Made the mistake of watching the news with MIL

[Iturnedmyfaceaway]

My elderly mil (child of holocaust survivors) is visiting.
have been avoiding watching the news during her visit.
tonight though we were flicking through the channels and settled on bbc news with the very distressing reports from Gaza.

mil started ranting about the bbc bias, I said they weren’t biased, that pulled out the stopper and she kept talking…..

I left the room for a bit, came back, she talked a bit more, so I gave her a hug, changed channel. We’ll be fine tomorrow.

I saw the channel 4 report tonight, it was so upsetting to see the children in particular and the parents who had lost them too.

I think the bbc is biased generally actually, but the reports on this conflict that I have seen have been as balanced as any of the other main news channels have been.

I think that everyone who is passionate one way or the other thinks the bbc is biased.
Mil is used to getting news through pre-vetted channels (in US)

Wow. I think I'd have a bit more empathy for the child of holocaust survivors than you appear to have.

There’s always one

She is the CHILD... of HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS.

Think about that.

Think hard.

There are many of us in racially mixed and politically divided families and these are challenging times for us.

Why is she not allowed an opinion? Who do you think you are?

Yeah it's hard. I've got jewish friends living in Israel who try and tell me most of what I see on TV about Gaza isn't real and it's propaganda fed via hammas..
And of course I do not argue with them because of how hard it must be for them living there right now. But parts of me do die inside whilst keeping my mouth shut.
But yes you have to act with compassion to who you are interacting with. I get it.

Thanks Haribo x

It’s just an impossible situation there and I can’t see it getting better (sorry, very unoriginal)

I think she loves me so much that she forgets I don’t agree about “Samaria”, the settlers being great, etc, because we avoid these topics so smoothly most of the time.

She is the child of Holocaust survivors. She will have been brought up in the shadow of the Holocaust and her parents trauma. Don’t underestimate the impact this has on her. My grandmother was a survivor, my mother is 2nd generation, it has formed her whole being. It’s only us 3rd gen people who are far enough removed fo be more objective.

The survivors who are left feel like the anti semitism of the 30’s has come back. Their children have been brought up with that fear. Most will acknowledge that that is happening in Gaza is wrong but they fear that they will have nowhere to go like their parents did before them

and the BBC is bloody awful. Channel 4 gives the best coverage.

She is looking at it through different eyes. This is going to be incredibly triggering for her as she has heard the stories first hand. Many families of holocaust survivors are seeing the conflict as the biggest threat since the holocaust. The rest of us are looking at the conflict from a neutral perspective and are incredibly sad for both sides. She isn't saying anything wrong, as such, she is just seeing things differently to you and probably I in an incredibly complicated situation.

I know!
we’ve known each other 30 years!
i knew both her parents too.
I’ve spent countless, countless hours helping her talk about her efforts to work through the impact of their ptsd.
i just didn’t anticipate the things she said (no point repeating them as that isn’t the point)

I guess we both just let our guard down for a moment. After 30 years.

She's seeing it though her owns lens OP. It doesn't mean that lens is right, the Holocaust isn't carte blanche for Jewish retaliation. But it is the only lens she has.

Mocliamg, thanks for understanding.

It’s so unlike her. or maybe I just underestimate how good we are usually at avoiding the topics that are so hard.

I’m not cross with her. It’s just weird to be split like this.

anyway, thanks to the sympathetic posters and all the best to everyone in similar families.

I'm not sure what you meant by "there's always one" but I would cut her some slack. She will have a different perspective.

But it is lovely that you have a good relationship and you can work around these differences

Where did the OP appear not to have sympathy? It sounds to me that the OP acknowledged her MIL’s feelings, but was just trying to contain the situation. The OP gave their MIL a hug. It it is a very difficult situation when issues affect families like this.

haribosmarties

it’s very edgy right now isn’t it . That’s an understatement
I do struggle when people defend IDF

its a visceral reaction and it’s not antisemetic
to feel that way

Op this must have been tough

The BBC IS biased. Why do you think its hemorrhaging licence payers?
Even if your MIL hadn't witnessed the trauma her parents suffered, she would still be perfectly entitled to hold that opinion

Don’t get what you’re wanting out of this post? Sounds like she had her opinion, you have yours, you voiced yours, she voiced hers, and all was well after a hug. But then you say ‘she’s not normally like that’. Like what? Having her own opinion?

A child of holocaust survivors should know more than anyone that what is happening in Gaza to children especially is very very wrong.

It’s an awful situation but agree that’s as a child of holocaust survivors then she maybe could understand why it’s so dangerous to dehumanise a race or nation.

Does that change the fact that news reporters are entitled to report on civilians being killed and injured?

The news outlets that are gaining viewers are the ones that exist in their own biased bubble, like Fox News or GB News. I hate the BBC for its fawning to Farage, Brexiteers, climate deniers, and the ruling Tory party. But I bet that’s not why you think it’s biased.