I don’t think that ‘staying silent in the workplace keeps me safer’, as he suggests at the end. I do think that if I get fired and replaced by, say, an Israeli or dual citizen, which is more than a remote possibility, who gains? Its like exchanging 3 hostages for 150 Palestinians then they just go and arrest another 200 random Palestinians.
The aim is to do what you can, where and when you can. Do the things you can do without simply being fired and replaced by a hardliner in order to appease the mob - take it right up to that line as much as you can: The people who have the actual power never will do this, but they will sure as hell appease the PTB.
Agreed about taking it up to the line in workplaces, but if pro-palestinians are cowed into silence by implied or overt threats then what's the difference between them and an apolitical neutral? Pick your battles for sure, and the workplace isn't the only arena, but... courage builds courage, and refusing to speak out because of fear leads to more capitulation & more silence. At some point ppl have to take risks and put themselves in the firing line, so to speak. Like he says, it's nothing compared to the dangers faced by Palestinians on a daily basis.
on April 22, 2024, 10:52 pm