"The war in Gaza has been an intense lesson in western hypocrisy. It won’t be forgotten"

[flashbac]

She nails it on the head:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/27/war-gaza-lesson-western-hypocrisy-international-community

I think this summed it up for me

Yep. Recent video of Biden being called out in Nantucket.

❝Biden, Biden you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide❞

Pro-Palestine protesters demonstrated against President Joe Biden during his visit to Nantucket.

https://twitter.com/stoppression/status/1728874256216514734

I saw that, the look on their faces when they realize what the people are chanting. Priceless. I hope he gets this wherever he goes, he does not deserve a moments peace ever again.

“The truth, too hard to accept, is that there is nothing you can do. You can write to your MP, you can march, you can protest. And the killing continues. As that happens, a jarringly bloodless account of the conflict is given by political leaders in countries like the US and UK, one that seems to omit the sheer fact and number of the deaths”

This is the crux of it for me.

@Reallifelurker to a point I agree with that, we can't do anything right now except keep speaking up. That said, as with apartheid South Africa, the movement builds - boycotting, protests, international pressure etc and eventually (we hope) snowballs. That is why we have to keep protesting. I've noticed slight changes in how the conflict is being reported, and the fact that media and govts are starting to be cautiously critical of Israeli govt is telling. I see this as building and building and hopefully one day a real narrative shift will occur to help move things along. It worked in South Africa (some parallels) and part of that was definitely all the cultural boycotting and grass roots stuff.

It's certainly been a lesson for me. I had no idea that so many heartless people walk among us, it's changed the way I see the world. The idea that a country could kill 1 in every 200 children, injure 1 in every 100, starve millions, displace almost an entire population, bomb hospitals, kill over 100 aid workers, kill 10s of journalists, kill 100s of medical staff, in a matter of weeks and so many people just shrug or worse make excuses as to why these people needed to be killed, even the children.

I'll never look at the UK the same way again. I've pretty much stopped posting on this board because it is too stomach churning seeing grown women excuse what is happening, seeing them dehumanising millions of people just like them. It's extremely disturbing. I had no idea that this sentiment lurked just under the surface of so many there. It's changed the way I feel about the world and I've realised that we are far less safe than I thought.

@OuiOuiKitty I completely agree. It's the DARVO tactics I find so disturbing.

I've taken a few breaks from posting here and there and even deleted my account a few times in frustration. That said I think it's still important to do what we can to counteract the dehumanising and warmongering. I may try to get involved in some activism locally, as posting on here too much can be bad for MH.

The war in Gaza has been an intense lesson in western hypocrisy. It won’t be forgotten

the myth of western humanity

Western governments surely? And supporters of Israel?
Not “the west” as a whole.

Agree @OuiOuiKitty and I’ve had to reduce my time on here.

@OuiOuiKitty absolutely. I can't believe I'm living in a world where genocide is happening and women on a parenting board are arguing in favour of it. Or saying that it's terrible about all those kids dying but what else could Israel do? Give me a fucking break.

It's a deplorable state of affairs.

Feeling a queasy guilt at hugging my children…this summed it up for me.

Where I live my DC are taught at school to try to care about everyone. Whether this message will stick remains to be seen but at least the schools are trying. Horrible to see videos of children in both Gaza and Israel being taught racist and hate-filled songs at school by the adults who put their own hate and ego before their children’s futures. And then so much savagery and brutality on ALL sides.

Maybe the one good thing is that this savagery could all be swept under the carpet before, but now, thanks to social media, it’s out there for all to see. Lots of horror and lies and propaganda - but also lots of verifiable facts and moderate debate and maybe this steady communication is what will eventually help us all to work out a better way going forward <hopeful>

A positive is that Gen Z are looking for footage directly from Gaza as part of informing themselves. They are not relying on what mainstream news is reporting no matter where they live because they know it gets filtered and edited and interpreted. It does give me hope because as the article states, it took months or years, sometimes years after a war had ended before people realised there had been hypocrisy and double standards. Remember Iraq and WMD? Took years to find out that was propaganda and that even our own government had fallen for it.

At least today, people are picking up on it much faster and demanding accountability much faster.

