#i do not understand how this helps the people in palestine aside from the idea that its disrupting the economy like

[dogshit-enchantment]

This is an insanely large call to action with no communal effort. Where's a forum or page or chat to communicate with locals about organizing strikes or is that all meant to be magically figured out. I also saw someone mention a lack of a "strike fund" which yeah, if this call for a FULL WEEK off of work is meant to be taken seriously then where is there a place for people to apply for funding help to deal with life expenses. 62% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, missing a single week of work could mean homelessness, car reclamation, starvation, etc life ruining shit.

If there is a strike fund it should be noted. If there is a supporting community effort it should be noted. I work for a company that had massive walk outs and strikes and even those only last for as long as they did BECAUSE they had a small, tight knit community of *coworkers* as well as the support of funds. This is a call to action for a FULL WEEK full of randos all over the country, and while I hope it does help I feel like it would do better to simply work as regular and donate to relief efforts and put in the effort to call representatives.

Bisan Owda's call to action

eSims For Gaza

For USAmericans: Call your reps | Email your reps It takes only a few minutes and there are scripts if needed. If you call after hours, you can leave a voicemail.

US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action Toolkit

Jan 26th Int'l Day of Action Toolkit

Google Drive of posters to print

Other infographics about the strike: here and here

I will be queuing this post for every day this week. IDs in Alt text!

[prozach27]

The idea that voting for Harris and Walz means you don’t care about Gaza is such an uneducated position that it can just about only be justified as a psy-op. What exactly is it that you think voting is for? If it’s to show where your idealistic morality lies - what you would really LOVE for America to look like with a president - then of course it makes sense to not want to vote someone who isn’t as critical as you’d like of the Palestinian Genocide. But that’s not the world we live in. As American citizens, we are IMMENSELY privileged, and we cannot possibly understand the horrors and tribulations Palestinians have endured over the last year. The idea that Trump and Harris are “equally bad” for Palestine is a position of immense privilege that doesn’t value Gazan lives. Trump has told Israel to finish the war. Harris is calling for a temporary ceasefire. From a purely logical perspective, one party is promoting a position that could save Palestinian lives while the other is asking for an escalation of events. If you can’t see the difference between these two positions - the real-world, life-altering difference between these two positions for people in a war-zone - then it’s time to ask yourself if you’re morally grandstanding by demanding nothing less than a complete end to the war, or if you’re more concerned in saving even one additional life.

There is no 3rd-party presidential candidate with enough name recognition to make it in this election. If you want a third party, by all means, support them after the election and help them get a foothold. That doesn’t change that they’re not a viable option for 2024. So, do you choose Trump - who wants to escalate the war - or Harris, who wants to help it calm down? These positions are fundamentally different and will lead to changes in the number of Palestinians who survive. Leaving the Palestinian genocide aside, Trump and project 2025 have made it clear how they want to limit abortion access, higher education, transgender rights, gay rights, and DEI efforts while the Harris White House wouldn’t be trying to actively dismantle these things. These are, once again, clear cut issues that will alter how many people survive under each presidency.

If your position is that “unless they give exactly what I want, they don’t deserve to be in office,” then it’s clear you’re not willing or interested in making the actually hard choices in politics and your activism is performative. You aren’t voting for who’s a good person or who you like most - you’re voting for the enemy you want in office. Do the right thing. Vote for Harris and give people a chance to save more lives.

[fuckyeah-bears]

Rant Warning

So because of unfounded claims of hamas conspirators being in the UN or the UNRWA, countries have decided to pull out of funding necessary and human-rights aid? Am I understanding that right?

Even though these powerful countries have more than enough resources to check this? Even if it was the case, that’s not an excuse to deny emergency care!

These big countries (mine included unfortunately) that are actively assisting a genocide, are refusing to give aid to those who need it and have been found in a court of law to need it.They’re not even pretending anymore.

Of course there are always exceptions, but the people, expert and regular, actively supporting Palestine are condemning Hamas too. We do not support what they did on October 7, but we can see how decades of oppression and violence creates groups like Hamas, and how something was going to happen eventually. Recognising that does not make us anti Semitic. Also, and here’s the big one : one group does not justify a genocide. It does not justify bombing hospitals and refusing aid.

The excuse of Hamas is ridiculous. Is what Hamas is doing morally right? No! But Israel doesn’t care about Hamas, that’s just what they’re using to try and excuse it. They have quite literally said again and again, on record that this about killing Palestinians. Yet, somehow people are still believing they’re in the right? I don’t get it! How can any human ever think genocide is a reasonable action?

Supporting Palestine is not being anti-Jew or wanting all Israeli dead. Aside from extremists that hijack protests, no pro-Palestine person has ever advocated for anything like that. If we did we’d be hypocrites! You cannot support Isreal without actively supporting genocide.

‘But they have a right!’ - To commit genocide? Really? You really believe there exists a reason to excuse genocide?

‘But Hamas!’ - so a group created because of the oppression by Israel, did things that Israel have done justifies the bombing of a thousands? If it’s about releasing Palestinians from the rule of Hamas, why kill the people who need help? Why does one group justify a genocide?

I genuinely don’t understand. What kind of world do we live in where basic human empathy and basic ideas like ‘killing people is bad’ are dismissed? All the beauty in the world and we stain it.

yep. The western imperialist racist colonizing world is, once again, throwing all their weight behind their genocidal settler colonialism project actively aiding in the genocide of indigenous peoples, all while ignoring the majority of their citizens who actively oppose this genocide. Once again displaying that these western countries are neither democracies nor “civilized” but rather racist colonial regimes, built and sustained through genocide and greed, bent on subjugating the rest of the world (and their own citizens).

Not a single western leader has an ounce of humanity in their soul. May they all burn in the deepest pits of hell and whatever is left of their pitiful shriveled souls suffer all of the pain and misery they have inflicted on Palestinians for all of eternity. May they never experience a single moments peace in the rest of their miserable evil lives

Free Palestine 🇵🇸

[adhdnojutsu]

Previous anon. I get that they consider the attack on Gaza worse than other ongoing conflicts due to the US's financial and military support of Israel (making it seem like a proxy war) but it's all just demonization of Jews and Israel and not the US. None of what they do is constructive or actually helping anyone they are just antagonizing people and already sabotaging any future chance at reconciliation. Assuming they are not personally affected they have no business fucking everything up even further. Them not even knowing how to tell apart Zionism from Kahanism is proof of them just being here for the sake of being cool and tending to their ego

Yeah, "not reading all that, free Palestine" when confronted with facts that might debunk their beliefs, atheists and feminists convert to Islam in solidarity with Palestine (and not realizing what that means), "shut the fuck up Zioscum" in discussions that have nothing to do with Israel, they're acting the way neo-Nazi hooligans act. Wilfully ignorant and blindly aggressive. But did it free Palestine? Just saying, 22 years of Hamas' rocket barrages haven't.

And yes, Zionism =/= Kahanism. Do they understand that 2 million of the "ethnically cleansed" Palestinians are Israeli citizens? These clowns hate Israelis, but doesn't that include those Palestinians who live where these people WANT them to be living? I'm running a poll on Twitter to see just how dumb they are, and the results are as expected.

Other than those who support Hamas/October 7, I don't wish ill on Palestinians. As for the death toll, I was never in the IDF, I have no idea how these decisions are made, but it makes no sense to think we'd sacrifice our own people just for "targeting brown kids". They say they don't hate Jews, but while they'll say anyone else fights "because reasons", including Hamas raping women and throwing their severed breasts around - only an overwhelmingly Jewish Israel fights purely out of some inherent collective evil. Okay.

Until the evening news on October 7, I supported Palestinians and had thousands of followers on taktok for it. I didn't support "from the river to the sea", but a 2 state solution I thought Israel owed most of the heavy lifting in. Aside from being misinformed on historical facts, I just tend to relate to the underdog. But on that day, I remembered "when someone tells you who they are, believe them" and I saw tens of thousands of Gazans cheering in the streets and rushing to abuse dead and living Israelis. I was forced to choose a side, and it's insane to expect me to not side with my own. That could have been me. To think that some moots I used to be on friendly terms with, would clearly have been okay seeing me in Shani Louk's place had they known my nationality at the time, is chilling, and they think they're the good guys.

Lastly, being weak doesn't make you righteous, on the contrary, when you know you're weaker than the enemy, maybe don't put your own fucking people in the line of fire for what you know isn't gonna further your cause. Hamas knew Israel brings a gun to a knife fight, then keeps starting knife fights. How is that not on them..?

[duskmite]

so a little under a month ago i volunteered at a food bank run by a communist organisation and decided to go along to the meeting afterwards because i thought hey! i'm a socialist who has been to socialist meetings and wants to be more politically active and become better versed in leftist theory so why not?

anyway it was an off the wall experience and i wanted to share it so people can tell me if other communist meetings are like this:

before i start, let me first say that one guy from the organisation called me every single day for five days to confirm i was coming. i understand maybe a second call the day prior to double-check i could still make it but christ. every day? i've already said i'll be there, my guy.

anyway! onto the actual meeting. the first red flag, albeit not a huge one, was that all the chairs faced a desk at the front so we could sit and listen to the speaker. i'm used to a more casual, open setting where everyone faces each other (eg. around a table), but i thought it might be because the room was pretty narrow.

while we waited for the meeting to start, i took the chance to look around the room which i'd only gotten a quick glance at before getting started with the work earlier. on the walls were several framed pictures of marx, lenin, and trotsky. i don't have a massive problem with that as, lenin aside (though obviously i recognise his importance), i admire those men and lowkey would have clement attlee as my pinup girl, but the level of idolatry was a bit unsettling.

the speaker, a young guy from new york, read a long prepared speech covering current affairs worldwide and the communist perspective on said events. i disagreed with some of what he said, but it was mostly informative and interesting.

the first thing that made me consider leaving was something i'll admit was extremely petty: during his speech, johnny new york said the phrase "here in the united states". for context, we were in london.

the speech ended and the floor was opened up for questions and discussion. it was vastly ideological with no talk of action plans for how to make things better. now, i've got no issues with debate! i love debate! but an organisation that puts a heavy emphasis on being anti-war just talking about israel-palestine and russia-ukraine felt strange. in my previously experienced socialist meetings, a lot of the time would be taken up with coming up with ideas, talking about collaborations with other organisations, and letting us know the schedule for actual planned events and demonstrations we could help with. those happened in a town. london is a CITY. there's loads more going on, so many more people we can collaborate with, so why aren't we doing anything? the food bank was great and i get that it takes up a lot of time, but why are you advertising yourself as a fighting force against war if all you're doing is talking about it?

among the ideological comments came a voice from the back of the room, a woman who appeared to be in her late 20s or early 30s. this was where things got truly wild. she expressed admiration for stalin. yes, that stalin. i can't remember where she said she was from (romania maybe?), but it was definitely a former soviet state as she talked about all the good stalin had done for her country while it was under his control. everyone in the room was - and this isn't a phrase i really use anymore - shook. nobody knew what to say or how to react to a bona fide and vehement stalinist. it was at this point my general discomfort turned to a desire to flee.

not long after miss stalin lover had finished her tirade, a young lad i'd been working on a team with at the food bank left. he was nice enough, but strangely out of place being as posh as he was. picture an oxbridge boy who got lost and ended up at king's college studying the bizarre combination of philosophy and maths. though he said he just needed to go home, he'd had some of the same reservations i'd had so i suspect that might also be what tipped him over the edge.

emboldened by his exit, i also left. the serial caller guy hurried after me while another member hurried after oxbridge, asking what we thought of everything before we left. i relayed some of my discomfort and he made sure i knew that he and the organisation disagreed with stalin girl. after some light pressuring, i agreed to come back and help at the food bank sometime, letting him know i'd soon be going back to my hometown for the holidays and would be gone for about a month.

that's where things ended that day, but homeboy called me again about a week ago to follow up. i reminded him that i'm not in london right now and he said he'd call when i was back. i'm feeling uncomfortable with telling him i've decided i won't be coming to help again. i think i'll say something along the lines of i'm planning on volunteering somewhere closer to my flat because i can't afford to take a bus and a tube there and back every week. that's true, but not the whole story.

something else that might be interesting for those who have never been to any kind of leftist meeting: people call you comrade in complete seriousness. i wasn't shocked by this as it was the same in the socialist meetings i went to, but it does still feel weird.

