I don’t think it’s that they truly feel that Palestinians are less than human. I think it’s that Palestinians are too abstract: far away; we don’t know much about their culture; they don’t feature in our pop culture; their press is by and large negative. It’s very easy for Americans to just… not care, without taking the active stand that they are sub-human.
Remember, as well, that American culture is extremely ethnocentric. We really don’t believe that other countries are as real as ours (see also: every healthcare and gun control thread), and most of us haven’t travelled that widely except somewhat superficially as tourists or via the military.
We accept that Palestinians are human, but we perhaps don’t really believe it, because if they were really human they’d be us, or a people we had more dealings with like the French or the English.
…I think you don’t understand what “undercurrent” means.
That doesn’t include people like you. That’s why I didn’t quote you. You are just a bigot. A loud and proud bigot.
You won’t even try and deny it. Instead, you are going to waffle some incomprehensible nonsense about “being correct” or not. It’s what you do. I’m sure it all makes sense in your head.
But as I argued in the original thread: countries that are committing genocide aren’t going to admit they are committing genocide. And people that think another people are less human than they are, often aren’t going to admit it.
But — they’re obviously human. I genuinely don’t get why you’d think that I wouldn’t believe that; it’s like believing that water exists, or that owls are birds, or whatever.
…I don’t think it needs to be an “active-stand.” Words and actions matter here. And if you say that “I don’t think Palestinian babies should get to live over Israeli babies” you are explicitly saying that one baby has more value over another. If you think Palestinians need to be genocided to prevent another genocide (which was an argument put forward in the other thread) you are explicitly saying Palestinians have less value.
There are obviously reasons why people think and feel this way. But replace the word “Palestinian” with “Jewish” here, and tell me that the thread wouldn’t have been moderated all to hell and back if it was. It wouldn’t have been acceptable at all. It wouldn’t have been tolerated. There would be pit threads and everything. And deservedly so.
But here? We’ve got the resident genocidal idiot arguing that “maybe that wasn’t what they were really feeling in their hearts.” Should that be an excuse?
And speaking of genocidal idiots:
Perhaps you need to familiarise yourself with things like Nazi Propaganda
Bolding mine. Palestinians have been portrayed as subhuman. That’s lead to many people treating them and thinking of them (subconsciously or otherwise) as subhuman.
…I’ve portrayed you as a person that supports the atrocities committed by the IDF in response to the attacks on October 7th.
That’s true, isn’t it?
It’s also true you support the genocide of the Palestinian people?
I’m literally quoting your words right back at you. As you mentioned: I didn’t even originally quote you. You’ve just jumped into this thread because you can.
I asked you a question that you still haven’t answered; I then mentioned that I of course think the Palestinians are human. I added that you’re portraying me as someone who doesn’t think the Palestinians are human; whether you’re also portraying me as something else, and whether I support anything else, isn’t the issue.
You’re the one who brought up the following point: “There is a very nasty, prevailing undercurrent not just here, but basically everywhere you look, that Palestinians are somehow less than human.”
I asked: “Would you feel better or worse — or no different — if everyone you just quoted assured you, slowly and patiently, that, uh, no, we know full well that the Palestinians are, in fact, human, see?”
I may have missed it, but: I honestly don’t recall seeing you say you’d feel better. Or saying you’d feel worse. Or saying you’d feel no different.