There were lots of protests about the Iraq war.
I'm not convinced the government fell for anything. They knew there wasn't any WMD. But wanted a regime change.

Just like now. The government knows what is happening in Gaza. And is calling for " every possible precaution". And the UN is using the " strongest possible terms".

Years down the line they will make their excuses, but we were here and watched as it happen.

@OuiOuiKitty what you’ve written really resonates with how I’m feeling. Was a regular poster on mumsnet and always sticking up for the west but it’s been eye opening to say the least. I am grateful to those with more resilience who keeping showing the truth on here. I know it’s so taxing. I just need to step away as these comments really are like a kick in my stomach but I guess that’s exactly what they want so there is nobody calling out their bullshit.

@Finteq agree with you

Excellent article.

The hypocrisy and double standards are absolutely shocking.

@OuiOuiKittyYou summed up well my experience on here.

Mumsnet is a microcosm of society and posting on the ME board has been eye opening.

Seeing the brazen hypocrisy of the media was the first catalyst to my posting on the board.

Please everyone do not keep silent; share awareness. We owe it to the defenseless thousands who are being exterminated mercilessly.

As Nelson Mandela said "fools multiply when wise men are silent".

I felt frustrated and upset about what was happening over in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and the Congo, Rwanda, Rohingya genocides at the time. I was cowed and overwhelmed by the Holocaust museum in Berlin and reassured myself that it must have been 'a different time'. I work in a predominantly Muslim city and thought Islamophobia reached its peak after 9/11 but was becoming much less toxic in the UK.

But never, in all 3 decades of being aware of and watching/reading about geo political conflict have I ever experienced the psychological interplay between seeing some of the images in this war and the feeling of being absolutely helpless. There have also been posters on here that have posted with such an intense, dismissive and arrogant superiority and have gaslighted posters in such a way that I am now convinced that there are more dark triad personalities on the loose in the world than I imagined. The posters who think they are absolutely right and won't encounter any nuance or historical context are chilling. It has also blown apart any notion I had that those on the left or right of politics have any high ground. How a forum called 'Mumsnet' can have produced written statements that I have encountered in the last 6 weeks I will never know.

However, there have been a cohort of about 5-6 posters who have consistently, calmly and brilliantly posted facts, evidence and avoided being baited and just reminded everyone every day that children are dying and it is not okay. I salute them.

Yes, brava to @OuiOuiKitty and @Ohlalalalala and @Desertrose2023 and @parkingt111 and several others, steadily posting away.

And managing not to be deleted😄

Excellent post

Thank you 🙏

honestly I feel exactly like @OuiOuiKitty The way that I’ve seen some MN posters rationalize this genocide has been chilling and eye opening in equal measure. It’s also truly made me understand how deeply ingrained and systemic racism and bias are in the west.

at the same time, I feel like I was sleep walking and now I’m awake. It has truly motivated me to make a permanent change in the way I live my life. I will never stop advocating for Palestine now. I will NEVER again give a penny of my hard earned money to any company or follow any celebrity that “stands” with Israel. I will be more conscious of how I live my life. I also disagree with the statement in the article that nothing will make any difference. Israel is losing the PR battle for the first time, thanks to social media people are starting to discover their atrocities and the younger generation in particular is educating themselves and calling for change. That’s the silver lining for me so we can’t stop speaking up. It is making a difference.

This post really resonates with me, I really feel like Palestine is freeing a lot of people.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyvo7QeOQ1M/?igshid=ZDE1MWVjZGVmZQ==

Yeap, me too. Nothing is worse than what is actually happening to the Palestinians but I've just realised, as a seventy-year-old, how many sociopaths walk amongst us.

The other thing I've learnt is how many people are still swayed by mainstream media

Perhaps this will lead to some reforms at the international level? The past few years we have been seeing genocides just allowed to happen all around the globe. In Myanmar, Sudan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Brazil, and so on.

It seems the UN has no power except to say please stop or I will say please stop again.

Remember Iraq and WMD? Took years to find out that was propaganda and that even our own government had fallen for it.

The Government knew all along, they used it as an excuse to get involved, and follow the US like a lost puppy. It was an outrage what they did there.