My disenchantment is based on how differently the current administration reacts to 2 conflicts: Ukraine-Russia and Gaza-Israel, in the latter supporting Israel’s indiscriminate war against Palestinian civilians with the excuse to exterminate Hamas. This post summarizes my disappointment after finally accepting that the US is not the benevolent hegemon I thought it was and how even the supposed American liberals, the democrats, while publicly calling the Israeli government to restrain itself, keep sending them every weapon they ask for and protect them at the UN with our veto. I’m now politically orphan.
I always thought America stood against bullies, America was the great nation, a country where we help others protect their human rights, fight authoritarianism of any kind, be it left, right, religious… the way we did with Ukraine against Russia. Ukraine fits here because authoritarian Putin decided he couldn’t accept an independent Ukraine anymore: I’m all for sending Ukraine the means they need to defend themselves to deny authoritarian Russia a successful occupation. The Ukrainian war is not a morally gray one like the ones in Iraq or Afghanistan, this one is black and white. Putin has to be stopped. America is here on the right side of history supporting Ukraine.
However, in Gaza, America doesn’t act like the benign hegemon I thought we were, but like a external power supporting a client state: Our government supports the indiscriminate bombing of Palestinian civilians in the name of fighting terrorism and calls everybody that questions the narrative that Israel is fighting against terrorists an antisemite, yet ignoring that Gaza has been an open air prison for 20 years and that these conditions make it ideal for fanatics and hate to thrive.
No, I’m not an Islamist (I don’t care about any religion) and no, I don’t want Israel to be wiped off the planet and no, I don’t have anything against Jews or Israelis, and no, I don’t deny the holocaust and the 6 millions of Jews who were murdered. It’s ridiculous to have to say this before even criticizing Israel.
America loves to support Israel’s right to defend itself, yet this same right in practice means carte blanche to kill Palestinian civilians as well, destroying their hospitals and their capability to function as a normal society. The Israeli army and government are not behaving any better than the Hamas fanatics that invaded Israel and killed 1300 Israeli civilians, the Israeli army has killed far more Palestinian civilians than Hamas did when they invaded Israel, yet simply saying what I did, simply comparing both sides like I did or calling for a cease fire gets you labeled an antisemite, hoping that simply uttering those words will make everybody rally against you and justify killing Palestinians.
A life is a life everywhere. All lives matter.
No, not every Palestinian is a terrorist, yet the media and the Israeli and American right insist in no making distinctions, make no effort to create a separate Palestinian state and keep not questioning the conditions of deprivation that will make another violent reaction against Israel in 20 years possible, when the current Palestinian children, now bombed and homeless, grow up and reach maturity, accusing Hamas of hiding behind civilians, ignoring that the policies of the Israeli right created them.
And our government does nothing to stop that. Worse, keeps arming and protecting the other side, the more powerful side.
Where do I go now?
So like, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we’re kind of pushed to frame things in the context of American society. When I talk to people the major obstacles I keep hearing posited are along the lines of “how do we organize enough people or enough social capital to oppose entrenched, corrupt, self-serving power structures?”.
Which, fair, but it’s beginning to look a bit to me like that entire way of viewing things is playing into the game of the established power structure and allowing them to set the goals. The bar for success, or at least initial success, isn’t first getting politicians to be on board. Politicians will only be on board where there’s not just support but an outright demand from the people.
The focus shouldn’t be on trying to fix the pageantry of partisan politics, it should be on waking people up to their own autonomy and their own potential. The problem of politics won’t be solved by finding someone better to vote for, it’ll be solved by winning hearts and minds on the side of compassion and joy over cruelty and misery.
If you ask me, artists are a hell of a lot better equipped to do that than politicians. Politicians are a ph strip more than they’re the quality of the water itself. They show you what’s in there because they show what can win support. But treating the symptoms by focusing on shifting the political landscape may be a bit more taking a magic marker to the strip than actually balancing the ph level.
Not to say those positions don’t matter or that you shouldn’t vote, because, you know, laws; but real change starts at a grassroots level. I’d put your attention there.
I agree. If you want meaningful change, start at the local level. Republicans are enjoying a renewed moment in power due to doing just that (judges, school boards, city councils), and some of those local folks go on to higher level office.
Plus, it’s the local stuff that generally affects your day to day more than the national stuff.
Also, when you stop focusing on who has the most points and start living to enjoy your life, the benefits are immediate. Like, yeah, all that oppression and exploitation is still there, but it’s a hell of a lot worse if you’re also looking at life on the terms of the oppressors rather than creating pockets of autonomy.