So...I saw an article today about how the squad is about to face serious backlash from AIPAC that could threaten their reelection campaigns. And honestly, I think that the squad taking a stand on this issue is stupid. Monumentally stupid. I've regularly defended the squad in the past over their reluctance to take bold stands on some issues pointing out that if they did, they would likely be the target of the establishment and isolated or thrown out of office, and because the system encourages people to behave as team players, lest they pull a stupid like Matt Gaetz, I've been kind of a supporter of them keeping their heads down and NOT rocking the boat.
But when they do finally rock the boat, what do they do it over? The Israel Palestine thing. And they do it in support of the Palestinians. Look, I kinda get the empathy thing, and the fact that yes, a lot of civilians are dying in this conflict. But at the end of the day, given the history of this conflict, I have to begrudgingly accept that as Hamas is a literally genocidal organization, and the Palestinian side of the conflict has NEVER actually compromised in good faith as far as I'm concerned. For all the talk that Israel is committing a genocide, I honestly think that Palestine has far more potential to do so, and for their leadership at least, they have explicitly open intentions to do so.
So to me, supporting Palestine over Israel openly seems pants on head stupid to me. I can kinda understand why Rashida Tlaib would do so as she's literally a Palestinian American, but the others? Nah. I really don't get it, what is it about this conflict that really seems to draw out the most impassioned psychopathy from the left?
In a sense I know. It's postmodernism. I discussed this before. The social justice movement sees the world as split into the oppressor and the oppressed, and often oversimplifies along the lines of white colonial powers = oppressors and brown people being bombed = oppressed. And because israel is a predominantly "white" jewish state and the palestinians are brown muslims, and because israel has the obvious military upper hand while the palestinians resort to asymmetrical warfare, that israel is the bad guy and palestine is the good guy.
And it's a freaking dumb view. I'm sorry, but it is. As I said, I looked at the history of the conflict. I found that the biggest barrier to peace has consistently been the palestinians, who have had genocidal ambitions against the israelis since the formation of the state of israel and possibly before. And the reason the conflict has gotten to the point that it is, is largely because Palestine doesn't know when to quit. They couldve had half the land in 1948, they turned it down and declared war. Israel won, Palestine lost more land, and then they tried again in the 60s and 70s, only to lose so badly they basically don't even have their own state any more. But they were basically permitted to live in the areas they did, and while israel hasnt exactly been good neighbors to them with their settlement crap (yes, Israelis are religious extremists too sometimes and do crappy things too), honestly? The reason this is all happening is because of Palestine and their terrorism. And for all of the talks of open air prisons and "medieval sieges", israel is acting as they are in large part because they have to. It sucks for the civilians, to be sure, but that's how it works.
But, the American left is just so far in their own little lalaland and obsessed with concepts like empathy that they're just like OMG CIVILIANS DYING STOP THIS WAR and don't think about the big picture. Nor do they particularly care about the history as they just see israel as colonial oppressors, and I quite frankly suspect most wouldnt care if the shoe was on the other foot and palestine were genociding the jews. Because leftists have that kind of selective empathy, and as some have pointed out, some are sounding awfully anti semitic throughout this whole conflict.
But at the end of the day, honestly? I don't really care either way about this conflict that much. Yes, I am pro Israel, but push comes to shove, i'm not particularly interested in being ride or die on this. The fact is, at the end of the day, I just care about UBI, medicare for all, and my economic vision. All of this stuff is secondary to that. And until October 7th when Hamas kinda forced Israel's hand, I largely stayed out of this. I DON'T CARE. I mean, all I really see are two religious extremist factions who act like they have a god given right to the land trying to kill each other. And i only shifted in the pro israel direction because hamas really is that barbaric and genocidal, and israel actually seems like a more reasonable faction here. But push comes to shove, this isn't my circus, and these aren't my monkeys. Israel and Palestine have to sort this crap out themselves, and I only support israel due not just the reasons above but also our cultural affinity to them over palestine, and the fact that they're a better strategic partner than palestine would be. So...whatever. Let them do them. I don't really care.
And it baffles me to see the left this obsessed with it. To be fair, they always were. Remember with Andrew Yang came out pro Israel and these guys were screaming about it? It baffled me back then, I was like, who cares, I'm just here to support the UBI guy, I couldnt give a crap about this conflict half way across the world. But the left went...nuts over it.
And they're going nuts in supporting palestine over israel. And it baffles me. Is this really a hill worth dying on? is it worth losing whatever electoral progress we made over this? Should the left literally commit electoral suicide because Palestine? Really, it baffles me. If I voted for AOC and Rashid Tlaib, and the like, I certainly wouldn't do it because of this conflict. I'd do it over their economic stances. Medicare for all, free college/student debt forgiveness, $15 minimum wage. I support them moving the economic platform left. But sticking your neck out on THIS issue just hurts them, it threatens their reelection chances, and it undermines whatever support and good will they'd have on economic issues.
Remember, the dude who started this entire new left wing movement, Bernie Sanders, is basically pro Israel. Even he seems Hamas is psycho and can't be reasoned with, and while he's talked about "humanitarian pauses" and whatever, he kinda understands that yeah, Hamas is literally that far gone and that there's no playing nice with them.
If Bernie can understand that, why can't his base?
I mean, Jesus christ. Is this really worth sacrificing our economic priorities for? To me, not really. This is just deranged to me. I didn't sign up for this crap when I supported the left in previous election cycles. Then again, as I keep saying, the modern left are a lot more ideologically radical than they were in 2016. Back then it was just about healthcare and the like for us. Now it's this entire belief system based on marxism and postmodernism, and I just can't follow them that far. Because I'm merely a relatively moderate secular humanist who just wants some fricking universal healthcare and UBI.
Heck, my official "secular humanist" stance on this conflict is literally that this is why religion is bad, and this is why it shouldnt govern peoples' worldviews. Because again, both sides think they have a god given right to the land, and they need to learn to freaking share. Honestly, I prefer just to wipe my hands of all of this nonsense and focus on domestic issues. And I wish the modern left would too. I don't care about this issue that much. And when I do my sympathies are with Israel, not Palestine. Because Palestine are the more insane faction. Plain and simple.
If this is what gatekeeps who is a leftist and who isn't then i don't give a crap. Call me a "conservative", as I've been called several times just for daring express these opinions on the internet. I dont care any more. You guys are psycho. And you guys dont even know the difference between liberals and conservatives.
I'm just sick and tired of this crap. Screw the left, and screw this entire conflict. Where's my UBI and universal healthcare?
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