo, Gavin Newsom made short term political hay off being “strong on COVID” only to make policy choices that increased the death toll. The biggest being giving Hollywood a pass as an essential industry.
Apparently Gavin Newsom doesn’t really believe there is a climate crisis. Like Joe Biden, he things good policies cancel out bad policies. Climate science doesn’t work that way. We must FULLY commit to decarbonization.
October 10, 2023 at 3:41 AM
Like Andrew Cuomo, Gavin Newsom made short term political hay off being “strong on COVID” only to make policy choices that increased the death toll. The biggest being giving Hollywood a pass as an essential industry.
I keep hearing: it’s “the wrong time” to protest/express solidarity with Palestinians when grief over dead Israeli civilians is fresh. But when is “the right time?” AFTER bombs have flattened Gaza? Is that a polite interval?
October 10, 2023 at 7:15 AM
I keep hearing: it’s “the wrong time” to protest/express solidarity with Palestinians when grief over dead Israeli civilians is fresh. But when is “the right time?” AFTER bombs have flattened Gaza? Is that a polite interval?
Those who demand that we condemn the intentional killing of Israeli civilians but have nothing to say about the intentional killing of Palestinian civilians believe Israeli lives are worth more than Palestinian lives. It’s that simple.
October 10, 2023 at 3:39 AM
Those who demand that we condemn the intentional killing of Israeli civilians but have nothing to say about the intentional killing of Palestinian civilians believe Israeli lives are worth more than Palestinian lives. It’s that simple.
Every day (every hour!), Gavin Newsom vetoes another bill that would improve the lives of Californians. A man so warped by ambition and devoid of principles should never be POTUS.
October 10, 2023 at 3:38 AM
Every day (every hour!), Gavin Newsom vetoes another bill that would improve the lives of Californians. A man so warped by ambition and devoid of principles should never be POTUS.
Reposted by LeftOfTheDial
We cannot solve geopolitical conflicts with appeals to common humanity alone. But hopefully some of these ideas can guide our actions and encourage our best impulses rather than feeding our worst ones.
October 10, 2023 at 3:37 AM
We cannot solve geopolitical conflicts with appeals to common humanity alone. But hopefully some of these ideas can guide our actions and encourage our best impulses rather than feeding our worst ones.
Reposted by LeftOfTheDial
I’m moving beyond humanism and into some Eastern-inspired philosophy that I only have a limited understanding of. But it offers an alternative way of understanding Israel/Palestine. One that allows us to be less fused with rigid perceptions.
October 10, 2023 at 3:35 AM
I’m moving beyond humanism and into some Eastern-inspired philosophy that I only have a limited understanding of. But it offers an alternative way of understanding Israel/Palestine. One that allows us to be less fused with rigid perceptions.
Reposted by LeftOfTheDial
Neither a good lens (oppressor/oppressed) or a bad lens (ethnonationalism) should obscure our common humanity. Strip away concepts and there is no difference between an Israeli life and a Palestinian life. The distinction is illusory.
October 10, 2023 at 3:34 AM
Neither a good lens (oppressor/oppressed) or a bad lens (ethnonationalism) should obscure our common humanity. Strip away concepts and there is no difference between an Israeli life and a Palestinian life. The distinction is illusory.
Reposted by LeftOfTheDial
Concepts CAN be useful. Narratives/ideologies serve a purpose. But we should never mistake them for reality or allow them to justify atrocities. Recognition of common humanity functions as a crucial limiting principle.
October 10, 2023 at 3:34 AM
Concepts CAN be useful. Narratives/ideologies serve a purpose. But we should never mistake them for reality or allow them to justify atrocities. Recognition of common humanity functions as a crucial limiting principle.
Reposted by LeftOfTheDial
The narratives/ideologies that we rely on to make meaning of events and to determine our animosities and our sympathies are ultimately just concepts. Illusions. The only real truth is our common humanity.
October 10, 2023 at 3:31 AM
The narratives/ideologies that we rely on to make meaning of events and to determine our animosities and our sympathies are ultimately just concepts. Illusions. The only real truth is our common humanity.
Reposted by LeftOfTheDial
Anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist lenses have their place, but at times they reduce the suffering of human beings to abstract, convoluted power dynamics/hierarchies. As Gaza stands on the brink of devastation, I find that humanism offers the clearest view.
October 10, 2023 at 3:31 AM
Anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist lenses have their place, but at times they reduce the suffering of human beings to abstract, convoluted power dynamics/hierarchies. As Gaza stands on the brink of devastation, I find that humanism offers the clearest view.