CW for the topic: self-harm
"Many of us like to ask ourselves, "What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?" The answer is, you're doing it.
CW for the topic: self-harm
"Many of us like to ask ourselves, "What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?" The answer is, you're doing it.
I’m doing nothing and I feel bad about it, but I don’t know what to do.
Whatever you do, don't self-immolate. Sadly, this guy will get 2-3 days media attention, and then be forgotten, having accomplished nothing. We can all put our energy to better use.
You're only accountable for the things you can control. For most people, that's not very much, sadly. Think about what you can do within your ability, for example, speaking out, attending protests, donating to causes or volunteering for causes that support the people of palestine, etc. Someone might come along and say you're not doing enough, but doing something is always better than doing nothing, no matter how small.
And I know this not be the best thing to say in this context but you individually also can't do much about what's happening in Palestine. Unless you're in the military, high politics, or some corporate ghoul—you're just a body on the street that'll probably get ignored.
If that frustrates you more, then focus on other things. Build up or get involved at your Union at work, volunteer at an unrelated org like Food Not Bombs, or get involved tutoring or mentoring some kids. Anything you can.
And I'm not trying to dissuade people from getting involved in Palestinian solidarity actions, but if you're prone to take it really hard on yourself if you get involved in them and things just get worse then it may be best to be involved with things you can better control. We don't need comrades self-immolating, in whatever form it takes.
Even on state media TV they're trying their best not to say WHY he did it.. they kinda make it sound like he was just nuts and just did it but without any particular reason.
join an org. We know electoralism doesn't work, we know adventurism doesn't work, this can only be stopped through collective worker action. The power of the proletariat comes from our direct control over the means of production. If we organize we can block arms shipments, strike until our bosses drop their contracts with Israel, etc. I'm a tech worker so I have joined a local group called "tech workers for Palestine". USPCN and other orgs are national. You may have to do some searching, but there are likely people working together in your area.
Social media is okay too. In my estimation the time for "raising awareness" is past. Everyone who's going to get the message has already gotten it. Now is the time to fight. Everyone feels like you, horrified and powerless. We have to give people something real to do, something that makes a concrete difference. No more going home after a peaceful rally wondering if it'll convince anybody. People should go home knowing that the gears were stopped even if only for a moment. That certainty is what will push new people to action and make them keep showing up. As politically advanced people, our task is to start the feedback loop by channeling popular rage into those first productive actions.
Start asking "what's up with Israel" in public more often.