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When you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.
-Geddy Lee, Neil Peart, and Alex Lifeson
You should change the attribution to Rush. Neil was the lyricist of the group.
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor
-Desmond Tutu
Keep digging that hole, Ed.
👨🍳🤌🫴
Isn't Netanyahu wanted for genocide?
Well, it's complex
Only by like 5-6 countries.
Only the countries with balls
Only the countries with a moral compass
No, he's wanted for accusation of "the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024."
Is is maintain the status quo which is Israelis exterminating Palestinians
Listen, this genocide has a lot of nuances and moving parts and history, which means maybe it's not a situation where you can just stick your neck in and say "Killing children is wrong".
I mean, consider a corollary - the British extermination of the Irish. Yeah, it looked bad at the time. But a bunch of Irish people survived. And as a consequence, we have to put up with Ed Sheeran.
Israel existing, and being protected from neighbors is, to my mind, a "complex political issue."
Israel performing genocide on Palestinians and annexing their homes is not.
"yes, I know that snipers shoot children in the head for fun, but have you considered the complex history of the region?"
It's not that complicated Ed. I got a pretty clear picture from an hour of research. Maybe if you get out of your algorithm for 20 minutes you might find something more tangible on the situation than a few chapters from a dusty religious text and the word of a bunch of rich assholes with vested interests in the region.
A couple years ago it was complex. The complexity just stopped mattering once Israel turned the conflict into a war of annihilation.
It was always this simple at its core. What made it complex was that most people believed Israeli lies.
Right now, Israel is doing exactly what they've done since the very first day. They're just doing it faster now, and in the age of ubiquitous video coverage and information flow.
"Complex" doesn't mean "balanced". Israel has always pulled underhanded shit like extending its de facto borders by means of "settlements". The Hamas/PLO fight also didn't happen without its involvement. But there have also been factors like the involvement of foreign powers, German guilt, the similarity between Zionism and early Nazi deportation plans, and so on.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine has been a mess from the very beginning and it's understandable that people were reluctant to get involved. Of course these days most of that complexity doesn't matter and not taking a stand is a luxury we shouldn't be able to afford.
(I'm saying "shouldn't be able to" because honestly we routinely ignore genocides; this one just happens to be particularly hard to ignore because Israel is a spotlight hog with huge diplomatic influence.)
I get that's how it seemed if you weren't read up on it back then, and you're not to blame, but what's happening now is just a matter of extent.
One side is far more powerful and commiting genocide, the other is poor and simply trying to survive. Currently it is not complex at all.
My initial position after those first attacks from Hamas were Isreal has the right to defend itself, but what has happened since then is so far beyond the scope of what is acceptable, it is horrible.
There's a deeper level to it. Israel, especially netanyahu over his long career, created the entire situation. And they did it directly and intentionally
Palestine used to be governed by the PLA. Hamas are hardliners - their founding goal was to turn the region against Israel and drive out the Israeli people. Hardliners are the least effective form of any movement
Israel held elections for Palestinians, giving them an official group to negotiate with, as well as some legal recognition that allows them to collect funds
As soon as Hamas won a single election, they stopped holding elections and the PLA leaders were assassinated soon after
Not to mention the on again off again attacks... Israel would build them infrastructure like hospitals and desalinization plants, then blow them up
There's a lot to say on the topic, so I'll end it with a fact that really puts things in contrast...
Before October 11, the average age in Gaza was under 18, and it isn't like their population numbers were booming
It's no less complicated than the US using 9/11 as an excuse to intensify it's militaristic nature into a 25 year reign of terror in the middle east.
My perception of this dude went from:
Okay maybe he likes sticking his head in the sand cause of money.
To:
He fully knows what he is doing and is complicit.
What a royal fuck up.
Also, my own two cents.
This never started as complex, and imo it’s not complex now. It is to Israel’s benefit for it to be seen as complex so they can do false equivalency.
A bully would love for observers to believe that both sides are equally in the wrong.
Sounds pretty simple to me
Yes, any Middle East issue is complex and unrest has been ongoing for centuries, but at least mass displacement, killing children and other innocent people, destruction and blockading of humanitarian resources, and incursion into sovreign territory should be condemned, don't you think, Ed? And the words "Free Palestine" are not anti-Israel, no one seemed to have a big problem with any of Macklemore's words, until some billionaire ten days later phoned him up about it.
The most complex political issue on the planet remains how to handle climate change.
You see, mass murder for imperialistic interests is a very nuanced issue and requires multiple viewpoints. There’s definitely pros and cons to it, depending on which team you’re on.
STFU and go back to making boring, gutless adult contemporary music for soccer moms.
Solving the conflict between a poor and powerless Palestine and the nuclear power of Israel IS one of the most complex political issues. Not only, but also because of the power-imbalance and generational hate on both sides.
The genocide in Gaza is decidedly NOT complex though. Yes it is a part of that entire thing, but the fact that the IDF is committing crimes against humanity is as simple as can be.
By conceding that the reaction to October 7 was “disproportionate”, he seemed genuinely upset. Only he didn’t say how many dead kids he would consider proportionate.
I viscerally hated that word when he said it but didn't know why until I read this article
Look, Ed. It's actually quite simple: A nazi state called Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza after they fabricated a terrorist attack so Bibi the nazi could declare a war and avoid prison. And a good portion of the nazi country is actually not ok with the genocide because they'd like bibi to hit them harder.
They didn't fabricate the attack... But they did knowingly allow it to happen to get casus belli. Bibi was notified at least a week in advance that Hamas was planning something big.
Person A: You don't love me anymore?
Person B: It is complicated.
Person A: really!?
My first thought when he said that.
Kids dying isn't complex bro. Like isn't he fuckin Irish?
I always try to give people the benefit of doubt. But now he's said too much for that to apply.
The entirety of Palestine, Gaza, and Israel is complex. Though, it has to be said, part of that is because Israel has done everything in their power to keep it "complex". When serious progress was being made in the early years of their nation. Their response was to assassinate the mediator. Yes. Really. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folke_Bernadotte (Oh I mean... It was totally these extremists, a rebel group, and in no way was Israel involved, they investigated themselves and found no wrongdoing!)
The Israeli genocide in Gaza however. Is not very complex. It's quite simple. It's a genocide. And they need to be held accountable. Though I wouldn't hold my breath.
Talk about the Streisand effect
Its patently ridiculous how hard people twist themselves into knots to try to avoid saying anything remotely negative about Israels fucking genocide.
Hey Ed, why don't you just go down and talk to a couple of Palestinians to get make it less complex?