We're talking about feelings. IF the dentist tore down the posters because she FELT threatened and we're supposed to take her fear as justification for her actions, then we also have to take seriously the feelings of Jews who encounter hate. |
Yes. I take seriously the feelings of Jewish Americans AND the feelings of Palestinian Americans. BOTh. Not one side. If someone wants to put up posters of hostages AND Palestinian victims. And hold a vigil for Palestinians please lmk. I’m there! But if you want to say there is a “right” side in this mess or only one victim or that the US has to continue to send weapons to Israel without conditions - nope. Disagree. |
OK, I hear you. I’m not arguing that feelings are irrelevant. However, I think a sober calibration of feelings vs. reality is where the disconnect occurs here. And I think we also have to consider the impact of tearing down posters (her remedy) vs. the impact of relentlessly seeking to ruin the lives of those with whom one doesn’t agree (which, as we’ve seen, is too often the remedy in the Jewish community). I’m going to leave the conversation tonight with one additional point relating to actual risks vs. perceived risks. I have been actively and consistently VERY critical of Israel and what I consider to be extremist Zionist ideology here. It’s worth pointing out that I’ve also said, done, and/or thought NOTHING that should be considered supportive of Hamas. I think Hamas is awful. I do think that Israel’s policies and actions are magnitudes more awful, primarily because the accumulated harm to the Palestinians has absolutely dwarfed the harm done to Israelis. But that doesn’t absolve Hamas for its sins. However, if I saw on social media that a Jewish person - any Jewish person, maybe even Bibi - was actually being physically harmed in my community right now for the simple fact of their identity, I wouldn’t hesitate for even a second to act in their defense. Not for a second. Despite what the “you’re either with us or else you’re anti-semitic!” crowd seem to think, the existential threat here should lead to a conversation about the plight of the Palestinians, not about the plight of a group that already has enough might and support on its side to sustain any and all threats. |
+100. I acknowledge the plight of Israelis and sympathize with the fear they live under (well, the settlers who are living illegally maybe not so much, but those in Israel’s recognized borders). And I knowledge there is deep antisemitism in the world with horrible beyond words actions taken. And I acknowledge that some signs and slogan at students protest are hurtful and vandalism is not ok. But I also see the physical and mental harm Israel is inflicting on Gaza and the Weat Bank and see thousands upon thousands of lives destroyed. A) it is painful to watch and I have deep sympathy for all who are suffering and their families watching from abroad. B) I think this action just makes Israel less safe in the long term. A kid who lost their leg and siblings and father - you bet he is going to hate Israel and Jews. How could he not? And of course it currently is what is endangering the hostages. |
If I were putting up posters of the victims of gun violence in order to advocate for stronger gun laws in this country, you wouldn't ask me to ALSO put up posters of responsible gun owners. I can advocate for the hostages and believe that Palestinians deserve not to live in a warzone. But I don't have to do it in the same breath. The pro-Palestine protesters certainly aren't ALSO calling for the release of the hostages at their rallies. Maybe you're right and we SHOULD be doing that. But people are particular by nature, not universalist. That said, increasingly, the call to bring the hostages home is shining a light on Bibi's refusal to get a ceasefire deal. Advocating for one doesn't have to be at the exclusion of the other. |
“If I were putting up posters of the victims of gun violence in order to advocate for stronger gun laws in this country, you wouldn't ask me to ALSO put up posters of responsible gun owners” No. But if someone took down one of your posters (especially if posted illegally) I wouldn’t take their photo, post it online, ask for their identification and then when finding it use that to find out their employer and organize a campaign to call employer and ask them to fire her. Because that does happen THAT ia very good reason why protesters are hiding their faces. |
DP. Seriously? Suppose you own a business. One of your employees is an NRA member ands/he tears down posters of kids murdered in a school shooting. WWYD? I think most people would fire that person in a heartbeat. |
I don't think that logic works. Israel has been attacked first every time, which falls under rules of warfare "logic". I think the whole thing is a hot mess with blame on both sides, but there are consequences that the world acknowledges when you attack someone, and in this case take hostage. |
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/06/middleeast/american-activist-killed-west-bank-intl/index.html Can you tell me more about this attack? I'm sure Biden will respond just as forcefully as when Hamas kills American citizens. |
It's quite clear that the US does not care when American citizens are killed by Israel. Here's other Americans killed by Israel this year: Tawfic Abdel Jabbar - age 17. https://apnews.com/article/american-teen-shooting-death-west-bank-violence-1783ff3a7fa5f65f5b792372fd093445 Mohammad Khdour - Age 17. https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/23/world/palestinian-americans-demand-answers-invs/index.html Jacob Flickinger - https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/03/jacob-flickinger-world-central-kitchen-gaza-strike/ |
1) I'm not an employment lawyer but I see no basis for firing if the employee took down a poster outside my office and illegal posted (which it was in the case of the Dentist). If it was put up in my office as part of my own views/beliefs, I still not see cause to fire. I would talk to the employee and ask why the posters upset them and perhaps they would have a reasonable reason that would cause me not to post them anymore. If they said it's because they think school shooting are good, certainly I would be worried about the employee's mental health and might explore ways to separate from them and perhaps even alert law enforcement. However, if the employee said it's because the poster made them fearful that school shootings would come to their neighborhoods or is a reminder of trauma they experienced in the past, I would certainly consider removing the posters. 2) It wasn't the owner of the Dental business that was upset about the poster's removal. It was someone completely unrelated to the business who then organized campaign where the owner was called repeatedly and told unless he fired the Dentist they would stop going to his practice. His choice was to fire the Dentist or risk his business. My point in sharing this story was to demonstrate why protesters want to hide their faces (and that the fact they do so because of fear of retaliation is not "antisemitic troupe". If the story also helps you (or anyone) to open their minds to the fact that someone who removes a poster or joins in a pro-Palestinian protest may be an actual reasonable human being with their own life story and reasoning all the better. I can dream, right? |
I think removing the posters implies an animus toward Israelis or Jews (whether or not that was the dentist's motivation, which, again, I haven't seen her motivation actually shared anywhere). In every other instance of people tearing down hostage posters that I've seen, they expressed anger at Israel, not fear for their safety or triggering trauma. |
Clearly. It's crickets about Israel in the West Bank. Where is the outrage? Our neighbors brought their West Bank relatives to the US six months ago. I guess they knew this was going to spill over. Yet, people are still seething about poster removal. |
C'mon. The posters, and protests in Israel, aren't calling for a ceasefire, nor have they included a vigil for Palestinian lives. |
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College protesters should demand that the Biden administration retaliate against the Zionist pigs who killed an American in Nablus this week.
But of course this will not happen. They answer to their Jewish patrons and the message from our leaders will continue to be that only Jewish Lives Matter. Kamala is no different than Biden or Trump. Just another purchased stooge for Israel. |