I appreciate the way you explore the flattening of the experience through political rhetoric. We get so caught in blame we forget what's in question: human beings, suffering. I wonder if this abstract, categorical thinking is a way of cutting us off from our hearts. Also: I'd never seen the image of the officers in the "I can breathe" shirts...literally sickening. Please keep writing, your work is powerful.
I appreciated the nuance behind this essay, and for the call back to why Black and Palestinian liberation have long been interwoven. When I look at how people are consuming media around Gaza, I often think back to the flood of “trauma porn” that surrounds police brutality and how difficult the bombardment of those images are for me and other Black people I love. And in the same ways, like you mentioned, I had to be careful about how I showed or discussed that grief.
Great essay weaving oppressions together. I think back to how Nat Turner and freed black men were such a threat to American society. There were laws that criminalized freedom. Being alive and black was a liability in America. Now we have students making demands on behalf of oppressed people in Palestine and the elite cannot stand for it. They criminalize free speech and label people antisemites, when in fact the institutional response is violent and out of proportion.
The rhetorical spin on justice seekers is chilling. How do we hold the tension where two things can be true at the same time. Hamas committed horrible crimes and the Israeli government is committing genocide. Jewish people need a safe place in the world and the extreme zionists have been settling on land that is not theirs. The police in the US have a history of abusing black men and need to be held accountable and the police are often asked to do jobs that maybe a network of professionals could support them better.
Stanley, thank you for writing this piece. I have reread it a few times, and always come back to the same thought — the commitment to our personal struggles requires commitment to each other’s struggles. I see a lot of “we aren’t free until we all are free”, but in practice, there is real work in witnessing, protesting, and doing whatever necessary to keep each other safe. To keep each other alive. Grateful and proud to do this along side you.
Does anyone actually remember what happened when they brought the National Guard in at Kent State.. it did not end well as i'm sure you know...this is not the first time politicized students are fighting back -
I appreciated you naming the pain of witnessing murder and genocide and those feelings of helplessness and shame that come up. and how you end up having to compartmentalize. I feel those too. and this kind of sadness/anger/ disgust at the world mix of feelings always makes me think about a past job that I had working as a therapist for people who had experienced sexual assault, intimate partner and family violence, and human trafficking. I can see so clearly how 'we' as a country, as a society, could do better so those things don't continue to happen. instead we get politicians passing laws & policies to cause further harm to people with the least power under these systems, rather than protecting people and trying to make the world a mess violent place. the thing that gets me through, more or less, is keeping my focus on the things that I can do for my neighbors, my community. but there's really no fix as long as these systems continue to exist. ugh. thank you again for your words.
I appreciate the way you explore the flattening of the experience through political rhetoric. We get so caught in blame we forget what's in question: human beings, suffering. I wonder if this abstract, categorical thinking is a way of cutting us off from our hearts. Also: I'd never seen the image of the officers in the "I can breathe" shirts...literally sickening. Please keep writing, your work is powerful.
Incredibly disgusting to see the “I can breathe” signs. Didn’t know that was out there.
Poor people are being murdered and we should always stand up for the oppressed.
I appreciated the nuance behind this essay, and for the call back to why Black and Palestinian liberation have long been interwoven. When I look at how people are consuming media around Gaza, I often think back to the flood of “trauma porn” that surrounds police brutality and how difficult the bombardment of those images are for me and other Black people I love. And in the same ways, like you mentioned, I had to be careful about how I showed or discussed that grief.
Great essay weaving oppressions together. I think back to how Nat Turner and freed black men were such a threat to American society. There were laws that criminalized freedom. Being alive and black was a liability in America. Now we have students making demands on behalf of oppressed people in Palestine and the elite cannot stand for it. They criminalize free speech and label people antisemites, when in fact the institutional response is violent and out of proportion.
The rhetorical spin on justice seekers is chilling. How do we hold the tension where two things can be true at the same time. Hamas committed horrible crimes and the Israeli government is committing genocide. Jewish people need a safe place in the world and the extreme zionists have been settling on land that is not theirs. The police in the US have a history of abusing black men and need to be held accountable and the police are often asked to do jobs that maybe a network of professionals could support them better.
Stanley, thank you for writing this piece. I have reread it a few times, and always come back to the same thought — the commitment to our personal struggles requires commitment to each other’s struggles. I see a lot of “we aren’t free until we all are free”, but in practice, there is real work in witnessing, protesting, and doing whatever necessary to keep each other safe. To keep each other alive. Grateful and proud to do this along side you.
Does anyone actually remember what happened when they brought the National Guard in at Kent State.. it did not end well as i'm sure you know...this is not the first time politicized students are fighting back -
I appreciated you naming the pain of witnessing murder and genocide and those feelings of helplessness and shame that come up. and how you end up having to compartmentalize. I feel those too. and this kind of sadness/anger/ disgust at the world mix of feelings always makes me think about a past job that I had working as a therapist for people who had experienced sexual assault, intimate partner and family violence, and human trafficking. I can see so clearly how 'we' as a country, as a society, could do better so those things don't continue to happen. instead we get politicians passing laws & policies to cause further harm to people with the least power under these systems, rather than protecting people and trying to make the world a mess violent place. the thing that gets me through, more or less, is keeping my focus on the things that I can do for my neighbors, my community. but there's really no fix as long as these systems continue to exist. ugh. thank you again for your words.
There was acceptance that october 7 was an atrocity? Acceptance? Hahahaha.
What the fuck were you reading? Because I saw the same columbia university naxis who are currently having a party for hamas celebrating.
I saw almost all my leftwing friends tien against me.
And I now see the same bullshit genocide accusations I've seen every time Israel has had to fight against hamas.
Don't be a useful idiot for nazis and hamas fans.
Or do you have a better plan concerning what israel should do to prevent hamas from murdering more jews?
If you don't, thrn kindly shut the fuck up.
Else your blather about sympathizing with israelis means nothing