Friday, May 10, 2024

You Can’t Hide Anymore

 

Jack Yordy, guest posting:

Last week, I spent roughly seven hours watching videos of student protestors being beaten and brutalized by police. If I didn’t have final exams and projects, I’d likely be watching many hours more this week. There are endless high-definition photos and videos of police violence at universities across the country. But that’s not all I’ve been watching. 

In the months since October of last year, I watched people being torn to shreds by bullets and bombs from the comfort of my apartment. Nearly every day I see the aftermath of an airstrike on a school, or a hospital, or a home, or a body. If you’re wondering why young people care so much about this war, and why they’re willing to be expelled, arrested, and brutalized, there’s your answer. We’ve been watching a genocide through the eyes of its victims. We have lived fleetingly in their perspectives for seven months. 

In 1970, students protesting against the Vietnam War were watching their friends be drafted and never return. They heard the horror stories and saw the names of the dead falling down the TV screen every night. They did not stop protesting after four students were murdered at Kent State by militarized thugs. Fifty-four years later, students are watching their friends and people they follow document the daily deaths of their friends and family. They watch the bombing of homes and hospitals, the withholding of food and water, and so many more atrocities available to view at any time. 

When the media began churning out lies last month in response to protests across the country, it was already far too late to change the minds of GenZ. No statement or spin could make me forget about the body of a child and the aid worker who was trying to save her when they were hit by an American-made, university-funded, missile. Israel, AIPAC, and their U.S. propaganda proxies can’t hide what is happening from us even if they ban TikTok. There is no hiding from us and there is no backing down from demanding our government stops supporting genocide. 

I don’t believe this is going away. In fact, I’m almost sure it is not. For the first time in my four years at Appalachian State University, I am seeing large networks of students forming in response to policies that they disagree with. These students are committed to connecting, organizing, assembling, and dissenting peacefully, regardless of the consequences. They’re not going to forget about this over the summer. They’ll be back after spending the summer planning, not playing. No one can watch what we are watching without feeling a duty to stop it. With Israel continuously gearing up their war machine to escalate this genocide, as sad and angry as it makes us, we are not going to stop watching or dissenting in accordance with constitutional rights. 

Jack Yordy is president of the AppState College Democrats.


6 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:59 AM

    Palestinians attacked innocent Israelis on October 7th.

    Torture, rape and murder were filmed and sent to their relatives on the victims own phones. This attacked was well received by the whole Palestinian population with excitement and joy at the carnage Hamas was doing.

    Hostages and dead Israelis were dragged back to a joyous Gaza as trophies. The dead were the lucky ones.

    Biden has done NOTHING to expedite the release of these innocent civilians, who are being raped and tortured while you play a sanctimonious, self-righteous fool.

    If you want to hate Israelis go ahead. You are just another tool for those who want to increase division and hatred in our own country.

    Palestinians are reviled by other Muslims, which is why they will not allow them into their countries, and deny them aid and assistance, even in peace, much less when they are being exterminated by the Jews.

    But if it were my children who were tortured and raped, if it was my grandchild who was roasted alive in a microwave, I would kill every Palestinian and bulldoze Gaza into the sea and make a resort on the ruins for my people to thrive upon.

    Point is, careful who you piss off.

    Hamas f**ked around and found out.

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  2. Anonymous has such deep irrational hatred that no Palestinian can match. The falsehoods they post define them as a denier. Maybe Anonymous' land hunger and racism has driven them insane. As a Zionist supporting Genocide anonymity may be the easiest
    choice.

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  3. Textbook expression of racist hatred in support of land seizure and genocide.

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  4. Anonymous9:51 PM

    What falsehoods?

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  5. Hello anonymous, this is Jack. It appears you have some strong emotions about this topic. I can understand that. The carnage of October 7th is an incredible tragedy and I have also seen the brutality that occurred on that day. It sickens me and I absolutely want those who were involved to face consequences.

    I agree with you on that. However, where I disagree is where the irony of your comment presents itself. You prove the point that protestors are trying to make: Zionists are actively supporting and committing genocide. You appear to believe that it’s okay to exterminate an entire population for the crimes of a few. That belief, outlined where you describe your conception of an appropriate response to October 7th, is genocidal.

    I must appeal to your humanity. Do you really believe that there are ever circumstances which justify the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people? If there is any way to stop tens of thousands of innocent people from being killed, should we not go that way? Yes, the acts that occurred on October 7th were some of the most awful acts that human beings are capable of. Do they really justify the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people?

    Tens of thousands. Of innocent people. Most of them, children. Are being bombed, shot, starved, and murdered. If you believe that is right, I suggest a long hard look in the mirror. We'll be as sanctimonious and disruptive as we need to in order to get people to pay attention and stop our institutions from supporting this genocide.

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  6. Anonymous9:52 PM

    Hi Jack!

    "Zionists are actively supporting and committing genocide"

    The same is true of Palestinians. They are also supporting and committing genocide. They're just not any good at it.

    "Do you really believe that there are ever circumstances which justify the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people? If there is any way to stop tens of thousands of innocent people from being killed, should we not go that way? Yes, the acts that occurred on October 7th were some of the most awful acts that human beings are capable of. Do they really justify the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people?"

    Ask FDR, or Truman, both Democrats. Look up the firebombings of Dresden and Tokyo. Yes, it was in the past, but in these cases thousands of civilians were incinerated. Was it necessary? You decide.

    It is easy to make moral decisions thousands of miles away from conflicts, claiming enlightened ethics and sanctimonious judgement.

    You can appeal to my humanity, but I am not involved with this conflict, except by actions of my government which I don't agree with.

    You want to prevent the deaths of thousands of innocent lives?

    Then stop abortion in the US. If you want to save thousands of Palestinians lives you are powerless.

    "Do not quote laws at us who carry swords." Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

    The Palestinians could stop this by turning over every hostage, alive or dead, along with every single Hamas member to the Israelis.

    Problem solved. The war would stop.

    Out of curiosity, why do you say 'Zionists' and not 'Israelis'?

    And thank you, Jack, for a reasoned and intelligent posting.

    ReplyDelete