[alligator2005]

Not surprised that the person who said to me straight up that “BDS doesn’t actually work”, when the stats show the opposite, was also a person that believes my rapist didn’t do anything wrong and that I am lying. Not surprised that the rich white person stood up for the rich white person in this situation, but I should have seen it coming when this person didn’t give a shit about Palestine or any marginalized groups that they are not apart of! Rich white people will always sell out to protect that colonial imperial wealth, even those from supposed “less bigoted and much better educated” Northern states.

I wish less of these people were sellouts to those in communities they share/overlap with others, but since I don’t come from that wealth or area of the country, I’m seen as the “uneducated, cheating, lying, aggressively mentally ill, and unwilling to change” person that was born way way closer to the Global South, these rich people don’t like people like me seen caring about other communities aside from the rich here, in a way where so so many Northern people are able to get away with so so much more bigotry under the guise of a tired and old stereotype projected onto vulnerable groups.

Up here they try to divide and categorize activism and break up communities that overlap all the time. Gentrification has rotted the brains of the Northern youth to an extent that hasn’t yet happened in the more Southern areas. These people don’t realize that you don’t just look out for “your own”, you realize that the entire larger community is the real “your own” to care for, and you may not understand their point of view, but you have to treat people in a way that allows them to get help when they need it. Everyone is capable of change and people up here think of everything in such rigid and stagnant terms, even the LGBT+ community up here has way wayyyyy more infighting than down farther south (An LGBT+ fb housing group here, regularly gets made fun of by LGBT+ people outside of it for the infighting that happens on there due to wealth). Everyone is so paranoid here and then tells “outsiders” that we are the paranoid ones for pointing out how ridiculous they are for being so jumpy + “ready to sue”. Where I’m from, everyday people can’t just go suing anyone they want. You call community members and tell them you need help, that’s what you do to look out for others and not just yourself. Not everything is always able to be sorted de jure, but people here have less of an idea of what de facto actually is and when it’s needed. Well, maybe that person can change in the future, but it’s up to them to decide to not let wealth and powerful “connections” rot the brains of them and their communities; I tried to reason with them anyways, so maybe something I said will compute sometimes later in that person’s brain. One can only hope.

[politicallyinvolvedpandabear]

Asking for advice from radblr! (tldr at the end)

Hello. I haven't posted something of my own in a long time (I've mostly used this blog to reblog/spread/archive posts that I really agree with) but since I really respect radblr's opinions (for heavily shaping who I am today in a good way), I'd like to hear from you and perhaps get your thoughts on something I have on my mind right now. (Big life change.)

This is in regards to career/job advice. Could any radfems (especially from the USA but non-USA is welcome too) tell me how they're getting by job-wise, like if you have a stable job, you're financially secure, how you got that job, etc. etc.? You don't have to tell me your life story or any identifying info of course-- I just feel I gain a lot from hearing other people's stories, and hearing how women like me are surviving in this current economy/dystopia of a world/etc. is really helpful.

For some extra context about me, I'm in my mid-20s now and I've been nervous about things falling apart for me for a while now, even though I'm being supported by my family. My current job situation isn't ideal or stable, and I've been thinking a lot about how I want to move forward, especially now that Trump has been elected.

Last night, I thought that I want to go to community college for nursing or something and maybe try to become a doctor (best case scenario even if it's really hard), and there are a number of reasons why I picked that. I'll put them under the cut so I don't put an extremely long post in the feed, but I'd really love thoughts or advice from fellow radfems because you gyns are partially the reason why I'm considering it.

(Skip to the end for my tldr if you prefer not reading my reasons)

I don't want to give out too much identifying information because I want to separate my online activities from real life (right now I try to spread radfem ideas to normal people by not sharing the too extreme ideas even though I secretly agree with them), and I think that's working out. Even though I don't agree with every single thing radblr says and I question it critically like anything, I still really respect radblr for opening my eyes to the horrors of this world and helping me understand why it's so bad.

Anyway, my name is Panda or Bear, whichever one you want. I first learned about radical feminism in like 2020 or 2022 I think, and I've loved it ever since because it's one of the few movements that doesn't cave to men and actively identifies them as a problem in this man-adoring world. I really care about women, and even though I know not every woman is an angel, I still wouldn't leave a woman I hate with a creepy man because I would side with a woman over her own oppressor any day. Discussions of all the nuances and ways women harm women aside, I'm horrified whenever I see horrible things on the news or in real life, and I strongly want to do something to help make the world a better place.

I don't want to make this too long in case it puts off people who might weigh in, so I'll cut to the chase. I've been horrified by the genocide in Palestine and watching it for a whole year now, and although I wanted to do something and did donate some money, I was largely depressed and frustrated with myself for being unable to do anything about it, especially because I wasn't in a great position to be giving a bunch of money or anything (fears of homelessness, tragedy striking, etc. etc.).

Yesterday I saw a video of a homeless woman in Portland talking about how she's been treated and how nobody cares or helps her (she was gangraped, she's safer outside the tent, etc.), and it was like the snapping/turning point for me. I want to be able to help women because I know it's thanks to them that I'm able to live relatively well today (compared to people in third world countries, etc.), so I always thought that in order to affect change, I need to take control of capital.

I need to make money to support myself AND the causes I care about, and if I'm more financially stable, then I can better address the things I'm worried about like climate change, helping the homeless, etc. etc. Kind of like how rich people lobby governments for things in their favor: I was thinking that if I went back to school and became a nurse or a doctor and made an okay amount of money, I'd be able to donate my money to causes and try to volunteer/establish support systems, etc etc.

I firmly believe that the world is better because women are in certain job positions and help, so even if I know it won't be easy at all, I'm willing to work really hard (now that I have a clear goal in mind) and try to pull both myself and others up. I'm not underestimating how hard the journey is at all (medical school, etc.) and since I only came up with this last night, I just want to put this out there for opinions, but I'll be doing additional research of course.

Since Trump is in office now and I think he said he would abolish the Department of Education, I don't know if it'll make college and higher education more inaccessible than ever, but I was thinking that's why I'll go to community college (cheaper and more flexible) so when a possible bird flu pandemic does hit, I won't be scrambling to finish a 4-year course of study. Or 8 years-- again, I need to look into it.

I'm unsure what type of doctor I want to be (I really hate gore so I'd rather be a family health doctor or something, but I know it's not that easy to pick and choose), and I'd be willing to work past my misgivings (dislike of needles, etc.) if I can actually help people. (Female-only preferred but idk if I can be picky rn.)

I chose a doctor or a nurse because I think I can become a nurse faster than a doctor, and I heard about how horrible doctors are (mistreating patients, misdiagnosing, etc.) so even if it's thankless work, I want to be someone who can try to help/reassure my patients instead of another asshole indirectly causing people's deaths. I know it can be thankless work and nurses' workloads are crazy, but I really hate the service industry, and even if this is somewhat similar, at least I'd be paid a little bit more and it's a bit more stable, I hope? There are so many sick people because lots of people don't take sickness seriously, so I think I'd always be able to find something, hopefully.

Again, I know it's not as easy as declaring I want to be a doctor and it happening easily, but the idea came to me because I strongly want to help women, and I'm thinking I might want to seriously pursue this idea. At the very least, I'll look into my options and volunteer for EMT and look around for any other jobs to help me.

I really like academia so I'd also love to research more about women's health (I know it's sorely lacking which is why I want to help lessen that gap if I can), and although I'm not really interested in gynecology (as an antinatalist, I can explain why I am if asked but essentially I didn't ask to be born and I wouldn't give birth to kids in this fucked up world even if I didn't need a man's genes to do it), I would take up gynecology if it meant creepy rapist men don't do the job instead.

My path isn't clear right now at all but I listed my reasons for wanting to possibly do it, and I'll continue to look into what I can do. Right now my parents are supporting me, so I think this is the best time to do it (I'm always afraid of something happening to them so I want to be financially stable asap and consistently), and I'm smart and hardworking, so I know I can do it if I had a good reason to. My reason is because I hate being unable to help women and girls who are suffering and being afraid when it's my turn next, so I want to make money and also directly help people while I'm at it. I've seen how badly adults and institutions fail people (especially kids, who are preyed on by creepy men), so I want to be a role model for them and to prevent someone awful from getting to them instead. Even if it all sounds idealistic, I really want to try.

tldr; I really want to help women and girls and make the world a better place with my existence, so I want to become a doctor (for now a nurse) so I can make money, have enough income to volunteer/establish better systems of support (especially for the homeless), and have income I can donate to causes I care about (like global warming). If I have more money, I have more power and influence, so even if it's hard or I don't make as much as I want, I'm at least doing more than I am now. I'm thinking of going to community college first before committing fully.

I really hate having debt btw so I'm wary of that (the best case scenario is getting scholarships, if those will even exist by the time Trump takes office), but I'm definitely willing to work really hard on it. I graduated college and high school and the degree I earned has nothing to do with nursing/medicine/etc. at all, and I really want to return to academia because I value knowledge a lot.

I wrote a lot here but if even one person has any thoughts or input, I'll be considering it! I won't be deleting this post so reblogs for awareness are appreciated and I might self-reblog this if this gets buried. I'll be doing my research, but I'd really appreciate it if people could weigh in, especially people who are more experienced in this area. Even if you're not, I'm wondering what your thoughts are and if it'll be a good idea or not. (Again, I'm in the USA. And I'll be researching it too, so I'm not looking for validation-- I'm looking for the wide range of options and experiences.)

Thank you so much for reading and I appreciate it, especially if you respond to me!

[big-als-talk-time]

I met a few people on the road recently.

First was a French guy near den haag central. After I jumped between the cubes for sitting he approached me. He spoke french and only a little english so there was a language barrier. Luckily I kept a downloaded translator which worked well. I helped him charge his phone using my external battery. He said I was his hero, like spiderman. I mentioned that this was said to me as I was doing a wall climb. When I showed him he said that this was not spiderman it was assassins creed. He invited me to his city and we exchanged information.

At the hostel the owner was very high energy. Even so at midnight. I figure he was on some substance but it worked out for me as the keys were reset and he was able to help me immediately.

There was a local man by the name of Jamiraqua I think is how it is spelled. We talked about spanish and italian grammar (in english).

I later was able to practice some spanish with a woman from california baja in the same kitchen area.

Then I met another local guy talking to an american traveller. They disagreed about the hummus. Aside from hummus she was fond of poetry, specifically wasteland by ts eliot. I talked about Ursula le Guin.

