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the post about being all political and stuff
by mg at 01:51 PM on May 17, 2001
I'm registered as a Republican, but I have, at various times, considered myself everything from a Libertarian, to a conservative socialist, humanist, and utilitarianist. I don't get too hung up on labels, or subscribing wholly to any one set of beliefs - which is why I won't belong to any organised religion and will probably never be happily married.
I usually don't get too overly excited about the issues that seem to get other people all burned up. I may, for fun, argue one particular side of an argument or philosophy, but ten minutes later I might be talking with someone else and arguing the other side. When it comes down to it, I'm not political in one way or another. There are very few things, besides myself, that I care about enough to get all bent out of shape over.
What I'm trying to say is that you'll hardly ever find me going all out to support any cause. Abortion, death penalty, universal healthcare, education, whatever, I just can't get worked up enough to care about those things. So why, you might ask, do I support the campaign to divest from companies that profit from Israel's exploitation of Palestinians? I've got three very simple reasons.
Reason One: I'm going to be applying next year to the graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley, where this campaign was started. If I plan to have any friends when I get there, a notoriously liberal and politically active campus, I am going to have to get all political and stuff. If I don't, I'll probably be more of a pariah than I am being a registered Republican in New York City.
I am also guessing that getting involved in rallies, be-ins and such will help me pick up college chicks. "Let me help you burn that bra baby!" If I can fake a political interest, then all I have to do is learn to stand the smell of patchouli and I'll be sure to get myself hooked up with some fly honeys when I get to Berkeley.
Reason Two: As I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions over the last month, my employers are Israeli. I think I might have mentioned that I also don’t much like my employers. Short of invading Israel myself, or joining the PLO, supporting an effort to end Israeli of occupation of Palestine is my small way of getting back at my bosses.
Reason Three: Some Robot Wisdom told me to.
comments (2)
i think it's interesting that many people don't know that, on top of the great land struggles etc etc, are going on in israel, that ordinary palestinians are effectivly treated as slave labour.
palestinians are paid considerably less than jewish israelis for the same work, and often under unacceptable conditions.
if fact, these poor conditions are probably what sparked the latest intefada in the first place.
by minja ninjarama at May 17, 2001 8:22 PM
Good point Minja. Something else: Israelis have bulldozed close to 300,000 acres of fruit trees in Palestine in the past 5 years. What happens to the farmers that used to work there???
You guessed it: for many their only choice is to go to Israel and work as laborers for measly wages.
Evil, eh?
by brad at May 19, 2001 6:43 PM