This LinkedIn comment on the European Commission’s post about internet access reminded me of your article. Baffles me how some people can relate ANYthing to Gaza
One of the UK’s best pro-EU outfits has also fallen. A really important issue that people in the UK can actually do something about, distracted and diminished by Palestine activism.
I was in Brussels in late June for a work trip. There was graffiti with "free Palestine" scribbled everywhere. All over the place. There was some rally too with some guy screaming at the top of his lungs (I don't think in French, it was something else) about Palestine. It was obnoxious and hysterical, something your average normie would be turned off by.
Congratulations, you voted for the people who have destroyed our economy and have bankrupted the Brussels Capital Region through corruption and clientelism. Not to mention, are unable to stop the crime epidemic they have created with their misguided security policies. And let’s not forget the vandalism and the omnipresent trash that they do not care about. Because bikes and preventing others from moving are so important, right? Of course you’ll move back to wherever you came from when the whole thing comes crashing down, and we’ll be left with the mess.
Oh, and I can’t say how sorry I am that your enjoyment of smug two-wheeled superiority is spoiled by having to think about the genocide in Gaza, literally the only thing the left is right about.
No one promised you that building a genuine leftist coalition would be easy. Too many of you effete, overfed liberals want the energy of the left without any genuine moral or political commitment to anti-colonialism, anti-racism, anti-sexism. Sorry, but if you want the energy of the youth and the raw moral outpouring of the rightfully indignant, you’ll have to stomach the fact that we care about the genocide of people far, far away from us. You can’t just buy virtue for yourself at a grocery store, and that’s why you’re enraged by those who have it.
So true. I live in Hastings, UK. The Green majority council passed a motion for Hastings to twin with a Gaza town. We have serious socio-economic problems here, the area is a social mobility coldspot.
I was at a festival and wondered into a workshop around sex and intimacy. All was well and good and the facilitator delivered an interesting, interactive, gentle exploratory workshop. As the end of the workshop drew nigh and we were instructed to draw our explorations of our inner goddess to a close she suddenly stopped and fiercely demanded world peace, shouted Free Palestine and proclaimed nobody was free until we were all free, then asked us to pray for Palestine. I’m still searching for the Palestinian goddess connection ; )
Indeed! I took my leave as PFP began. I did hang around for a second or two outside to see if there were any other dissenters. There wasn’t. I can only assume they were momentarily or Enthusiastically caught up in group think.
A similar point is to ask why I hear so little about events in Sudan - described by UN agencies as the current worst humanitarian crisis. Not a ‘what about comment’, it is to say for me that Sudan has a better case for concern. I doubt either matter in even national elections where few national governments have much impact on what happens elswhere.
Thanks, I agree. It's not 'whataboutism' to ask why people are obsessively outraged by one conflict and almost entirely uninterested in all the others. I think most such people are motivated by post-colonialism (seeing Israel as Western) rather than deliberate antisemitism, but the effect is antisemitic nonetheless. I wrote about it here:
Every day I work with Spanish and French speaking immigrants (I speak both languages) advising them on how to progress their immigration cases in extremely perilous times. I’d like to think I do some good for some incredible people who want nothing more than to make a life for their family and become good Americans.
However, the day the immigration rights movement aligns itself with the anti-Israel movement is the day I cease all work to help immigrants. I just hope that day never happens.
You know what “Fuck Palestine” we have enough problems of our own with out trying to make problems from the other side of the world out problems. If you feel differently you can piss off there. You may find a rational epiphany will find you. And help you sort out your priorities.
I only focus on topics that are of interest to me. But I’ll share a secret with you trying to make Palestine part of every other campaign. Is a zero sum game, for other campaigns. The vast majority I could not give a shit about. However your “pro-pail supporters” are actively pissing off the average Australians. Each time you try to burn down a synagogue or a Jewish preschool. Trash a Jewish Resterant or vandalise a war memorial. More people actively dislike you. Having a bit of Nazi fun in the small hours of the morning will become a risky business.
Hahaha look at me i’m so rational. I can only focus on one topic at a time because that’s all i’m capable of. Fuck palestine we have our own problems.
Ridiculous comment. Imagine if someone were to say we fuck environmental issues because we only care about workers rights. The problem is the old “left” is so scared of the new younger left which they want to mark off as a small minority of radicals because they care about numerous points of conflict and issues in the world where back then you could have been deemed to be part of the left if you slightly thought that bikes were better for the environment than cars and cared about healthcare. And going back to the post, imagine if you were in the rally and were excited about seeing all these cyclists and then see a tiny blip of pro-pali supporters. If you were to now judge that whole rally as a pro-pali rally is that the fault of those radical minority lefties or is it you for not being able to see this large movement for what it is.
You can think you’re a good person just because you support some leftist ideas but if you can’t understand that we should care about all problems then you definitely aren’t rational.
This article is 100% accurate - leftism has perfected hijacking of other people's movements and once they take over they redirect their resources and name toward their Marxist-whatever-ism. This has happened to feminism (transvestite rights trump women's), the working class (mass immigration) and enviro as the article mentions.
You can't care about "all" problems because so many are zero sum conflicts where you either have to take a side or don't engage altogether. Australians loathe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict being brought to our country and we resent those who come here as immigrants or refugees only to use us as a base for agitation.
This LinkedIn comment on the European Commission’s post about internet access reminded me of your article. Baffles me how some people can relate ANYthing to Gaza
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7359136374895046656?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A7359136374895046656%2C7359142150682411010%29&dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_comment%3A%287359142150682411010%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7359136374895046656%29
My own response is here: https://tempo.substack.com/p/omnishambles
One of the UK’s best pro-EU outfits has also fallen. A really important issue that people in the UK can actually do something about, distracted and diminished by Palestine activism.