The local guy was kind fond of every single woman who walked in the door. Eventually I showed him how to emulate games on the telephone. He loved bubble bobble, mentioning it specifically. We got it working on his device quickly. Then he asked me for help designing an app for generating sales leads. I said he would probably have to use information from a data broker for that but he dismissed the idea. oh well.

A woman held the door open for me at the basement. She had mistaken me for her friend. I said well maybe we can be friends in the future! She chuckled nervously at the prospect and I took this as my cue to leave.

I also met one of the developers of Palestine skate game. He showed me the demo. Apparently they plan on giving 70% of proceeds to charity. They have a call out for animators and anyone who has access to motion capture technology. Seems like a good project. If you are interested i can link you. We exchanged information on the off chance that the vtubers might be able to help. So far no luck.

I ran into the poetry lady again. It turns out she is a climber. I mentioned i liked buildering and she asked me about what equipment i use. I told her i don't know anything about that I just free climb. She didn't seem very much into the prospect. I said that it does kill people so I get it. Then I told her explicitly goodbye forever.

At the bus stop I met a russian guy. He was reserved and wasn't upfront about where he was from. I failed to speak russian to him. But we did talk about chess. Turns out he is a intracellular biochemist guy. So we talked about electrogenic bacteria. We exchanged information as he is a learner of italian. Probably can do a language exchange.

On the way home I met a pugliese lady who was in town for a giornalism conference. She was lost. I showed her organic maps as it can be downloaded. When we got to talking I found out she needed help with finding her stay. I offered to show her the way and she accepted. We took the minimetro. I got almost all the way but took one wrong turn. I offered to carry her luggage up the steps as an apology but she understandably refused. Still we arrived to her nondescript alleyway i guess she got an airbnb for. She was very thankful for the help, going so far as to say she wouldn't have found the place without me.

[notaplaceofhonour]

Yeah, not arguing with a guy who literally called a Jew a “rat”, prolifically uses the R-slur, talks about Judaism Like That™️, and accuses any Jew he disagrees with of being “The Real Nazi™️”

However, I will debunk him for the rest of you. What he’s referring to Mark Fish’s opinion piece on Jpost “Is Lebanon part of Israel’s promised territory?”:

Jpost is not “state run media”; it’s privately owned by Eli Azur.

Assuming a random opinion piece in a privately owned right wing newspaper represents a) government policy or b) the personal opinion of random Jews on the internet who have never advocated for anything similar in their life, is beyond idiotic it can only be willfully malicious

The opinion piece never made it to print, and was deleted shortly after being posted on Jpost. It does not meet the editorial standards of The Jerusalem Post, which include separation of religion and state.

The irredentist, messianic aspirations to settle Southern Lebanon in order to return Israel to its Biblical borders is a far right fringe, and does not represent the views of most Zionists

It’s also not “Nazi-like” in any way. The idea that any conquest or expansion is Nazism is a shallow and childish understanding of WWII and the Holocaust, and this person is only invoking it because he knows this DARVO will hurt Jews. He has made no secret of his hatred for Judaism, and speaks out one side of his mouth to accuse random Jews of viewing other people as “vermin” while calling us rats out the other.

Also, as an aside to further illustrate just how unserious this guy is: he constantly uses the word “Lebensborn” to refer to expansionism when he clearly means “Lebensraum”, and incorrectly translates it as “breeding room”.

Lebensborn (lit. “fount of life”) was a program in which the Nazis kidnapped children who fit their Aryan ideal and transferred them to “worthy” Aryan parents (mostly SS officers and their families). No such program exists in Israel, and wouldn’t even make sense as something that could exist even among the most racist far-right Kahanists. In fact, Lebensborn program highlights just how disparate and entirely separate the ideology and goals of Zionism (and even Kahanism) are from Nazism.

What he clearly means is Lebensraum (lit. “living room, room to live”), which was the Nazi justification for their expansionism. This is also an absurd comparison because the entire idea of Lebensraum was explicitly based on rejecting any return to old borders in favor of boundless expansion, which Nazis believed they had the right to by racial superiority. The irredentist goals of the “Greater Israel” far-right, by contrast, are aimed merely at returning to old borders (and the article even discusses the idea that Jews would be forbidden to go beyond them), and have nothing to do with “racial purity”. There are a lot of problems with irredentism, which exists at both extreme ends of the Israel-Palestine conflict, but Nazi “Lebensraum” it is not

this guy also seems to think “Lebens” means “room” and “born” means “breeding”, because he keeps using “breeding room” interchangeably with Lebensborn? the complete ignorance of German language and WWII & Holocaust history aside, the fact that even when he is trying to present Zionist Jews as The Real Nazis™️ he can’t help but imagine Jews as “breeding” like vermin is very telling.

the willful idiots have started claiming the IDF striking back at Hezbollah in Lebanon is genocide too

it’s almost like any instance of jews retaliating against attacks from any goyim is going to be called genocide. it’s almost like it was never about the palestinian plight and they just believe there’s a subset of jews with a nefarious plot to cull and control goyim. it’s almost like this entire accusation came from a certain pamphlet. it’s almost like “zionists are committing genocide” is just repackaged Protocols.

[sylvielauffeydottir]

Hello, it is I, your friendly neighborhood historian. I am ready to lose followers for this post, but I have two masters degrees in history and one of my focuses has been middle eastern area studies. Furthermore, I’ve been tired of watching the world be reduced to pithy little infographics, and I believe there is no point to my education if I don’t put it to good use. Finally, I am ethnically Asheknazi Jewish. This does not color my opinion in this post — I am in support of either a one or two state solution for Israel and Palestine, depending on the factors determined by the Palestinian Authority, and the Israeli Government does not speak for me. I hate Netanyahu. A lot. With that said, my family was slaughtered at Auschwitz-Birkenau. I have stood in front of that memorial wall at the Holocaust memorial in DC for my great uncle Simon and my great uncle Louis and cried as I lit a candle. Louis was a rabbi, and he preached mitzvot and tolerance. He died anyway. 

There’s a great many things I want to say about what is happening in the Middle East right now, but let’s start with some facts. 

In early May, there were talks of a coalition government that might have put together (among other parties, the Knesset is absolutely gigantic and usually has about 11-13 political parties at once) the Yesh Atid, a center-left party, and the United Arab List, a Palestinian party. For the first time, Palestinians would have been members of the Israeli government in their own right. And what happened, all of the sudden? A war broke out. A war that, amazingly, seemed to shield Benjamin Netanyahu from criminal prosecution, despite the fact that he has been under investigation for corruption for some time now and the only thing that is stopping a real investigation is the fact that he is Prime Minister.

Funny how that happened. 

There’s a second thing people ought to know, and it is about Hamas. I’ve found it really disturbing to see people defending Hamas on a world stage because, whether or not people want to believe it, Hamas is a terrorist organization. I’m sorry, but it is. Those are the facts. I’m not being a right wing extremist or even a Republican or whatever else or want to lob at me here. I’m a liberal historian with some facts. They are a terrorist organization, and they don’t care if their people die. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

There are two governments for the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza. In April 2021, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas postponed planned elections. He said it was because of a dispute amid Israeli-annexed East Jerusalum. He is 85 years old, and his Fatah Party is losing power to Hamas. Everyone knows that. Palestinians know that. 

Here’s the thing about Hamas: they might be terrorists, but aren’t idiots. They understand that they have a frustrated population filled with people who have been brutalized by their neighbors. And they also understand that Israel has something called the iron dome defense system, which means that if you throw a rocket at it, it probably won’t kill anyone (though there have been people in Israel who died, including Holocaust survivors). Israel will, however, retaliate, and when they do, they will kill Palestinian civilians. On a world stage, this looks horrible. The death toll, because Palestinians don’t have the same defense system, is always skewed. Should the Israeli government do that? No. It’s morally repugnant. It’s wrong. It’s unfair. It’s hurting people without the capability to defend themselves. But is Hamas counting on them to for the propaganda? Yeah. Absolutely. They’re literally willing to kill their other people for it.

You know why this works for Hamas? They know that Israel will respond anyway, despite the moral concerns. And if you’re curious why, you can read some books on the matter (Six Days of War by Michael Oren; The Yom Kippur War by Abraham Rabinovich; Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergmen; Antisemitism by Deborah Lipstadt; and Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn by Daniel Gordis). The TL;DR, if you aren’t interested in homework, is that Israel believes they have no choice but to defend themselves against what they consider ‘hostile powers.’ And it’s almost entirely to do with the Holocaust. It’s a little David v Goliath. It is, dare I say, complicated.

I’m barely scratching the surface here. 

(We won’t get into this in this post, though if you want to DM me for details, it might be worth knowing that Iran funds Hamas and basically supplies them with all of their weapons, and part of the reason the United States has been so reluctant to engage with this conflict is that Iran is currently in Vienna trying to restore its nuclear deal with western powers. The USA cannot afford to piss off Iran right now, and therefore cannot afford to aggravative Hamas and also needs to rely on Israel to destroy Irani nuclear facilities if the deal goes south. So, you know, there is that).

There are some people who will tell you that criticism of the Israel government is antisemitic. They are almost entirely members of the right wing, evangelical community, and they don’t speak for the Jewish community. The majority of Jewish people and Jewish Americans in particular are criticizing the Israeli government right now. The majority of Jewish people in the diaspora and in Israel support Palestinian rights and are speaking out about it. And actually, when they talk about it, they are putting themselves in great danger to do so. Because it really isn’t safe to be visibly Jewish right now. People may not want to listen to Jews when they speak about antisemitism or may want to believe that antisemitism ‘isn’t real’ because ‘the Holocaust is over’ but that is absolutely untrue. In 2019, antisemitic hate crimes in the United States reached a high we have never seen before. I remember that, because I was living in London, and I was super scared for my family at the time. Since then, that number has increased by nearly 400% in the last ten days. If you don’t believe me, have some articles about it (one, two, three, four, and five, to name a few). 

I live in New York City, where a man was beaten in Time Square while attending a Free Palestine rally and wearing a kippah. I’m sorry, but being visibly Jewish near a pro-Palestine rally? That was enough to have a bunch of people just start beating on him? I made a previous post detailing how there are Jews being attacked all over the world, and there is a very good timeline of recent hate crimes against Jews that you can find right here. These are Jews, by the way, who have nothing to do with Israel or Palestine. They are Americans or Europeans or Canadians who are living their lives. In some cases, they are at pro-Palestine rallies and they are trying to help, but they just look visibly Jewish.  God Forbid we are the wrong ethnicity for your rally, even if we agree.

This is really serious. There are people calling for the death of all Jews. There are people calling for another Holocaust. 

There are 14 million Jews in the world. 14 million. Of 7.6 billion. And you think it isn’t a problem the way people treat us?

Anyway (aside from, you know, compassion), why does this matter? This matters because stuff like this deters Jews who want to be part of the pro-Palestine movement because they are literally scared for their safety. I said this before, and I will say it again: Zionism was, historically speaking, a very unpopular opinion. It was only widespread antisemitic violence (you know, the Holocaust) that made Jews believe there was a necessity for a Jewish state. Honestly, it wasn’t until the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that I supported it the abstract idea too.

