Which atrocities, which victims, which perpetrators get our attention... and why?
One of the many motivations for this post was a woman I know who is very busy in her life yet is getting guilt trips from others about how she’s “not posting enough” in support of “free Palestine,” etc.
Translation: I have plenty to say about what I’m witnessing since October 7.
If you’re upset with the Israeli government killing civilians in Gaza, thank you for expressing daily public fury about the 377,000 people killed or dead from hunger and disease.
Oh wait… my bad. That would be Yemen — where a decade-long nightmare is backed by Saudi Arabia, the largest importer of U.S. taxpayer-subsidized arms.
Hmm… 377,000 dead Muslims without a trending hashtag.
I’ll try again: Thank you for your obsessive posting and marching for those 7 million Muslims who are being displaced and forced to become refugees.
Oops, I did it again. That ^ is happening in Sudan — without, for example, any uproar in the hallowed halls of major [sic] universities from coast to coast.
I’m left to wonder…
Where are the apoplectic screeds about 32 million Syrian refugees? Not to mention, 27 million Congolese and 20 million Ethiopians are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
Can anyone even name the perpetrators who cause such suffering?
In the Republic of Artsakh, a blockade by Azerbaijan is being deemed a huge first step for yet another genocidal assault on Armenians.
Why aren’t squadrons of “anti-genocide” keyboard warriors being deployed?
Millions of Third World children suffered and died due to cruel and unusual lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.
Where are the clever [sic] nicknames and persistent calls for a boycott?
Then, of course:
There are currently 30.6 million Muslim Afghans in dire need of aid and support and 1.7 million Afghan refugees being systematically deported by Pakistan while having their homes bulldozed and their property confiscated.
These outcomes result from two decades of intervention and tax money from The Home of the Brave™.
Why aren’t “activists” aggressively surrounding and shaming Pakistani businesses and/or shutting down Mom-and-Pop shops in the U.S. that dare to display the American flag?
For three months, people from a few different hive minds have suddenly and specifically become worked up solely to virtue signal about Gaza. (This includes making and hanging bizarre posters like the one I recently photographed above.)
Yet they remain deadly silent on (or ignorant of) myriad other diabolical nightmares — across the world and throughout history — that are frequently funded by U.S. taxpayer dollars.
Why is that?
Could it be the seductive power of “the narrative” (a la George Floyd in 2020) — an inevitable consequence of a society programmed by AI algorithms?
Is it social media-fueled peer pressure?
Or is it primarily about who is doing the bombing?
Perhaps a blend of all three…
For the record, I’m not suggesting that the crisis in Gaza is unworthy of grief but the reactions I’ve seen are rather suspicious when viewed in context.
Out of nowhere, people (many of whom couldn’t find Gaza on a map) are committed to virtue signaling about it and pressuring others to do the same (as if their relentless posts do anything to reduce the problem).
Some also appear to be using these circumstances as a convenient justification to act out deeply rooted contempt and hatred.
Two intertwined questions to ponder:
Do you get outraged about “the latest thing” and then willfully (but temporarily) engage in scorched earth performances that have zero positive impact on the scenario itself?
Are you willing to instead start following your own heart and instincts — trusting what YOU feel — and then taking tangible, consistent steps to help the beings in need who are actually within your reach?
Before I get anyone in the comments section ranting about something I didn’t even say, please allow me to introduce some clarity:
Manipulated, selective, exhibitionist rage (including the commission of hate crimes) does not help the civilians in Gaza or any of the millions upon millions of victims I listed above. Not one tiny bit.
Such conduct only serves the interests of The Powers That Shouldn’t Be™.
As individuals, it is our 24/7 responsibility to remain diligent to avoid the implantation of beliefs and opinions — even from alleged allies.
Spoiler alert: If any part of a narrative does not reverberate with you on a gut level, you are not obligated to accept or embrace it — no matter what the thought police decree. Don’t let others bully you into ignoring what your soul guides you to think, feel, and do.
Choosing this path may not initially make you popular, but it will bring you closer to the kind of authentic autonomy that can help to finally create the positive, sustainable change we all need.
For starters, I implore you to process this post with fresh ears, new eyes, and an open mind. And always remember: None of us is as immune from conditioning as we believe ourselves to be.
Let’s all do better in 2024…
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Happy New Year, All!
A tiny example of this "SQUIRREL!!" (Squirrel=latest distraction) phenomenon: I saw hubby roll his eyes this morning. Apparently the good citizens of my nation's capital are distressed that pro-Palestinian protests are being squelched due to noise by-laws. "But what about their RIGHT to PROTEST?"
Those same citizens were not nearly as concerned about the right of truckers, and a great many others, to protest around this time a couple of years back.
As my mama once said. It all depends on whose ox is being gored
It is so that we as a single person, or even a group of persons, can do nothing about the atrocities going on around the world. There is one around every corner. The homeless, the people who have to work 3 jobs to get by, the disabled, the veterans, the Armenians, the ... you name it. The only thing we as single people can do, is try to lender the pain around us. A stray dog, a single person... it is a drop on a hot roof, but that is where we can start. Of course, if all countries were to keep to themselves, that would help a lot. But you and I can not forse them to do that. No elections can do that. No revolts can do that, we have seen that many times over. We have to live under the sun and the blue sky and pray is all we can do.