I was in Brussels in late June for a work trip. There was graffiti with "free Palestine" scribbled everywhere. All over the place. There was some rally too with some guy screaming at the top of his lungs (I don't think in French, it was something else) about Palestine. It was obnoxious and hysterical, something your average normie would be turned off by.
Congratulations, you voted for the people who have destroyed our economy and have bankrupted the Brussels Capital Region through corruption and clientelism. Not to mention, are unable to stop the crime epidemic they have created with their misguided security policies. And let’s not forget the vandalism and the omnipresent trash that they do not care about. Because bikes and preventing others from moving are so important, right? Of course you’ll move back to wherever you came from when the whole thing comes crashing down, and we’ll be left with the mess.
Oh, and I can’t say how sorry I am that your enjoyment of smug two-wheeled superiority is spoiled by having to think about the genocide in Gaza, literally the only thing the left is right about.
No one promised you that building a genuine leftist coalition would be easy. Too many of you effete, overfed liberals want the energy of the left without any genuine moral or political commitment to anti-colonialism, anti-racism, anti-sexism. Sorry, but if you want the energy of the youth and the raw moral outpouring of the rightfully indignant, you’ll have to stomach the fact that we care about the genocide of people far, far away from us. You can’t just buy virtue for yourself at a grocery store, and that’s why you’re enraged by those who have it.
Excelent post.
So true. I live in Hastings, UK. The Green majority council passed a motion for Hastings to twin with a Gaza town. We have serious socio-economic problems here, the area is a social mobility coldspot.
This is refreshing. Thank you for being the voice of the majority that can’t or won’t be heard. I feel seen!
I was at a festival and wondered into a workshop around sex and intimacy. All was well and good and the facilitator delivered an interesting, interactive, gentle exploratory workshop. As the end of the workshop drew nigh and we were instructed to draw our explorations of our inner goddess to a close she suddenly stopped and fiercely demanded world peace, shouted Free Palestine and proclaimed nobody was free until we were all free, then asked us to pray for Palestine. I’m still searching for the Palestinian goddess connection ; )
Ha, that's brilliant! This falls into the 'Queers for Palestine' category of things that are not just unrelated but contradictory.
Indeed! I took my leave as PFP began. I did hang around for a second or two outside to see if there were any other dissenters. There wasn’t. I can only assume they were momentarily or Enthusiastically caught up in group think.
‘Left wing spaces’ LoL what a snowflake!
Decolonize the intifada!!!! 🍏🫐☃️🌦️🌨️
A similar point is to ask why I hear so little about events in Sudan - described by UN agencies as the current worst humanitarian crisis. Not a ‘what about comment’, it is to say for me that Sudan has a better case for concern. I doubt either matter in even national elections where few national governments have much impact on what happens elswhere.
Thanks, I agree. It's not 'whataboutism' to ask why people are obsessively outraged by one conflict and almost entirely uninterested in all the others. I think most such people are motivated by post-colonialism (seeing Israel as Western) rather than deliberate antisemitism, but the effect is antisemitic nonetheless. I wrote about it here:
https://www.theleopard.eu/p/racist-moi
Great piece
Every day I work with Spanish and French speaking immigrants (I speak both languages) advising them on how to progress their immigration cases in extremely perilous times. I’d like to think I do some good for some incredible people who want nothing more than to make a life for their family and become good Americans.
However, the day the immigration rights movement aligns itself with the anti-Israel movement is the day I cease all work to help immigrants. I just hope that day never happens.
You know what “Fuck Palestine” we have enough problems of our own with out trying to make problems from the other side of the world out problems. If you feel differently you can piss off there. You may find a rational epiphany will find you. And help you sort out your priorities.
I only focus on topics that are of interest to me. But I’ll share a secret with you trying to make Palestine part of every other campaign. Is a zero sum game, for other campaigns. The vast majority I could not give a shit about. However your “pro-pail supporters” are actively pissing off the average Australians. Each time you try to burn down a synagogue or a Jewish preschool. Trash a Jewish Resterant or vandalise a war memorial. More people actively dislike you. Having a bit of Nazi fun in the small hours of the morning will become a risky business.
Hahaha look at me i’m so rational. I can only focus on one topic at a time because that’s all i’m capable of. Fuck palestine we have our own problems.
Ridiculous comment. Imagine if someone were to say we fuck environmental issues because we only care about workers rights. The problem is the old “left” is so scared of the new younger left which they want to mark off as a small minority of radicals because they care about numerous points of conflict and issues in the world where back then you could have been deemed to be part of the left if you slightly thought that bikes were better for the environment than cars and cared about healthcare. And going back to the post, imagine if you were in the rally and were excited about seeing all these cyclists and then see a tiny blip of pro-pali supporters. If you were to now judge that whole rally as a pro-pali rally is that the fault of those radical minority lefties or is it you for not being able to see this large movement for what it is.
You can think you’re a good person just because you support some leftist ideas but if you can’t understand that we should care about all problems then you definitely aren’t rational.
This article is 100% accurate - leftism has perfected hijacking of other people's movements and once they take over they redirect their resources and name toward their Marxist-whatever-ism. This has happened to feminism (transvestite rights trump women's), the working class (mass immigration) and enviro as the article mentions.
You can't care about "all" problems because so many are zero sum conflicts where you either have to take a side or don't engage altogether. Australians loathe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict being brought to our country and we resent those who come here as immigrants or refugees only to use us as a base for agitation.