I grew up in New York City, I am a liberal Jew, and I believe in the rights of marginalized and oppressed people to self-determine worldwide. Growing up, I also fit the profile of what many scholars describe as the self hating Jew, because I believed that, in order to justify myself in American liberal society, I had to hate Israel, and I had to be anti-Zionist by default, even if I didn’t always understand what ‘Zionism’ meant in abstract. Well, I am 27 years old now with two masters degrees in history, and here is what Zionism means to me: I hate the Israeli government. They do not speak for me. But I am not anti-Zionist. I believe in the necessity for a Jewish state — a state where all Jews are welcome, regardless of their background, regardless of their nationality. 

There needs to be a place where Jews, an ethnic minority who are unwelcome in nearly every state in the world, have a place where they are free from persecution — a place where they feel protected. And I don’t think there is anything wrong with that place being the place where Jews are ethnically indigenous to. Because believe it or not, whether it is inconvenient, Jews are indigenous to the land of Israel. I’ve addressed this in this post.

With that said, that doesn’t mean you can kick the Palestinian people out. They are also indigenous to that land, which is addressed in the same post, if you don’t trust me. 

What is incredible to me is that Zionism is defined, by the Oxford English Dixtionary, as “A movement [that called originally for] the reestablishment of a Jewish nationhood in Palestine, and [since 1948] the development of the State of Israel.” Whether we agree with this or not, there were early disagreements about the location of a ‘Jewish state,’ and some, like Maurice de Hirsch, believed it ought to be located in South America, for example. Others believed it should be located in Africa. The point is that the original plans for the Jewish state were about safety. The plan changed because Jews wanted to return to their homeland, the largest project of decolonization and indigenous reclamation ever to be undertaken by an indigenous group. Whether you want to hear that or not, it is true. Read a book or two. Then you might know what I mean.

When people say this is a complicated issue, they aren’t being facetious. They aren’t trying to obfuscate the point. They often aren’t even trying to defend the Israeli government, because I certainly am not — I think they are abhorrent. But there is no future in the Middle East if the Israelis and Palestinians don’t form a state that has an equal right of return and recognizes both of their indigenousness, and that will never happen if people can’t stop throwing vitriolic rhetoric around.  Is the Israeli Government bad? Yes. Are Israeli citizens bad? Largely, no. They want to defend their families, and they want to defend their people. This is basically the same as the fact that Palestinian people aren’t bad, though Hamas often is. And for the love of god, stop defending terrorist organizations. Just stop. They kill their own people for their own power and for their own benefit. 

And yes, one more time, the Israeli government is so, so, so wrong. But god, think about your words, and think about how you are enabling Nazis. The rhetoric the left is using is hurting Jews. I am afraid to leave my house. I’m afraid to identify as Jewish on tumblr. I’m afraid for my family, afraid for my friends. People I know are afraid for me. 

It’s 2021. I am not my great uncle. I cried for him, but I shouldn’t have to die like him. 

Words have consequences. Language has consequences. And genuinely, I do not think everyone is a bad person, so think about what you are putting into the world, because you’d be surprised how often you are doing a Nazi a favor or two. 

Is that really what you want? To do a Nazi a favor or two? I don’t think that you do. I hope you don’t, at least.

That’s all. You know, five thousand words later. But uh, think a little. Please. 

[samwisethewitch]

What does it mean to be pagan? (Paganism 101 Ch. 1)

That’s right, y’all! With Baby Witch Bootcamp officially wrapped, it’s time to jump into our next long term series! I put out a poll on Patreon, and my patrons voted for Paganism 101 as our next series. While not all witches are pagan and not all pagans are witches, there is a lot of overlap between the two groups. Both witchcraft and paganism offer practitioners a sense of freedom, a deeper connection to the world around them, and a greater awareness of their personal power.

I identify both as a witch and as a pagan, and I get a lot of questions about paganism. In this series, we’ll go through the basics: what it means to be pagan, the difference between a neopagan and a reconstructionist, and the role of magic in different pagan traditions. We’ll also talk about some of the most popular modern pagan traditions and how to find the right tradition for you.

Let’s start off by answering the question, “What does pagan actually mean?”

Defining “Pagan”

It’s important to remember that “pagan” is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide range of different faiths. Someone who practices Wicca, for example, will have very different beliefs from someone who practices Hellenismos. These different faiths are linked by a shared history, rather than by shared beliefs or practices.

The word “pagan” comes from the Latin “paganus,” which literally means “area outside of a city” or, to phrase it slightly differently, “countryside.” This adjective was used to describe people and things that were rustic or rural and, over time, came to also have the connotation of being uneducated. Originally, the word had no religious association, and was even used to refer to non-combatants by the Roman military.

From this definition, we can gain some insight into what makes a religion or practice pagan. Pagans feel a kinship with the wild or rural places of the world, and are comfortable waking “off the beaten path.”

But how did “paganus” come to refer to a type of religion, anyway?

To understand the religious meaning of “paganus,” it’s necessary to understand a little bit about the religion of Ancient Rome. Rome (the city) was built inside a pomerium, a sacred boundary that formed a spiritual border around the city and its people. Paganus folks were those who lived outside the pomerium and, as such, may not have been strict adherents of the state religion — they certainly wouldn’t have been able to travel into the city for every major festival. They may have gotten a bit more creative with their worship of the gods. However, as previously stated, the word paganus did not have an explicitly religious meaning in ancient times.

The use of paganus as a religious label began after the legalization of Christianity by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 313 C.E. Christianity would not be adopted as the official state religion until 380 C.E., but Constantine’s conversion and decriminalization of Christian worship paved the way for Rome’s transformation into a Christian state. It was around this time, as Christianity was quickly growing in urban areas, that early Roman Christians began using the word “paganus” to refer to those who still practiced polytheism. Rather than referring to those outside the city’s boundary or to untrained civilians, the label now referred to those outside the Church, those who were not “soldiers of Christ.”

As Christianity spread in popularity throughout the Mediterranean, Europe, and Northern Africa, the pagan label was applied to all non-Christians in those areas. The word “pagan” became a derogatory label, implying an inferior and backwards religion.

So, really, the thing that makes a religion pagan is a historical conflict with Christianity. Pagan religions are those that were suppressed or completely destroyed after Christianity became the dominant faith in the region.

This is why Norse Paganism and Kemetic (Egyptian) polytheism, which are very different, are both considered “pagan” while Shinto, a Japanese religion that shares a lot of common features with many pagan faiths, is not. Because Christianity never achieved total dominance in Japan, Shinto was never pushed aside to make room for Jesus.

In the 20th century, people who felt drawn to these old religions started to reclaim the pagan label. Like many other reclaimed slurs, “pagan” became a positive label for a community united by their shared history.

What do all pagans have in common?

This is a tough question to answer because, as stated above, paganism is a historical definition, not one shaped by belief or practice. However, there are some things most pagans have in common. Here are a few of them, although these concepts may take different forms in different traditions.

Paganism…

… is (usually) polytheistic. Most pagans do not subscribe to monotheism, the belief in a single, all-powerful divine being. Some pagans are polytheists, meaning they believe in multiple divine beings with varying levels of power. Hellenic pagans, Norse pagans, and Celtic pagans are typically polytheists. Still others are monists, meaning they believe in a single divine source that manifests itself as multiple gods. Wiccans and other neopagans are typically monists. Many pagans fall somewhere in-between strict polytheism and strict monism. We’ll talk more about polytheism in a future post, but for now just know that the idea of a single, supreme creator is not compatible with most forms of paganism.

… is based in reciprocity. This is a concept that may seem odd to those who grew up around Abrahamic religions: the idea of engaging the gods in a mutually beneficial partnership, rather than one-sided worship. When we connect with the gods, we receive spiritual, emotional, and physical blessings. The gods also benefit, as they are strengthened by our prayers and offerings. (I like to think they also enjoy the company. It has to be lonely, having your body of worshipers supplanted by an anarchist carpenter from Palestine.) The concept of reciprocity is why most pagans make physical offerings to their gods.

Reciprocity also extends to our relationships with other people. Most pagan religions have a code of ethics that includes values like hospitality, kindness, and/or fairness with others. Depending on the pagan, reciprocity may even extend to the dead! Many (but not all) pagans practice ancestor worship, the act of honoring and venerating the beloved dead.

Reciprocity may even extend to the world at large. Some (but not all) pagans are animists, which means they believe that every animal, plant, and stone contains its own spirit. Animist pagans strive to live in harmony with the spirits of the world around them, and may make offerings to these spirits as a sign of friendship.

… embraces the Divine Feminine. Paganism acknowledges and venerates both masculine and feminine expressions of divinity. Polytheist pagans worship both gods and goddesses, while monist pagans see the divine Source as encompassing all genders. In either case, the end result is the same: pagans acknowledge that, sometimes, God is a woman. (Cue the Ariana Grande song.)

Paganism also acknowledges gender expressions outside the masculine/feminine binary. Many pagan deities, like Loki (in Norse paganism), Atum (in Kemetic paganism), and Aphroditus (a masculine aspect of the Greek Aphordite) exist somewhere in the grey area between man and woman.

… is compatible with a mystic mindset. Remember how I said there’s a lot of overlap between witchcraft and paganism? Part of the reason for that is because paganism is highly compatible with magic and other mystical practices. Most pagans believe that humans have, or can attain, some level of divine power. It makes sense that this power would manifest as magic, or as other spiritual abilities. Many of the ancient cultures modern paganism draws inspiration from practiced magic in some form, so it follows that modern pagans would as well.

… draws inspiration from the ancient stories. As we discussed, “pagan” originally referred to the religious groups that were pushed out by Christian hegemony. As a result, every modern pagan is a little bit of a historian. Because paganism was pushed underground, it takes a little digging to find myths, rituals, and prayers that can be used or adapted for modern practice.

Many pagans worship historic deities that you’ve probably read about at some point. Visit any pagan pride event, and you’ll probably find worshipers of Zeus, Venus, Thor, and Isis, just to name a few. Studying and interpreting ancient mythology and archaeological evidence is a big part of modern paganism.

… is a religion with homework. If you’ve read this far, you may be beginning to realize that being pagan is a lot of work. It’s fun, spiritually fulfilling, and very rewarding work, but work all the same. Because very few modern pagans have access to temples, priests and priestesses, or an in-person community that shares their beliefs, they end up having to teach themselves, do their own research, and guide their own practice.

This is incredibly empowering, as it means you are your own religious authority. It does, however, mean that you will occasionally have to open a book or slog through a dense academic article about the most recent archaeological find related to your favorite deity. Thankfully, there’s a growing number of accessible, beginner-friendly books, blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels to help you in your research.

… embodies a deep respect for the natural world. While not all pagans are animists, most pagans do feel some sort of reverence for the forces of nature. Many pagan deities are associated with natural forces or use the natural world to communicate with their followers. Because of this, not only do pagans respect and love nature, but they’re constantly watching it for signs and messages. (Are you really friends with a pagan if they haven’t called you crying because they found a crow feather on the ground or saw a woodpecker in their backyard?)

Some pagan groups, especially neopagan religions like Wicca, have been classified as Earth-centered religions. Personally, I dislike this term. While it is true that many pagans feel a deep spiritual connection to the Earth and may even venerate local nature spirits, to say that these religions are “Earth-centered” feels like an oversimplification. Wiccans, for example, don’t actually worship nature — they worship the God and Goddess, who they see reflected in the natural world.

