In this conflict "it's complicated" functions a bit like All Lives Matter, something that is almost exclusively invoked to stop you from pointing out the extremely clear moral dynamics at play.
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“It’s complicated” means “I’m fine with the continuance of the apartheid status quo but want to place a fig leaf of vague Palestinian empathy over my empty rhetoric.” It’s an even more vacuous, American version of the Israeli “shooting and crying”
If there's a "bad guy" hiding behind a crowd of innocent civilians, it's now arguable by sensible centrists that it is totally fine to just shoot everyone.
Now, now ... bullets are cheap while bombs cost more to use and are typically dropped by planes, and the manufacture of both jets and bombs supports industry and capitalism in equal measure (as well as making REALLY sure the "bad guy" is EXTRA dead), so we should do that.
I think I agree with what you're trying to say. Saying "it's complicated" has an implied "and here's why" after it, and leaving it at "it's complicated" is a massive cop out to save face.
I'll tell ya, I'm a know-it-all. That's always been my thing. But one exception was always the whole Israel/Palestine thing. I knew I was outta my depth there & never even tried chiming in on it. But in the last yr or so, I've found myself increasingly taking Palestine's side. Israel tipped its hand
In my opinion all of the people with power and weapons are acting like jerks there right now. Caring about all the people being trampled by all the jerks is to me an uncomplicated response.
which he probably will. The point is that discussing complex and fraught matters in 300 character bursts, among people with 300-character-or-less summations & views is worse than useless.
The last time he said more than a tweet's worth on the matter, he went on a whole rant about how It's Not Genocide, Actually. So I'm pretty sure he's just a horrible piece of shit, Josh.
Tweets are a type of words. You can use words to say and accomplish substantive things, or you cannot. People will and should be judged for the things they say and profess to believe. What is this crap? Anti-intellectual? Anti-communication?
If only gang members got to use the “it’s complicated” defense when they got pulled up on murder charges over a gang war. Cause those do get pretty complicated.
they’re just some part of a larger historical framework in his polemic instead of clear fucking cut genocide. of women and children. of noncombatants seeking sanctuary literally inside religious sanctuaries.
‘It’s complicated’ is a real answer because the eventual resolution and the path there have both been intentionally and systematically sabotaged for 30 years.
If “both sides” are Israelis and Palestinians, they both matter.
If both sides mean Hamas and Israel, Hamas doesn’t matter.
Of course, your point likely was Israel doesn’t matter because [insert long string of old Soviet disinfo and word salad being passed off as profound by the socialist left].
More than 50% of Jewish Israelis are people of color. Some of those killed or taken hostage by Hamas on Oct 7 are Israeli Arabs. Hamas has been holding hostage in Gaza a mentally ill Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent for years. So who is white?
It is true that it is complicated, but I can think of very few wars that are not historically complicated? Ngorno Karabach is also very complicated, but I never see that used as an argument.
out of context he could be saying this to mean something other than "i don't want a ceasefire," but i feel like it's on him to make that clear if he's tweeting publicly about it.
ALM was stupid bc it wanted people to assume that the danger to police was the same as to Blacks...if "it's complicated" can remind people Hamas has genocidal intent toward Jews and that threats to Jews have increased worldwide since Oct 7, even amidst Israel's genocidal campaign, then it's useful
The trap that people like him fall into is that there needed to be some kind of response after Oct 7, just not anything approaching a *fucking genocide* and they haven't figured out how to extricate themselves from that trap
Let's stipulate that the Hamas attacks were horrific acts of terrorism. Let's stipulate that Israel has a right to defend itself. Let's even stipulate that many Palestinians hate Israel and want to destroy it, and support Hamas and maybe support the attacks. Do they deserve genocidal revenge? NO.
Stop labelling Brown people as terrorists
War crimes are war crimes and are wrong regardless of who commits them
Palestine has a right to defend itself
Hamas is the product of that because there isn't a defence force or army
Also what we know about Hamas is largely debunked Israeli propaganda
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You, smarter than me: "Have you considered that the situation might ~ be complicated?~"
Me: "Oh, wow, yeah. Proceed!"
(the real kind of "begging the question," I mean.)
they’re just some part of a larger historical framework in his polemic instead of clear fucking cut genocide. of women and children. of noncombatants seeking sanctuary literally inside religious sanctuaries.
it’s nonsense
If both sides mean Hamas and Israel, Hamas doesn’t matter.
Of course, your point likely was Israel doesn’t matter because [insert long string of old Soviet disinfo and word salad being passed off as profound by the socialist left].
Another that comes to mind is when some people invoke "complexity" when asked what caused the Civil War.
Or in Nikki Haley's case, rambling word salad.
For example, as Ta-Nehisi Coates pointed out on Democracy Now, Israeli Apartheid is a fairly straightforward thing.
There's only one reason for that
War crimes are war crimes and are wrong regardless of who commits them
Palestine has a right to defend itself
Hamas is the product of that because there isn't a defence force or army
Also what we know about Hamas is largely debunked Israeli propaganda