The discourse about Palestine and Israel. Reactions to genocide and ethnic cleansing have devolved into impassioned flag-waving and performances.
We must resist the pressure to do “sports team activism.”
There’s a trap of believing that if we are rooting for the right team, that is the same as taking concrete steps leading to meaningful change.
We wave a flag so everyone knows we’re rooting for the right team, which makes us feel self-righteous and correct.
Meanwhile, the people who are impacted by these atrocities receive no benefit.
We get up in arms when other people don’t perform in the ways we think they should. Then, we condemn them and attack them. That’s what we must stop.
We must hold ourselves to higher standards regarding human rights and justice advocacy.
Here are two tasks and mental shifts to help respond to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Task One:
Intentional manipulation and confusion are rampant around the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Go to your favorite search engine, type in “how to tell if something is disinformation,” and read at least three articles about that.
Task Two:
Contact your Congress members, which include your House Representatives and Senators. Demand that they take a stand against the complicity and financial support of the war crimes committed in this conflict.
Israel’s leadership has been taking, and planning to take, actions leading to the suffering and death of Palestinians.
The U.S. government can take away military aid and otherwise influence these actions.
Discourse Mentality Shift One:
Do not ignore power dynamics in your analysis of the atrocities happening between these countries.
Israel has done horrific things. Hamas has done horrific things.
Do Israel and Palestine have the same level of power over each other? No.
Do these groups have the same amount of resources as each other? No.
Do these groups have the same ability to impact civilians in the other’s country on the same scale? No.
When we look at international conflict with a high and brutal cost to civilians, we must center the voices of the oppressed.
When learning about the histories of these countries, it’s evident that Israel has been the oppressor.
Discourse Mentality Shift Two:
Do not attach your identity to the actions of political groups.
To speak out against the horrific actions taken by the Israeli government is not an indictment against all Jewish people.
Speaking out against the horrific actions taken by Hamas is not an indictment against all Muslim people.
When we attach our own identities to politicians, we lose the ability for critical analysis and challenge.
When we feel passionate about these issues, we must turn that passion into concrete action. Not just discourse and performance.
Learn how to identify disinformation. Understand what it looks like to censor the perspectives of the oppressed.
Let’s commit to doing away with “sports team activism.”