… is driven by individual spiritual practice. As mentioned above, very few pagans have access to an in-person community. Because of this, modern paganism largely consists of individual practices. Even pagans who do belong to a community still typically worship on their own sometimes. These personal practices may involve prayer, offerings to the gods, meditation, divination, astral travel, performing religious rituals, or countless other practices. Many pagans have personal altars in their homes, where they worship alone or with their family.

… is a celebration of daily life. One thing I love about paganism is how it makes every aspect of my life feel sacred. Many religions emphasize the spiritual aspects of life while deemphasizing, or even demonizing, the physical or mundane aspects. This can lead to practitioners feeling like they are spiritual beings trapped in a physical body, or like their physical needs and desires are something to escape.

Paganism allows practitioners to fully enjoy being physical and spiritual beings. Pagans reach for the heights of spiritual awareness, while also enjoying earthly delights — recognizing that neither is inherently more worthy than the other and that both are needed for a balanced life.

… is only one of many paths to Truth. Most pagan groups do not claim to be the only valid religious path, and in fact several openly acknowledge the validity of other religions. This is why you rarely see pagans trying to convert other people to paganism — it’s openly acknowledged that paganism isn’t for everyone, and that those who are truly meant to practice the old ways will find them.

~~~

Hopefully, this post has given us a good working definition of “paganism.” From here, we’ll explore some of these individual concepts in more depth and discuss specific religions within the pagan umbrella. Until then, blessed be.

Resources:

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

A Witches’ Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar

The Way of Fire and Ice by Ryan Smith

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler

Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler

A Practical Guide to Irish Spirituality by Lora O’Brien

[familyassembled]

The Way You Look Tonight (1/2)

Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter, various

Captain Rogers has a very special request for Jarvis, which brings up some uncomfortable feelings.

My dearest Anna,

Life continues at the Avengers Tower, as it’s been appropriately dubbed.  I’m still not entirely certain what my purpose is here, beyond making sure the coffee is fresh and no media person is ever aware that any of the team are actually present, but here I remain.  It’s not as if I have anywhere else to go, not in this strange time.  Not alone.

Miss Carter and Captain Rogers seem to be doing well, by all accounts.  They haven’t been overly affectionate, at least not in my presence, but the tells are there nonetheless.  Despite her loss and frustrations, I never really thought of Miss Carter as an unhappy person...until now.  Now, she’s happy.  She’s smiled and laughed more just in the past few weeks than the entire time I knew her in 1946, to say nothing of the last four months.  It’s good to see...although it does make me miss a time when I was that happy as well.  When you were.

I know she tries to downplay it for my benefit.  I wish she wouldn’t.  My pain isn’t going to be in any way inhibited by her tempering her happiness.  It won’t grow with her admitting it.  An amputee’s arm isn’t less noticeably missing if his friend stops using theirs.

Oddly, I’ve found the presence of Agent Barton of some comfort. He’s very quiet, and when he does speak, it’s often with a humor one would least expect.  Otherwise, he seems fairly content doing something with his arrows or being wherever Agent Romanoff is.  That is a strange relationship, one I assume only they will ever truly understand...if that.

Despite his efforts, I’ve stayed as far as possible from Stark and his labs.  It didn’t take long at all to see what sort of genius he’d inherited from his father, and I have no desire to subject myself to that once more.  I’ve lost enough.

I still have your letters, the ones you wrote so long ago. It was only by chance that I had them with me when I met Miss Carter at the diner...well, not chance.  You’d probably call me a sentimental fool for it, but I’d begun carrying your letters with me, as I did when you were still sending them.  It always made you somehow feel closer, no matter the distance.  I was hoping I could achieve the same feeling of connection. Alas, despite reading them so many times I could probably quote them all, your absence is still keenly obvious.

I still can’t sleep without dreaming of you, and I can’t dream of you without hearing you scream.  I still miss you every day.  Miss Carter said that if I stayed here I’d be less haunted by you, but I doubt location, in time or space, will have any bearing on that.  Even now, I can think of nothing I wouldn’t give to have you by my side again.

Since you’d likely chastise me for all eternity if I tried to hurry the path to the afterlife, I suppose I’ll have to wait a little longer. Until then, I remain, as ever, your own devoted

Edwin

Edwin had barely signed the letter to nowhere when there was a knock on his door.  He hesitated--the other residents of the tower seemed to share, and thus respect, a certain need for solitude at times, and tended to leave him alone if he didn’t answer--but then stood, tucking his notebook away under his pillow.  Although the letters were something reserved for when he was alone (mostly because he was sure the others would likely doubt his sanity if they knew he was writing letters to his dead wife), he didn’t relish being alone with his thoughts much longer at the moment.

He was nonetheless surprised, when he opened the door, to find Captain Rogers standing uncertainly on the other side.

“Captain Rogers?  What can I do for you?”

Steve glanced either way down the hall before looking at him again.  “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Edwin said, completely baffled, but more than a little curious as he stepped back to allow Steve into the room.

“It’s...about Peggy,” the captain said, and Edwin arched a brow.

“I do hope you’re not having problems with Miss Carter,” he said.

“No!  No, it’s not that, it’s...well sort of the opposite,” Steve said, shrugging helplessly.

“I’m...not certain I understand.”

“How did you propose to Anna?” he burst out, and Edwin’s mind locked up.  This was not a conversation he wanted to have, ever.  He didn’t want to talk about her, ever.  And certainly not with the man apparently set on marrying his only friend.

“I don’t see how that’s at all relevant,” he managed.

“Because you did something right,” Captain Rogers said, running a hand through his hair as he started pacing the small space.  “I’m looking for ideas.  What did you do?”

“I said ‘marry me’ the moment I had her in my arms after she successfully escaped the violently escalating anti-semitic aggressions in Hungary.”

Captain Rogers paused, swiveling to stare at him.  “...right. Sorry.  You’re right, I shouldn’t have asked.  It’s just...you know, you’re the only other person here close to her, you probably know her as well as I do, and I just...nevermind.  That was...thoughtless.”

“It was,” Edwin agreed, narrowing his eyes as he considered the other man.  Thoughtless, yes, but not malicious.  That was obvious.  It was entirely possible that the beloved Captain America really was just that nervous and hopeless with regards to Miss Carter.  That much, he could understand.  “I gave Anna her engagement ring at sunrise at the top of the Empire State Building.”  Steve’s eyes widened at the admission, and Edwin shrugged.  “We’d already been engaged two weeks, but that had been a dream of hers for years.”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about!”

“I still don’t understand what you need from me,” Edwin replied.  “Not only is the Empire State Building no longer the tallest building in the world, as far as I know, Miss Carter has no great affinity for it.”

“No, she doesn’t, but she’s gotta have...an affinity for something,” Steve said.

Edwin shook his head. “I’m sure you’d know that better than me.”

“Well, that’s the thing, there’s a lot of things she likes,” the other man replied, dropping into the armchair in the corner of the room.  “But how do I figure out what the best thing for a proposal would be?  How do I find the ring?  Where do I give it to her?  What do I say?”

Edwin blinked. “Captain Rogers, I’m almost certain that you could drop down in front of her in the middle of any street in New York with a circle of twine and she’d agree to marry you.”

“You think?”

“Absolutely,” Edwin said without hesitation.  “Are you really concerned that she could conceivably refuse?”

“I don’t think I’m gonna be sure she won’t until she says yes,” Steve sighed.  “She’s Peggy.  She could have anyone.  And there’s a lot more people now who won’t expect her to sit at home and be their little woman than there were seventy years ago.”

“Have you seen something called, I believe, ‘the internet’?” Edwin deadpanned, and Steve let out a bark of surprised laughter.

“Point taken,” he acknowledged.  “Still...I want it to be perfect.  She deserves perfect.”

“That much...I can agree upon.”  Edwin studied him a moment, then sighed.  “Alright, we need a plan.  And a ring. Not necessarily in that order.”

oOoOo

Edwin tore the athletic tape on his wrist with his teeth before tossing it aside and rolling his neck. It had been a while since he’d done this...several years, at least.  But for several years he hadn’t felt like his skin was on fire, either.

Miss Carter had interrupted his conversation with Captain Rogers shortly after he’d agreed to help, and he was more than a little thankful.  It gave him more time to ease into the idea of what was coming, and that he’d be helping.  Images of the captain carrying his bride over the threshold of a house somewhere while Edwin remained stranded in this bloody tower with Stark assaulted his mind, and the first swing at the bag came without thought.

It didn’t help that occasionally Miss Carter and Miss Potts got the idea into their head for group dinners. They were casual affairs filled with takeaway cartons and laughter and sharing, but if Edwin could manage to feel anything at all, it was acute anger.  It wasn’t fair, he knew it wasn’t, these people had done nothing to him. But every story Tony told of his father and his mother and their happy marriage made bile rise in his throat. The fact that the youngest Stark still insisted on attempting to draw him into conversation only made him more resistant.

Trusting a Stark was not a mistake he’d make again in this lifetime.

After dinner tonight, he’d tried to write another letter to Anna, but it lacked the catharsis that he was looking for.  So when he was reasonably sure that everyone was in bed, he’d crept down to the gym for a more physical exercise in futility.  He remembered boxing matches after skirmishes in India and Palestine, how ironically organized violence seemed to counteract the lingering impact of chaos and gunsmoke.

Then the war came, and he had a whole new reason to fight.  That’s when the older men in the RAF deployments started buying him drinks after he took out one of their best, because all the fear and desperation and anger had to come out somewhere.

He’d shoved all that away when he’d been unceremoniously thrown from the service and the country, and hadn’t looked back.  He had Anna, and very particular ideas about what sort of man she needed.  It had been easy, even, because any tension or anxiety could dissolved by her touch.  Unfortunately, that was no longer an option.

Perspiration was just beginning to bead on his forehead when a sound made him freeze, automatically grabbing the punching bag to still it.  He swallowed hard when he saw Agent Barton break off from the shadows.

“Jarvis?”  He glanced around, frowning slightly.  “You’re...not who I was expecting to find.”

“Yes, well,” Jarvis said, consciously changing his stance to something less combatant and more the recognized norm, fidgeting a little with the tape on one hand.

“No skin off my nose,” Clint said, shrugging out of his jacket and picking up the athletic tape Edwin had discarded.  “Tell you what, there’s the ring.  We could do a couple rounds, I could show you how to loosen up your method.”

“Perhaps another time,” Edwin said, already unwinding the tape from his hands.  “I was just finishing up.”

“Yeah, alright,” Barton replied, flexing his hand as he wound the tape around it.  Edwin nodded, then turned away, but only managed a couple of steps before Barton spoke again.  “Only...that didn’t look like someone finishing up.  That looked like someone with a bone to pick with the universe.”

Edwin’s eyes slid closed for a moment as he battled away the ever-simmering rage at the current win to loss ratio of himself against the universe.  He took a deep breath through his nose, but only shook his head before leaving the gym.  If the conversation that afternoon had proven anything, his was a very individual war. 

oOoOo 

Sitting at the table with cup of tea, Peggy Carter watched her dearest friend and the love of her life from the corner of her eye. 

They were, ostensibly, watching television. Even as summer waned into autumn, baseball lingered like a bad head cold, and Steve, Peggy had found, could be as easily roused for battle by a Yankees game as he could by an incursion of enemy soldiers--once upon a time, it would have been the Dodgers, but he’d apparently been embittered when they won the World Series and then left Brooklyn, all while he was sleeping under the ice. It was something she’d discovered only recently, and might have found amusing to watch if it hadn’t been for two things. 

The first was this: Most people had a tell. Mr. Jarvis, for example, tugged at his ear when he lied. When he was uncomfortable, Dr. Banner tended to shift from foot to foot. When faced with a topic she did not wish to discuss, Agent Romanoff cracked a joke or simply left the room. 

