dictating : that would depend on whether one approaches such statements as potentially descriptive of the nature of things, and thus as pointers, or as prescriptive, and thus as dictates…
my own experience has taught me, and actually still does, that « weaving one's own tapestry » can lead to such a place, and thus i don't see such warnings as dictates, but as helpful pointers, reminders, and/or validations of things i've recognized on my own… unrivaled beauty indeed…
name calling bears no necessity and is logically fallacious as it doesn't provide substance that can justify the labels… it's a self-defeating tactic…
moreover, it's semantically flawed as the problem is never who a person is, but rather what they do and/or say and/or think… the problem here isn't the attackers themselves, but their actions and narratives, fueled by an ideology of entitlement, impunity, and systemic racism… target the ideology, love the person…
Often arrested for her advocacy, Medea Benjamin is one of the most prominent figures of the pro-Palestine movement in Washington, DC.
Online videos show her grilling US lawmakers over their unconditional support for Israel or disrupting congressional meetings.
In an interview with TRT World, she explains why, as a Jew and as an American, it is essential to advocate for a permanent and immediate ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
even those who don't share her views, through their reactions, at times questionable, to her personal involvement, bear witness to the impact of the advocacy of this woman and to her resolve… her persistent willingness to voice concerns about the decisions, or lack thereof, of elected officials, despite the consequences, elevates her as a role model and a guardian of democratic ideals…
« … the fact of the matter is that some 67% of Americans according to recent polls support the United States calling for a ceasefire and 60% opposed sending more weapons to Israel… »
i'm not sure i would call those hostage situations… but indeed it would be interesting to hear how those who supposedly stand for democracy reconcile such issues with the ideals of democracy…
indeed it seems that the Israeli regime and its allies have handled public communications as in the pre social media era… as if the world doesn't have access to unfiltered information about at least some of what is really taking place on Palestinian land and in the corridors of power… as if it were still possible to issue blatantly counterfactual claims to cover up doing whatever they please, without getting fact checked and exposed… but that doesn't work anymore…
again that's a misrepresentation of what religion actually is… religious phenomena far exceeds and is far more diverse than what you're suggesting here… and again, that some people try to control through religious knowledge doesn't imply that the knowledge itself is problematic…
the claim that religion is « generally responsible for much of the world's problems » is clearly an oversimplified unsubstantiable representation…
siding with counterfactual prejudice doesn't serve anyone…
obviously… still, that doesn't justify pushing misleading memes, counterfactual claims, oversimplifications, misrepresentations, prejudices, and blaming something one misunderstands and dislikes for « much of the world's problem »…
« … froze the shipment of 3500 american bombs to Israel… these are weapons that were already congressionally approved, specifically 1800 2000-pound bombs which Israel has used mostly in Northern Gaza… »
🔗 · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCS5P9yNiLU
« … you want me to believe you're being incredibly careful about how many civilians you're killing, and you have an amazing exemplary record, but you don't know how many civilians you're killing… »