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conuly
And I understand why the Palestinian refugees are celebrating. Really, I do. You left your home with nothing, you've been stuck in camps for how long, and now you get to go home, it's great.
But.
Celebrating while people are still being dragged from their homes? Bad idea. And not because it's tactless, either, but because this is yet another one of those things which is counterproductive. When all is said and done, and the dust clears, the last thing you want is for people to point at every Palestinian, even the ones who were somber, and say "See? They were happy to see us kicked out, they rejoiced to see us torn from our homes, they're heartless and callous, and that's just the way it is".
That would be bad, for reasons I hope I never have to explain.
Even if deep down, you're sure you're not the better person, you sit and pretend like you are, because people believe liars sometimes. And if you're so confident that you are the wronged party, then you really have to act like the better person, because the people in power already think you're all of you, every one of you, likely to bomb them.
One would really have thought all this was self-evident, but apparently not. Maybe I downplay my social skills too much? Or possibly other people exaggerate their own?
But.
Celebrating while people are still being dragged from their homes? Bad idea. And not because it's tactless, either, but because this is yet another one of those things which is counterproductive. When all is said and done, and the dust clears, the last thing you want is for people to point at every Palestinian, even the ones who were somber, and say "See? They were happy to see us kicked out, they rejoiced to see us torn from our homes, they're heartless and callous, and that's just the way it is".
That would be bad, for reasons I hope I never have to explain.
Even if deep down, you're sure you're not the better person, you sit and pretend like you are, because people believe liars sometimes. And if you're so confident that you are the wronged party, then you really have to act like the better person, because the people in power already think you're all of you, every one of you, likely to bomb them.
One would really have thought all this was self-evident, but apparently not. Maybe I downplay my social skills too much? Or possibly other people exaggerate their own?
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 10:47 pm (UTC)That being said, the Palestinians are pathetically myopic in terms of PR strategies in what is essentially a media war.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 10:50 pm (UTC)and they obviously don't... :-(
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 10:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 10:58 pm (UTC)That's where I read about the outsiders.
They knew they had to leave, they chose to stay in their homes -- they got paid to leave.
So we're cutting the Israelis slack for being emotional but not the Palestinians. Seems hardly fair, really.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/kelley_toon/57054.html
That sums it up so well...
More Palestinians have died, by the way -- sure they are looked at as the people blowing others up, but they're being blown up MORE.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 11:25 pm (UTC)I wish I had this sort of understanding for things in my own life, it'd be a lot easier :)
As for killing people, both sides have been killing people since it all started. Not just terrorism, either - if you've got an army, it isn't terrorism, it's needful. And both sides have people - I suspect the majority in both sides - who go and say the killing is wrong, and stupid.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 11:28 pm (UTC)I know! I'm the one who's always pointing this out, and pointing out that Israel has signed treaties in the past which, as near as I can tell, until recently were ignored. Doesn't make terrorism right, but it makes it understandable.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 01:56 am (UTC)and it doesn't much matter what either side did, they'd get bad press from some on the 'other' side (including 'within' their 'own' community).
this kind of craziness has been going on for millennia.
each 'side' of a conflict being sure that they're right. which leaves no room for fallability, and makes reconcilliation very difficult.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 10:47 pm (UTC)That being said, the Palestinians are pathetically myopic in terms of PR strategies in what is essentially a media war.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 10:50 pm (UTC)and they obviously don't... :-(
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 10:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 10:58 pm (UTC)That's where I read about the outsiders.
They knew they had to leave, they chose to stay in their homes -- they got paid to leave.
So we're cutting the Israelis slack for being emotional but not the Palestinians. Seems hardly fair, really.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/kelley_toon/57054.html
That sums it up so well...
More Palestinians have died, by the way -- sure they are looked at as the people blowing others up, but they're being blown up MORE.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 11:25 pm (UTC)I wish I had this sort of understanding for things in my own life, it'd be a lot easier :)
As for killing people, both sides have been killing people since it all started. Not just terrorism, either - if you've got an army, it isn't terrorism, it's needful. And both sides have people - I suspect the majority in both sides - who go and say the killing is wrong, and stupid.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 11:28 pm (UTC)I know! I'm the one who's always pointing this out, and pointing out that Israel has signed treaties in the past which, as near as I can tell, until recently were ignored. Doesn't make terrorism right, but it makes it understandable.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-20 01:56 am (UTC)and it doesn't much matter what either side did, they'd get bad press from some on the 'other' side (including 'within' their 'own' community).
this kind of craziness has been going on for millennia.
each 'side' of a conflict being sure that they're right. which leaves no room for fallability, and makes reconcilliation very difficult.