Steve Rogers, on the other hand, was so blatantly abysmal at lying that his entire body was a tell. 

Prowess in battle excepted, Steve was not a particularly graceful creature. He wasn’t clumsy, but he did often move as a man used to taking up much less space. Most of that shaky awkwardness had long since fled--except when he was uncomfortable. 

Usually, when Steve watched television - baseball especially, she’d found - he would lean forward, engaged. Now he seemed to be trying to take up as little space as possible, mumbling something under his breath while giving her the most conspicuous side-eyed glance she’d ever seen in her life. 

Oh, bless. 

Mr. Jarvis mumbled back, and Peggy took another sip of tea. 

The second thing was that she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Mister Jarvis had no interest in baseball. 

She should, she supposed, be happy that Steve had managed to draw Mister Jarvis out, even if only a little bit. He’d been only barely short of a complete recluse lately - not that she blamed him, but it was becoming...worrying. Drawing him out was becoming more and more of a trial, and she worried that he never quite seemed to settle. It was good to see him, and even better to see him with Steve, who’d seemed to warm to him when Peggy first told him about how they’d met. 

Mr. Jarvis said something - whatever it was, Peggy couldn’t hear,- and Steve chuckled, glancing in her direction. 

Oh, that wouldn’t do. 

Getting up and putting the tea things away, Peggy made her way over to the common area. Steve was facing away from her, gesturing animatedly towards Mr. Jarvis, who seemed to be regarding him intently, until--

Until he saw her.

Peggy’s eyebrows shot upwards as the look on Jarvis’ face as she crossed the room towards them. The look could be considered nothing less than alarm, and as she crossed the room the two men stopped talking and Steve spun around in his seat so quickly she thought he might fall out of it. “Uh, hi,” he said.  “We were just, uh--”

Steve spluttered for a moment, looking entirely like a little boy who’d just been caught out at doing what he wasn’t supposed to.

“Captain Rogers was kind enough to explain to me the game of baseball.”

Peggy arched an eyebrow.

“Was he, now? And how are you finding it, Mister Jarvis?” 

“Oh...fascinating.” 

Mister Jarvis’ hand twitched--likely, Peggy thought, towards his ear to tug on it, but he looked at her and thought better of it. Instead, he coughed nervously and attempted to look interested in whatever was happening on the screen. 

“That’s, uh,” said Steve, pointing at the screen. “That’s called a double play. See how they tagged the bases like that? That means both those guys are out.” 

Steve looked at Peggy and smiled--the guileless, unassuming smile of a schoolboy hiding something he shouldn’t have behind his back. She looked at Mister Jarvis, but he was quite deliberately avoiding her gaze by staring stone-faced at the television. 

“You’re quite sure there’s nothing either of you would like to tell me?” 

“Nah,” said Steve, scratching the back of his neck -  at the same time that Mister Jarvis said “Not a thing.”

She could press the matter. It would be entirely possible to have the information out of them in the space of a stern glance and a few well-placed questions, if she chose, but--

--the two men traded what she was sure they thought was a conspiratorial look.

“Well, I do hope that whatever you’re planning comes to fruition soon,” Peggy said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at their panicked looks.  “Because if not, someone will find out, because, honestly, you two are the absolute worst at espionage.”

She waited a beat as they exchanged another guilty look, then impatiently clucked her tongue before turning away.

At least they were getting along.

oOoOo

“So the ring should be ready next week--how’d you figure out her size anyway?”

“Good sleuthing,” Jarvis replied immediately.

Steve tilted his head, not quite believing him, but still impressed.  “Whatever you say.”

“Incidentally, you may want to return this to Miss Carter,” Jarvis said then, and Steve grinned as he dug another ring out of his pocket and shrugged.  “I’ve seen her wear it before on her right ring finger, then simply estimated half a size down for her left hand, being the less dominant one.”

“Huh.”  Steve took the ring and toyed with it a second.  “Did you have to do that with Anna?”

“I did not,” Jarvis replied shortly, then rolled his eyes at Steve’s curious expression.  “My wife knew I’d be getting her a ring eventually. It was much more straightforward. And, I might add, entirely irrelevant. Have you decided on a venue?”

“Venue for what?” Tony asked behind them, and they both froze before pivoting around to him. “Are you having a party?”

“Uh, no, Tony,” Steve told him, shifting uncomfortably as the tension that always seemed to appear whenever Stark and Jarvis were in the same room ratcheted up.  “It’s just a...thing I’m doing.”

“Shindig, then,” Tony said. “That’s alright, shindigs are good. We can have schwarma again--hey maybe you can even stay awake for it this time!  I can--”

“It’s nothing that concerns you, Mister Stark,” Jarvis cut in.  “If you’ll excuse us--”

“It’s something for Peggy, isn’t it?” Tony asked as they started to turn away, and Jarvis and Steve both stopped again and exchanged a look.  “Oh, please, you two aren’t exactly masters of stealth.  So come on, how can I help?  I can find a place, pretty sure there’s no one that says ‘no’ or ‘reserved’ once someone else says ‘money is no object’--”

“I’m quite certain we can handle this without your assistance,” Jarvis interrupted again, his tone now icy.  “Shockingly, there are no plans for accidental pyrotechnics or near-death experiences, so it’s really not your area of expertise.”

He spun on his heel and began to stalk away, while Steve shrugged a little helplessly at Tony.  The millionaire was watching Jarvis’s retreating back with a tense expression, a muscle working in his jaw.

“I’m not my father you know!” he burst out, and Jarvis once again halted.  When he turned, even Steve took a step back from the burn in his eyes.

“Is that truly what you believe?” he asked in a quiet, dangerous tone.  “You believe you’re nothing like him, despite being the United States’ foremost military weapons contracter?  Despite a lab stocked with any number of rockets, grenades, and artillery, enough to take down an entire country’s military forces?  Despite the fact that none of that was enough, that you had to create yourself a suit and fashion yourself into a god, a hero among the ordinary people, equal to those of Captain Rogers’ caliber, for no other reason than you had the funds and the ingenuity and the vanity and no one to tell you ‘no’.  How many people have you hurt, accidentally or by association, do you think?  How many people are out there mourning the loss of loved ones because you didn’t know when to stop?”

“I’m not...I’m not the government’s weapons contractor anymore,” Tony said, although his voice lacked his usual snide bravado.  All Steve could do was stare--it was the most he’d heard Jarvis say at once in the months that he’d been there, and it...wasn’t good.  He couldn’t help wondering if Peggy was aware of how angry and bitter her friend still was.

Not that he didn’t deserve to be.  But Tony didn’t deserve this either.

Now, Jarvis sneered at Tony, continuing on his tirade before Steve was able to shake off his shock. “Well, I’ll be sure to scratch that off the list.  I’m thrilled that that helps you sleep better at night.  You want to prove you’re not your father, Mister Stark?  Think of all the people that have been lost because of your cursed family name.  Bring just one of them back; that would be the truly impressive feat.  Until then, as far as I’m concerned, you’re just as guilty as him.  He’d be proud, I’m sure--it’s the Stark legacy.”  Tony was silent, looking down at the ground.  “Right.  I think we’re done here.”

He straightened, tugging at his suit jacket, then turned and strode away down the hall.  Steve shifted, torn--he couldn’t leave Jarvis like that, but he’d never seen Tony look so...defeated.  Even after nearly dying from flying into a black hole, even when all of them took an emotional hit when Coulson died, he’d still been full of idiotic sarcasm and pride.  Now...he just looked small, slumped in on himself.

“Stark--”

Tony sniffed, looking up, then cleared his throat.  “Don’t bother.  He’s right.”

“Where are you going?” Steve demanded when he turned away.

“To make Dad proud,” Tony muttered, walking away in the opposite direction Jarvis had taken.

Steve looked up at the ceiling, trying not to think of what kind of insane weapons modification would come out of that statement, especially after the emotional beating he’d just taken.  Something he’d worry about later, he decided.  Right now, he was a lot more concerned about leaving Jarvis alone.  It was clear that he’d probably been alone too much as it was...something had to give.

[ucflibrary]

It’s August already and the summer is almost over. I can’t believe how time has flown. I’m not sure where June and July went. It feels like just last week that spring classes were ending and summer classes beginning.

School will be starting up again in a few short weeks. We’ll have a full cohort of students back on campus. The lines for coffee will be never ending and parking will be nowhere to be found. Life will definitely get more exciting.

Here are the suggestions from UCF Libraries faculty and staff to help you get back in the mindset for learning. They range from academic subjects to serious fiction to a favorite comic. Welcome to the 2017-18 academic year!

Click on the Keep Reading link to see the full list of books along with their descriptions and catalog links.

Chronicle of a Last Summer by Yasmine El Rashidi A young Egyptian woman chronicles her personal and political coming of age in this debut novel. Cairo, 1984. A blisteringly hot summer. A young girl in a sprawling family house. Her days pass quietly: listening to a mother's phone conversations, looking at the Nile from a bedroom window, watching the three state-sanctioned TV stations with the volume off, daydreaming about other lives. Underlying this claustrophobic routine is mystery and loss. Relatives mutter darkly about the newly-appointed President Mubarak. Everyone talks with melancholy about the past. People disappear overnight. Her own father has left, too--why, or to where, no one will say. We meet her across three decades, from youth to adulthood. At once a mapping of a city in transformation and a story about the shifting realities and fates of a single Egyptian family, Yasmine El Rashidi's Chronicle of a Last Summer traces the fine line between survival and complicity, exploring the conscience of a generation raised in silence. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

Deadly Outbreaks: How Medical Detectives Save Lives Threatened by Killer Pandemics, Exotic Viruses, and Drug-Resistant Parasites by Alexandra M. Levitt Despite advances in health care, infectious microbes continue to be a formidable adversary to scientists and doctors. Vaccines and antibiotics, the mainstays of modern medicine, have not been able to conquer infectious microbes because of their amazing ability to adapt, evolve, and spread to new places. Terrorism aside, one of the greatest dangers from infectious disease we face today is from a massive outbreak of drug-resistant microbes. Deadly Outbreaks recounts the scientific adventures of a special group of intrepid individuals who investigate these outbreaks around the world and figure out how to stop them. Part homicide detective, part physician, these medical investigators must view the problem from every angle, exhausting every possible source of contamination. Any data gathered in the field must be stripped of human sorrows and carefully analyzed into hard statistics. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

Do It Anyway: The Next Generation of Activists by Courtney E. Martin If you care about social change but hate feel-good platitudes, Do It Anyway is the book for you. Courtney Martin’s rich profiles of the new generation of activists dig deep, to ask the questions that really matter: How do you create a meaningful life? Can one person even begin to make a difference in our hugely complex, globalized world? Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Being consummate fans of the Simon Snow series helped Cath and her twin sister, Wren, cope as little girls whose mother left them, but now, as they start college but not as roommates, Cath fears she is unready to live without Wren holding her hand--and without her passion for Snow. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger The short story, Franny, takes place in an unnamed college town and tells the tale of an undergraduate who is becoming disenchanted with the selfishness and inauthenticity she perceives all around her. The novella, Zooey, is named for Zooey Glass, the second-youngest member of the Glass family. As his younger sister, Franny, suffers a spiritual and existential breakdown in her parents' Manhattan living room -- leaving Bessie, her mother, deeply concerned -- Zooey comes to her aid, offering what he thinks is brotherly love, understanding, and words of sage advice. Suggested by Christina Wray, Digital Learning & Engagement Librarian

Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis In these newly collected essays, interviews, and speeches, world-renowned activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis illuminates the connections between struggles against state violence and oppression throughout history and around the world. Reflecting on the importance of black feminism, intersectionality, and prison abolitionism for today's struggles, Davis discusses the legacies of previous liberation struggles, from the Black Freedom Movement to the South African anti-Apartheid movement. She highlights connections and analyzes today's struggles against state terror, from Ferguson to Palestine. Facing a world of outrageous injustice, Davis challenges us to imagine and build the movement for human liberation. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Kronisburg Claudia and Jamie, pampered suburban children, run away from their Connecticut home and go straight to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art where their ingenuity enables them to live in luxury, even though on borrowed time. Suggested by Jamie LaMoreaux, Acquisitions & Collections

