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Two Great Pieces of Long-Form Journalism
September 9, 2011 | Posted by Abu Muqawama - 10:20am | 3 Comments
You know, when the Stalinists
You know, when the Stalinists at the Nation show one side of a conflict as being a broad coalition of justice-seeking idealists, "moderates, midlevel and extremists" fighting a foreign occupation, while showing the other side as brutal and corrupt warlords backed by the bumbling forces of international capitalism and counterrevolution, I go, "where have I seen this before? Oh, yeah. TheInstitute of Pacific Relations, Amerasia, etc. The Chinese Communists are really democrats, like the founding fathers, with a broad spectrum of political opinions, fighting for justice against the corrupt and brutal KMT warlord regime." Paging Doctor Lattimore!
As for the other piece, it's a great unintentional expose of how Jewish Swipples see the world. That fake holier-than-thou, I'm-not-taking-sides-in-the-conflict tone: "I had no intention to write good or bad, but I did want to meet the man..."
They always tip their hand, though. I wonder how loud Ms. Rubin would shriek if somebody wrote her or one of her pet oppressed ethnicities in the same prose as she uses to describe her embarassing relations who actually take being Jewish seriously: "laughed in that way only teenage girls can laugh at the Other"-"They spawned boys and girls"-"Is there any age so susceptible to the eroticism of spirituality married to a political cause?"-"A reality for this generation spawned by an ideological plan that unleashed a collective experience of murder and revenge that is now embedded in the communal DNA."
See, all these people who actually believe in something other than post-socialism are so quaint and gullible. If they were smart, they'd be educated at an Ivy League school, not an Ulpan, have a fashionable career in journalism or something, and be one of those "Tel Aviv mothers who have one child and a dog"-in short, an Israeli version of Elizabeth Rubin or her friends. But at that point, why do that in Israel? You can have a comfortable self-centered life and be the last of your lineage in New York in much better style, right? Rubin feels the total shallowness and vapidity of her social class and lifestyle, and is insecure about it, so she has to compensate with this fog of contempt for those leading a more meaningful existance that pervades the whole article.
B, It is about "Native Son"
B, It is about "Native Son" written by Wright. It is suppose to leave you unsettled, that is the point. The author is shaping your view with a flanking approach.
Exum, I looked both articles, what is your reason for posting them?
Neither changed by opinion, neither supplied me with new information.
For both, as the opinion on the Arab Spring implied the future is theirs to make. It is their country, their choice.
Israel, hey at least they believe in something and have a direction. What are America kids doing?
Somalia, without an effective government it is a pissing contest. Only thing you can do is keep them fighting each other. Yeah I know it is not a solution both parties in the US are guilty as charged. Do you have better solution? Personally, I do not want to keep stuffing money in a rat hole. Sometimes it is better to do something even if it is wrong. That is what the US did after 9/11, problem is, the politicians do not want to have career limiting moment and change the plan. Fear is a good way to motivate people and execute a spending agenda. It has generated a lot of jobs and wealth. The timing of the terrorist alert, right after the jobs speech, was a good touch. How long have the suspected trio been in the US? Over a month?
AM: You've written many times
AM:
You've written many times how you are not qualified to get into Arab/Israeli politics, and I am in the same boat, as are most of us. However, a couple of simple (minded) observations:
First, the settlers have no justification for their occupation of Palestinian land, either legal, or moral. I view them as arrogant, and bigoted. David ben Gurion signed the partition treaty, and agreed to give up that land.
Second, the case has been made that the Israeli government needs to occupy the territories for security reasons. There is a legitimate case here. It would be nice if an Israeli withdrawal could be negotiated in exchange for a UN presence to prevent terrorist attacks on Israel. But, I know this could never happen.
The third point is a question. How is the security of Israel enhanced by the presence of civilians in the occupied territories? Of course it is not. To me, this reveals the occupation as an illegal attempt to settle land that does not rightfully belong to them according to the terms of the treaty that their founding Prime Minister signed. The settlers are a major source of the current problem.
This issue is insanely complicated. This is added to by the unreasonable behavior of both sides after decades of hatred. But, at least what I think are the basic truths of this situation could be a starting point.
Get the settlers out of Palestinian land. All of them. Compensate them for their property, and move them. This removes a major obstacle to peace. I know that the terrorists will continue to attack Israel, but I view this as a law enforcement problem to be fought by Israel, the UN, and whatever legitimate Palestinian law enforcement can be assembled.
The other thing is that the Palestinians must give up the right of return. They will never get anything out of Israel unless they do.
No one has a good solution. So, the first thing to do is to separate the two parties. Get the settlers out.
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