Thursday, April 22, 2004
Why don't I care?
Well...I'm a Republican. I'm not supposed to care, unless it's about money, environmental ruin, or self-righteously preaching puritanism while running a bordello out of my garage.
All...ok, most kidding aside, Walter Russel Mead writes in the NY Times that a source of much of the Arab anger at the U.S. is the belief that we don't care about the Palestinian plight. Israel's existence, our fondness for same, all these things could be tolerated if there was just some sense that we cared about the wretched status of the denizens of the occupied territories.
And he's right. I don't care. Well, I care, but I think the Palestinians have pretty much brought American disdain upon themselves, which isn't the same thing in theory, but has very similar effects in practice. But it's true. I like Israel. A lot. I admire their people, I admire them as a nation, and when they are hit, I feel it. The Palestinians...not so much. And while this kind of sentiment may very well bug the heck out of those in the Middle East, but has anyone asked themselves why?
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not a wholly owned subsidiary of AIPAC. I'm not Jewish, and I came from a small enough hick town that I didn't have a Jewish friend until college. I arrived at my pro-Israel perspective honestly, through years of the Palestinians screwing things up royally. If the Palestinians want our sympathy, they've spent virtually their entire history going about getting it the wrong way.
I mean, there are a few things everyone should know by now about Americans. We like democracy. The Palestinians don't have one, don't appear very keen on wanting one, and spend all their time bitching about the only one in their neck of the woods. Students take to the streets to call for Jewish blood, not elections. Israel lets Arabs serve in the Knesset. Arabs sometimes let Israelis have a ten second head start before the mob comes out. (Not usually).
Israel is by no means perfect. They have been known to overreach, there are elements of hate in Israeli society. When Israel attacks, there is an effort to limit collateral damage. Palestinian attacks seek out civilians, and children are taught to glorify murderers. This stuff horrifies Americans. How else should we react.
And as far as us not caring when bad things happen to Palestinians, remember the reaction when something bad happened to us.
After years of this, no one in the Middle East should be surprised if a call to pave the West Bank meets with a collective shrug. There is a way to get American sympathy. It involves being serious about reforming the culture that brings about these horrors. It involves seeing children shredded by nails as murder victims, rather than PR problems. And it involves not turning rhetorical backflips to blame us for everything that has ever gone wrong in the region, and continuing to hold grudges based on the Crusades. You're not obligated to do any of that, but we're not obligated to deny reality either.
So, claim I don't care about the Palestinians. More or less, you're right. I don't. And why is that?
Because they don't want me to.
Hat tip - Yglesias
All...ok, most kidding aside, Walter Russel Mead writes in the NY Times that a source of much of the Arab anger at the U.S. is the belief that we don't care about the Palestinian plight. Israel's existence, our fondness for same, all these things could be tolerated if there was just some sense that we cared about the wretched status of the denizens of the occupied territories.
And he's right. I don't care. Well, I care, but I think the Palestinians have pretty much brought American disdain upon themselves, which isn't the same thing in theory, but has very similar effects in practice. But it's true. I like Israel. A lot. I admire their people, I admire them as a nation, and when they are hit, I feel it. The Palestinians...not so much. And while this kind of sentiment may very well bug the heck out of those in the Middle East, but has anyone asked themselves why?
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not a wholly owned subsidiary of AIPAC. I'm not Jewish, and I came from a small enough hick town that I didn't have a Jewish friend until college. I arrived at my pro-Israel perspective honestly, through years of the Palestinians screwing things up royally. If the Palestinians want our sympathy, they've spent virtually their entire history going about getting it the wrong way.
I mean, there are a few things everyone should know by now about Americans. We like democracy. The Palestinians don't have one, don't appear very keen on wanting one, and spend all their time bitching about the only one in their neck of the woods. Students take to the streets to call for Jewish blood, not elections. Israel lets Arabs serve in the Knesset. Arabs sometimes let Israelis have a ten second head start before the mob comes out. (Not usually).
Israel is by no means perfect. They have been known to overreach, there are elements of hate in Israeli society. When Israel attacks, there is an effort to limit collateral damage. Palestinian attacks seek out civilians, and children are taught to glorify murderers. This stuff horrifies Americans. How else should we react.
And as far as us not caring when bad things happen to Palestinians, remember the reaction when something bad happened to us.
After years of this, no one in the Middle East should be surprised if a call to pave the West Bank meets with a collective shrug. There is a way to get American sympathy. It involves being serious about reforming the culture that brings about these horrors. It involves seeing children shredded by nails as murder victims, rather than PR problems. And it involves not turning rhetorical backflips to blame us for everything that has ever gone wrong in the region, and continuing to hold grudges based on the Crusades. You're not obligated to do any of that, but we're not obligated to deny reality either.
So, claim I don't care about the Palestinians. More or less, you're right. I don't. And why is that?
Because they don't want me to.
Hat tip - Yglesias