Life of Pi by Yann Martel Possessing encyclopedia-like intelligence, unusual zookeeper's son Pi Patel sets sail for America, but when the ship sinks, he escapes on a life boat and is lost at sea with a dwindling number of animals until only he and a hungry Bengal tiger remain. Suggested by Larry Cooperman, Research & Information Services

Lord of the Flies by William Golding The classical study of human nature depicts the degeneration of a group of schoolboys who are marooned on a tropical island after a plane crash. Suggested by Andrew Hackler, Circulation

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass The preeminent American slave narrative first published in 1845, Frederick Douglass’s Narrative powerfully details the life of the abolitionist from his birth into slavery in 1818 to his escape to the North in 1838, how he endured the daily physical and spiritual brutalities of his owners and driver, how he learned to read and write, and how he grew into a man who could only live free or die. Suggested by Cindy Dancel, Research & Information Services

Originals: How Non-conformists Move the World by Adam Grant How can we originate new ideas, policies, and practices without risking it all? Using surprising studies and stories spanning business, politics, sports, and entertainment, Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt; how parents and teachers can nurture originality in children; and how leaders can fight groupthink to build cultures that welcome dissent. Suggested by Carrie Moran, User Engagement Librarian

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse The title of this novel is a combination of two Sanskrit words, “siddha,” which is defined as “achieved,” and “artha” which is defined as “meaning” or “wealth.” The word serves as the name for the principal character, a man on a spiritual journey of self-discovery during the time of the first Buddha. Siddhartha is the son of a wealthy Brahmin family who decides to leave his home in the hopes of gaining spiritual illumination. Siddhartha is joined by his best friend Govinda. The two renounce their earthly possessions, engage in ritual fasting and intense meditation and ultimately seek out and speak with Gautama, the original Buddha. Here the two go their separate ways, Govinda joining the order of the Buddha, Siddhartha traveling on in search of spiritual enlightenment. In order to complete this novel Hesse immersed himself in the sacred teachings of both Hindu and Buddhist scriptures and lived a semi-reclusive life in order to achieve his own spiritual enlightenment. It is a work that deals with the quest that we all undertake in some way or another, to define our lives in an environment of conflicting dualities and ultimately find spiritual awareness.  Suggested by Cindy Dancel, Research & Information Services

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney A photograph of a missing girl on a milk carton leads Janie on a search for her real identity. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela History professor Natasha is researching the life of Imam Shamil, a 19th-century Muslim leader who led a resistance against Russia during the Caucasian War. She discovers that Oz, one of her students, is descended from the historical figure and also possesses his legendary sword. As their relationship intensifies, Natasha is forced to confront issues of her own Muslim heritage in the post-9/11 world. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1, Squirrel Power by Ryan North Doctor Doom, Deadpool, even Thanos: There’s one hero who’s beaten them all — and now she’s starring in her own series! That’s right, it’s SQUIRREL GIRL! The nuttiest and most upbeat super hero in the world is starting college! And as if meeting her new roommate and getting to class on time isn’t hard enough, now she has to deal with Kraven the Hunter, too? At least her squirrel friend Tippy-Toe is on hand to help out. But what can one girl, and one squirrel, do when a hungry Galactus heads toward Earth? You’d be surprised! With time running out and Iron Man lending a helping hand (sort of), who will win in the battle between the Power Cosmic and the Power Chestnut? Plus: Squirrel Girl’s classic debut! Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

[litmuspress]

If You Want to Look for the Truth, Examine the Lie.

I cannot say to you —your people shall be my people Your gods shall be my own

I try to hide from you, no —from myself

The horror that in their heyday

Your people sold my people

Your people gave away my land, my earth, my blood

Your kin bartered my heritage, my future

Can you forgive me, if I tell you

How often you who are so close to me

Seem alien, of the blood of those who sold my mother’s grave. (72)

 —Yasmin Zahran, from A Beggar at Dasmascus Gate

 This semester, I’m teaching a college course called “The Novel of the Global City” in a moment in which the concept of globality is increasingly associated with conflict and fragmentation. In class, we talk about populism, nativism, and the surge of hard ideological lines between peoples and places in periods of historical crisis. Yet, my students live in Queens, New York, officially the world’s most diverse place. They resist my portrait of the times. They believe adamantly in the possibility of a safe, multicultural coexistence. We turn together to literature to better understand the pressures we face, and perhaps for glimmers of hope.

This week, we are reading Teju Cole’s Open City. Cole’s protagonist, Julius, is an erudite Nigerian German psychiatrist on an intellectual quest for identity. On his journey, he finds himself in Brussels, deep in conversation with a multilingual Moroccan, Farouq, who works at a calling center, and happens to be a political philosopher. Cole deftly inserts Farouq into the narrative as a mouthpiece for views infrequently heard in elite intellectual circles in the Euro-U.S. empire, and makes the reader explicitly aware. Farouq says,

There’s always the expectation that the victimized Other is the one that covers the distance, that has the noble ideas; I disagree with this expectation. It’s an expectation that works sometimes…but only if your enemy is not a psychopath. You need an enemy with a capacity for shame. 

Farouq and his friend Khalil speak to Julius about the power of portrayal, how Middle Eastern dictators are only understood as such by the U.S. when they fly in the face of U.S. interests. They explain how the plight of Palestine can therefore only be read as fundamentalist. They claim that Hamas and Hezbollah, though their actions cannot be condoned, are doing the work of resistance against U.S.-Israeli imperialism. Julius, with whom presumably U.S.-American readers are invited to align themselves, avoids the lure of violence by “having no causes, by being magnificently isolated from loyalties”, and so performs the astonishment Cole expects of the reader. However, Julius’ internal monologue betrays an awareness that, as the American, he cannot dismiss Farouq outright, nor can he express agreement.

…I was pretending to feel an outrage greater than I actually felt. In the game, if it was a game, I was meant to be the outraged American, though what I felt more sorrow and less anger. Anger, and the semiserious use of a word like extremist, was easier to handle than sorrow.

 I could not help but think of Farouq and Julius while reading Yasmin Zahran’s novel, A Beggar at Dasmascus Gate, published by The Post-Apollo Press in 1995. An archeologist in Petra discovers the abandoned letters written between a mysterious Arab woman writer, Rayya, and Alex, her lover, an equally mysterious English architect who seemingly has no project. Obsessed, the archeologist loses himself in their story. Their love is passionate and poetic, but their philosophical and political commitments drive a toxic wedge between them. Rayya is described as a near-sorceress, a woman with a strange power over people. She is also deeply invested in the liberation of Palestine. Alex feels emotionally boxed out of her worlds due to her resistance to Western rationalism. He imposes upon her his supposedly more moderate political views. He lobs at her jealous accusations of a pan-Arab zealotry or “professional Arabism”, and of being lost in a world of intuitive knowledges and fantasies that are below her intellectual stature. We watch as their political battles and histories demarcate the limits of intimacy. Romance devolves into games of manipulation, making and breaking illusions of safety, warping the potential for shared human connection into a mirror of political opposition.

Zahran side-steps cynicism by revealing that they are more than a writer and an architect. Neither are in Petra simply due to their adventurous natures. Both come with agendas and skills, and watch each other closely to gather information. Zahran opens the third part of the novel with the following: “If you want to look for the truth, examine the lie.” While increasingly enraged by Rayya’s insistence on Palestinian liberation, Alex has a dream in which a professor says to him:

'...If that dream of Arab unity is one day realized, it will become an immediate threat to our way of life and our standard of living. Just remember that raw materials will become expensive and scarce. Industrialization and improved agriculture will close the Arab World as a market for Western goods, especially British products. Strategically, we will be at their mercy, for they are at the crossroads of a shrinking world.' ...'We must buy time against this projected unification, which threatens our very existence, and the group of people that you must watch, split, harass and if necessary destroy are the Palestinians, for they, more than any other Arab people, need this unity for survival. Strike at Palestinians and you shatter the core of Arab unity. Please note that every Western power is aiming at the same target by different means.'...'Do not let us deceive ourselves: Arab unification is inevitable; all we can do is to delay its course, and it is here that our interests converge with those of the Israelis, for they are also buying time.'

In the recesses of the rationalist mind, the accusations of extremity know themselves to be manifestations of hegemony, a normalization of the longue durée of colonial violence and U.S. and European supremacy. Alex can never say outright that he recognizes Rayya’s plight, and eventually begins to lose his grip. Zahran pushes Alex aside as the British spy who bungled his mission, and allows Rayya to blossom, finally revealed as a spy for the PLO. However, for Rayya’s ideas to exist, she must be a character in a frame story, an occasionally unintelligible fantasist, held like Farouq at enough of a distance to express dangerous sentiments. A woman, she must also be beautiful, enticing. Two decades apart, Rayya and Farouq, or Zahran and Cole, must choose carefully when and whether to have the noble ideas of the victimized other, how to negotiate between self-victimization and accusations of extremism. 

In a world where our enemies, whomever we interpret our enemies to be, seem to be indeed psychopaths with no capacity for shame, to whom do we turn to salvage my students’ dream of harmonious cohabitation? How do we find solutions when we are unable untangle whose work is the work of resistance, and whose is the work of terror? What strategies are we forced to employ over and over again to give voice, even covertly, to the oppressed? 

 -Ashna Ali

[bellarkelifestyle]

not normally political but here goes

I have a lot of thoughts about what’s happening to the Muslim/Arab people in America right now and I just want to say that I understand. Living in a white society, it is so hard being an immigrant, especially if you’re part of a visible minority, and I’m not trying to belittle, devalue, or make light of other minorities that have been oppressed over the years like the LGBTQ+ community, or women in general, but because of what’s going on right now in this context, with this ban, this is about race. They (the Trump administration, Trump supporters, xenophobic/racist people in general) can chalk it up to immigration all they want, but they aren’t fooling anyone. Even though it’s said to be temporary, the fundamentals behind even implementing this as temporary action is highly concerning.

If you look at the events that led to World War II, to the Holocaust, it starts with the idea that certain people were creating problems for the German people, that they were eroding the German identity. The “they” in this situation was mostly Jewish people, along with others deemed undesirable, unfavourable and ill-suited to the German nationalistic identity. It didn’t take long for it to turn into a debate on the definition of who/what is German and who/what is not, and we see a frighteningly similar pattern right here and right now, in the continued and deliberate attack on anything related to Islam or the Middle East as well as comments made pertaining to the Latino community. When people in Europe needed help, when Jewish people needed help, they were turned away because of the semitism and the prejudice of the 1930s and 40s, and countless lives were lost. It was horrific, and the world said “never again, never again will we let this happen”, and slogans started coming up saying “as long as people remember what happened in WWII, it’ll never happen again,” and now I have to ask you what was the point of all of these Holocaust Memorials and genocide teachings when we’ve just managed to land right back here all over again, after 70 years with more genocides? (Fun fact: after the horrific events of WWII, a new term had to be coined to be able to properly describe the mass extinction and eradication of a specific group. A term that would be able to encompass all the horrors and disgusting activities perpetrated. So they came up with ‘genocide’; “geno” from genos, generally pertaining to human, or group (like genome), and “cide”, a suffix used to express more than just death; but also loss (see suicide, homicide, etc). A word that should send shivers down one’s spine with just the realization of what it represents. Mass death; extinction.) But after 70 years, what have we learned? We haven’t learned anything, clearly.

