I didn’t want to direct this question to Americans specifically because, at this point, other countries have shown support to Israel in one or the other way. If my country was financing this, I would be taking the streets. Shit, I’m right now in the hospital but all I can think about is protesting anyway just to feel I did something to stop this madness.

Are you doing something about this? Are you feeling unsettled? How do you feel about all this mess?

EDIT: So, buying Chinese stuff takes the USS Gerald Ford to Gaza’s coast. Also, TIL that that chocolate my cousin gave me when she was 20 and I was 5, (delicious stuff!) made me a slavist-ish. The fact remains, this genocide is being paid and supported by taxpayers money; of course, I was hoping that most of us didn’t pay taxes wishing for this. Thank you all for your responses, some of them were hard to swallow.

  • ctobrien84@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I mean, if you’ve purchased chocolate in the last century, you’re supporting slavery by your logic. Same for many other commodities, but most people know about diamonds. You could be protesting your entire life, justifiably, about many things. Most people in the world cannot consume without inadvertently causing harm and suffering somewhere in the world. It’s nice that you’re now thinking about it though.

    • selokichtli@lemmy.mlOP
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      2 years ago

      I believe you are taking my question out of context. I didn’t start thinking about this just now. Ultimately, not every company owns representatives in the state. Yes, I believe we should be careful about what we consume and who’s behind those products, but it needs to be in the power of the states to control the best practices to produce goods; it is not reasonable for an individual, for one citizen, to ask for this. It is different with our governments, we can and should demand for them to represent us with dignity. As individuals, we can demand accountability for their decisions taken in our names. Companies don’t represent us, governments do.

      • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        You’re making the mistake of assuming politicians represent the people in their district. They do not. They represent the monied interests lining their pockets.

  • dirkgentle@lemmy.ca
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    2 years ago

    I don’t mean to derail the conversation, but it pains me to say that Europeans have been financing the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh by buying Azerbaijani oil with almost no repercussion.

  • FluffyPotato@lemm.ee
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    2 years ago

    My country has been voting to condemn Israel’s treatment of Palestine in the UN until 2022 but they will probably vote the same now. As far as I know my country doesn’t support Israel monetarily either so I’m pretty happy.

  • Browning@lemmings.world
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    2 years ago

    The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
    Keep posting of that’s all you can do right now.

  • state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de
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    2 years ago

    I feel that taking one side over the other without allowing for any nuance in that complicated clusterfuck over there is disingenuous. I feel very sorry for all civilians caught between the many murderous assholes in that region, but I can’t fully support one group while completely condemning the other. Acting like it’s a black and white issue is so very wrong and not helpful.

  • demystify@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    The only thing I’m dissatisfied with is their free hand with bombing civilians along with military targets. I can understand that Israel is angry, and rightfully so, but they fancy themselves a western country, being better than terrorist Hamas. They can’t let their anger take control. Bombing civilians undermines their legitimatecy, I think they should try and be as surgical as possible, like they did in previous rounds of fighting. Other than that, I fully support their desire to root out Hamas. Though conquering Gaza only has any merit to it if they decide to stay and govern it themselves, otherwise Hamas would just rise up again.

    • selokichtli@lemmy.mlOP
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      2 years ago

      Are you satisfied about they having a nuclear arsenal after this? It’s not a rhetorical question, I’m actually interested in your thoughts about this.

      • demystify@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        I don’t know, what does it matter? They don’t even acknowledge it, nevermind about using it. The only instance in which they might use their nukes is the Samson Option, which looks like something any country would do.

        • selokichtli@lemmy.mlOP
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          2 years ago

          It matters because it changes all logics in a war. In this case, I think it matters because you described them as angry, bombing civilians along with military targets. If they don’t differentiate one of the other, the only thing stopping them from nuking the Gaza stripe is probably the inconvenience of being too close.

  • SaniFlush [any, any]@hexbear.net
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    2 years ago

    My country burns money, resources and human lives to enforce its hegemony on the other side of the planet while I only have health insurance through my crappy job and the infrastructure is crumbling everywhere. How do you think I feel?

      • RippleEffect@lemm.ee
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        2 years ago

        Many are just trying to make the best out of what we have and it often feels like we have such little impact on these things happening across the country, let along in other parts of the world. The world population approaches 8 billion. Our impact is often meaningful in some way, but incredibly limited overall.

        How can someone truly help with something across the world, like Ukraine/Russia and now Israel/Gaza, when conflict is constant and many also have to simply survive, in the face of entities that are capable of spending trillions of dollars.

    • selokichtli@lemmy.mlOP
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      2 years ago

      Do you feel represented by one of the political parties you may have in your country? Would they act in a general agreement with your own convictions?

      • Orbituary@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        I do not. Not one iota. That being said, I’m an American who’s been around the world twice and speaks multiple languages. I consider myself reasonably left, but in this country I am extreme left. Our politicians are bought and paid for by lobbyists. The few who tend to be honest are either marginalized or silenced.

        My vote counts for nothing. I will still vote in earnest.

        • mawkishdave@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          This is why I started to support rank choice voting like they have in many countries in Europe. It’s not perfect but a nice step forward from what we have.

      • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        I’m an anarchist with no political representation. My country (US) has never been in agreement with my convictions. I don’t expect it to in my lifetime, but I am disappointed it isn’t even headed in a non-authoritarian direction.

  • Fizz@lemmy.nz
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    2 years ago

    Depends on the genocide. For Isreal I’m fine with it because I think anyone would do the same in their position.

  • daddyjones@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I’m not sure I think Israel is engaged in genocide - although I’m deeply unhappy with some of their military approaches.

    Hamas, on the other hand, is unashamedly aiming at genocide. Their started aim is the death of all Jews and they are frequently heard chanting “from the river to the sea”.

  • PetDinosaurs@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    Also please remember that Europe purchased nearly the entirety of products produced by slaves in the Americas.

    If there were no European market there would have been little incentive for American slavery.

    I guess the slave free northern states also purchased their fair share, but nothing compared to Europe.

      • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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        2 years ago

        Actually no. Capitalism is based on free markets and slaves aren’t involved in the market freely. If the market includes people in chains who haven’t consented to be involved, it’s not a free market.

        • blindbunny@lemmy.ml
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          2 years ago

          Tell me you know nothing about economics without saying, “I know nothing of economics”.

    • PetDinosaurs@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Oh yeah, and you know the justification for indigenous peoples being granted their land back because their ancestors used to live there, and they were removed?

      That’s the exact same situation for Israel. The Jews used to live in Israel until they were kicked out.

      Let that complicate your morality.

  • masquenox@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    It’s never just been the US - Israel doesn’t just have a whole bunch of enablers… said enablers also back the very idea of a modern-day Israel.

    France, the UK, Germany, Australia, Apartheid-era South Africa all played their part in helping with all this - I guess the fact that it’s all countries with histories that are deeply entwined with white supremacism, antisemitism and colonialism is purely coincidence, eh?

    • ChaddingtonDuck@beehaw.org
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      2 years ago

      Did I read this correctly? You just tried to say that Israel’s supporters are antisemitic? How’d you connect those two dots?