But getting back to the present; life became so inconceivably difficult for people that were visible minorities after 9/11. If your appearance in anyway suggested Middle Eastern descent or origin, you became someone that could be targeted, that could be demonized because of what your culture represented, because of what your religion represented. People who have been categorized as ‘Brown’ know what I’m talking about and the behaviour such a label entails. It means the comments about terrorism and being a terrorist said so offhandedly, it means “go back to where you came from” jokes, it means the glances you would get anytime you’d see or hear something about Al Qaeda or Taliban or Isis, it means getting called aside at airport security for ‘random selection’ time and time again because when you’re the brown person travelling in a group of white people it can look suspicious. It happens a lot in Europe, and I understand their fear, I really do. Horrible things have happened in Europe, but horrible things have also happened elsewhere in the world too, for a longer period of time, and that 'fear’ that they feel is the point of all the attacks. They (the radicals, extremists, terrorists, call them whatever you want, their point is the same) want to create that fear to isolate and weaken. We call it 'terrorism’ because it strikes terror - literally paralyzing, unimaginable, unendurable fear - into the hearts of people of diverse nations. It is meant to divide people, to make people distrust their neighbours because of the way they look or the way they pray or the way they dress. It is meant to create factions amongst people that otherwise have no fight with one another, and to create an environment where people are targeted and demonized and blamed for the actions of others. When we react to violence with violence, fear with fear, terror with terror, we are feeding the beast. We are giving those people that want to create worldwide discord what they want. So let’s not let them do that!

Personally, I’m a 17 year old Canadian-born girl of two Indian immigrants, born in Winnipeg, one of the whitest (demographically), most-racist (anecdotally) cities in Canada, where after three months, we moved to Montréal, spent eight years in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in North America, and then finally moved to Calgary where we are now; and I think it’s fair to say I’ve seen a lot of different aspects of what Canada looks like, of what a fairly healthy and functioning diverse country looks like and the truth is, it’s not always fair and it’s not always equal. It’s not always kind, either, and that’s the harsh truth. The notion that a country that’s as generally accepting as Canada is is without flaws is, well, a flawed ideal. Work still has to be done in Canada, but I think it’s safe to say that more work needs to be done in America. I could talk about my own story and my family’s story and just kind of how we’ve seen the world evolve - but then I remember that “evolve” is not the right word, because we’re not becoming something better, we’re just changing, so instead - how it’s changed in the 15 years since 9/11. But that wouldn’t change anything. That doesn’t help people that are scared right now, that feel isolated and alone right now, and that have had terror struck into their hearts because of what 'their’ president said, because of what 'their’ president has done and how he said he would protect the rights of all people in his country. Well, it’s been a week on the job President Trump, and you’ve already failed.

When 9/11 happened, this Islamophobia started, and no one knew what to call it back then, there wasn’t really a word for it. It was just this concept that the Islamic countries were dangerous, and that their ideas were dangerous, and that you have to watch out for them because there’s something wrong with them, and people never really got over that and it’s still visible in the aftermath and the consequences of wars that western countries had no part of getting involved in; but that’s a conversation for another day. When people started comparing Trump to Hitler, I really hated that trend, because you can’t compare the genocide of 10 million people deemed 'unfavourable’ by a sociopath to the ramblings of a racist, rich, white man. I mean there was really no comparison, and it’s unfair to the Jewish population to say that, but never did I think I’d see the day that Trump’s executive policies would align him closer to Hitler’s iconic (sorry, but true) and infamous ideologies than any other head of state since WWII. The fact that his administration has had the audacity to flat-out lie on national television to the very population it swore to serve on its very first day in power is an ominous sign. And nearly every executive order signed since has just further cemented that Trump is a petulant child who is so stubborn he demands that his views and opinions become the law and basis on which to run the country. Because he seems to have forgotten that the core of democracy is that it is run by the people, for the people. Because he is a hypocrite above all else.

But to go back to what this post was originally about. Race. To the people out there who say race is a human construct: that may be true. But to think that we can live in a post-race world is just naive. Unfortunately, that is not the way our world was built, and so we will have to fix it through the limits and barricades the generations of people before us have set up. That means accepting that race is real, that it won’t just go away, and that there truly is a race problem, not only in America, but in caucasian-centric nations around the world. I mean, the idea of being Middle-Eastern or Arab is so taboo that Christianity insists on depicting Jesus as white. You can argue that it was derived from different times, and that’s it’s just tradition, but if you know it’s wrong now, then why not invoke change? Hello? Jesus was a Jewish man from the Syria-Israel-Palestine-Egypt geographic area. He is 99.99% likely to have been brown, with black hair and a thick beard. To think or demand otherwise is frankly, pure stupidity. But it’s not necessarily those believers’ faults, and I’m not here to stir up religious dissent. It’s simply one of the consequences of a system that demands white-washing everything to be at a purity level acceptable for white people, who have always seen themselves as superior, even if it hasn’t been blatantly obvious. Sorry to white people who do care, I and I’m sure many others appreciate the support, but making a difference starts with realizing that the milennia of white-washing and racial negligence that has occurred to create a “proper” society whose idols fit into a range of “white appropriateness” is a system and a concept that need to be changed. And it means stepping up for Black Lives Matter, for DACA/DAPA, and speaking out against religious intolerance when mosques go up in flames or black churches go through mass shootings. It means giving a damn beyond grumbling at the tv, “this is bullshit.” I’m guilty of this too. But we can help invoke change by speaking, by not staying quiet, by taking the leap and breaking the taboo silence that makes us fear being called an overzealous social justice warrior. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind. I had to work up the courage to type this, let alone post it for the world to see. But I feel lighter now, so I would definitely recommend it. Change begins by showing support and getting the word out, letting people know that someone out there really does care, and is not okay with what’s going on.

I literally can not believe that we (humanity) have been civilized for nearly 10,000 years and are still unable to grapple with the concept that skin colour does not a person make. Does not define worth or ability or reputation. And no, just because I’m brown doesn’t make me biased in this cause. It makes me a victim, it makes me a bystander, it makes me a sympathizer, it makes me a supporter, and most importantly, it makes me human. Because racial discrimination isn’t just un-American. It’s inhumane.

I would be happy to hear any thoughts people wanted to share! I don’t have all the info, nor do I know all the proper tags to spread awareness, but it’s all out there and all over and trending so if shouldn’t be too hard to find! Spread kindness y'all :)

[lorddeathofmurdermountain]

On today's news, people equate suicide and suicide-bombing. As we all know Bill, obviously it's basically the same thing.

Jokes aside, I understand the worry of one leading to the other, but if people are already killing themselves to protest I don't think anyone can really say anything to dissuade them with words. The situation as a whole is almost beyond words - even if the war stopped right this instant and some agreement was had, radical factions on both sides have grown and festered, like a pus beneath your skin, just waiting to burst out or burrow further in.

It will be of no use pointing and whispering in fright of what people might do - this will only empower them if they want to do it or give them an idea if they didn't. We have to strike at the roots of the issue. No condition or mindset can just be stopped in its tracks by just telling it to. At this point, though it wouldn't solve everything, a cessation of hostilities would be ideal before things go even further to shit. And help - as much help as Palestine can get. So they can remember what normal life is like - so they can stop thinking that these things are necessary.

This isn't the first time a conflict like this was had - I can look at my own history, even. I may not have yet been alive, but I can turn to just about anyone in their 50s or even younger and ask them about the war in former Yugoslavian territories - what we called out War of Independence. To be truthful, both sides did awful things, horrible things. Not to mention the shit that went on in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But the international community stepped up and MADE us cease hostilities - in Bosnia that is. Who knows how it could have gone - everyone was basically ready to shoot everyone else. War crimes and genocides everywhere you looked. Attacking hospitals, executing civilians, there are memorials upon memorials in all our countries. Mass graves upon mass graves, buildings that even now have holes from being shot up, or bombarded. I'd have to go back and study it extensively, but how come WE stopped? Even to this day you can find old codgers swearing on their own life that if they saw a Serb in the street they'd shoot him, the law be damned. So how come we ever stopped? There has to be a method to this, surely. But the only thing anyone's been doing is looking on and twiddling their thumbs and shrugging their shoulders - governments, I mean.

Seriously, the glorification of violent suicide as the greatest form of protest that a person can engage in on the pro-Palestine side deeply shocks me. What’s next? If we can justify violent, traumatic public suicides in pure agony, are we so far off from justifying violent public murder suicides? If a person suicide bombs a synagogue and shouts “I am engaging in an extreme form of protest to raise awareness, but it’s nothing compared to what Palestine is going through! Goodbye! Free Palestine!” just before he blows up, what will the reaction be?

Will they loudly and publicly condemn this act of domestic terrorism? Will they say “We disavow any and all antisemitic violence and we stand with the Jewish community in this difficult time?” Will they do some introspection and realize they’ve been radicalized and indulging in the oldest form of hate in the world?

These people have been claiming the man who self immolated was a hero with courage. What does that make a man who “takes the fight to the Zionists!” What does that make the man so devoted to the cause of “freeing Palestine” that he won’t just die for it, but kill for it?

This is why we Jews are so incredibly unnerved and nervous right now. I already have to worry about getting doxxed, stalked, assaulted, and insulted for wearing a Magen David, for attending shul, and for refusing to play the left’s purity politics game and disavow my Jewish identity. Do we also need to start worrying about being suicide bombed by US airmen with two kids who’s so disgusted by the Jewish state defending itself but not the U.S. fighting in the Afghanistan war? Do I need to be on the lookout for people with bulging vests and a literally burning desire to become another martyr?

Enough. Seriously. If you’re mentally prepared to kill yourself for a cause, you’re mentally prepared to kill others for it. Even the most Zionist Zionists that I’ve seen aren’t demanding people kill themselves to save Israel. Martyrdom stands in opposition to everything we stand for—because we know life is precious. We are commanded to violate almost any mitzvah to save a life. If you’re reading this plea for calm and your first instinct is to leave a snarky comment about Zionists not understanding the weight of that man’s “sacrifice”, then this post is about you.

You are on the road to radicalization. You are being indoctrinated into a cult. You are being groomed to either justify, deny, or perpetrate antisemitic violence. Please, for the love of God, stop. Please stop self immolating yourselves. Please understand where you are going. I am begging you to stop killing yourselves here. Seriously. This isn’t a game.