naraburns nihil supernum
1yr ago
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Israel-Gaza Megathread #2
This is a refreshed megathread for any posts on the conflict between (so far, and so far as I know) Hamas and the Israeli government, as well as related geopolitics. Culture War thread rules apply.
random bullshit: activist greta thunberg posted a picture of herself supporting gaza. sharp eyed observers noticed the subtle dogwhistle in the background of a blue octopus plushie, and she's been forced to delete it and apologize for this dangerous display of antisemitism.
I have a genuine question, because I haven't been able to find a reliable answer:
Is the "blue octopus" actually an anti-Semitic dogwhiste, like, anywhere? Or is this an association that was just invented yesterday to pile on Greta Thunberg?
I've seen the infamous Nazi cartoon, of course, and it's not unique, but octopuses have long been used to symbolize conspiracies. A fishy alien thing with lots of tentacles reaching everywhere makes a pretty convenient metaphor for any group you're accusing of being sinister infiltrators.
I have never before yesterday, however, seen the claim that blue octopus plushies, specifically, are some sort of secret mascot used by white nationalists.
If they are, I seriously doubt that Thunberg was aware of it and deliberately signaling her own hatred of Jews. So this seems a lot like people freaking out over the "okay" signal.
I also suspect that, just like the "okay" signal, we're now going to see actual white nationalists unironically adopting blue octopus plushies as mascots.
TL;DR: at the moment, "free Palestine" is to me way more objectionable than any plushy short of Hitler.
In politics, timing is everything. If Greta had posted that picture before the Hamas attacks, I would have thought it much more acceptable. (Discuss: which is more of a lost cause: limiting global warming to 1.5K or creating a Palestinian state.) To post a "free Palestine" picture so soon after the Hamas attack strongly indicates a causal chain between the attacks and the picture. I strongly oppose rewarding terrorists with attention for their cause.
Hamas, the government of Gaza, has just proven what they prefer to do with what little independence they have. This is literally the worst time to demand more freedom of Palestine in decades.
I think if people on the same side of an issue as yourself commit atrocities on such a scale, that is a great time to shut the fuck up about that issue for a while. "Free Palestine" with or without the "river to the sea" bit (the latter explicitly calling for the destruction of Israel, the former just implicitly demanding it because an independent Palestine would very likely try to conquer Israel) is the explicit goal of Hamas. If you ride on the wave of attention brought by terrorists, don't be surprised if people claim your are doing PR for the terrorists.
Of course, political protests strictly against the Israel response are acceptable.
I wasn't asking about the acceptability of Greta Thunberg's political views regarding Gaza, I was just asking if a blue octopus plushie is some secret anti-Semitic symbol or something invented to accuse her of being a Nazi.
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random bullshit: activist greta thunberg posted a picture of herself supporting gaza. sharp eyed observers noticed the subtle dogwhistle in the background of a blue octopus plushie, and she's been forced to delete it and apologize for this dangerous display of antisemitism.
I have a genuine question, because I haven't been able to find a reliable answer:
Is the "blue octopus" actually an anti-Semitic dogwhiste, like, anywhere? Or is this an association that was just invented yesterday to pile on Greta Thunberg?
I've seen the infamous Nazi cartoon, of course, and it's not unique, but octopuses have long been used to symbolize conspiracies. A fishy alien thing with lots of tentacles reaching everywhere makes a pretty convenient metaphor for any group you're accusing of being sinister infiltrators.
I have never before yesterday, however, seen the claim that blue octopus plushies, specifically, are some sort of secret mascot used by white nationalists.
If they are, I seriously doubt that Thunberg was aware of it and deliberately signaling her own hatred of Jews. So this seems a lot like people freaking out over the "okay" signal.
I also suspect that, just like the "okay" signal, we're now going to see actual white nationalists unironically adopting blue octopus plushies as mascots.
TL;DR: at the moment, "free Palestine" is to me way more objectionable than any plushy short of Hitler.
In politics, timing is everything. If Greta had posted that picture before the Hamas attacks, I would have thought it much more acceptable. (Discuss: which is more of a lost cause: limiting global warming to 1.5K or creating a Palestinian state.) To post a "free Palestine" picture so soon after the Hamas attack strongly indicates a causal chain between the attacks and the picture. I strongly oppose rewarding terrorists with attention for their cause.
Hamas, the government of Gaza, has just proven what they prefer to do with what little independence they have. This is literally the worst time to demand more freedom of Palestine in decades.
I think if people on the same side of an issue as yourself commit atrocities on such a scale, that is a great time to shut the fuck up about that issue for a while. "Free Palestine" with or without the "river to the sea" bit (the latter explicitly calling for the destruction of Israel, the former just implicitly demanding it because an independent Palestine would very likely try to conquer Israel) is the explicit goal of Hamas. If you ride on the wave of attention brought by terrorists, don't be surprised if people claim your are doing PR for the terrorists.
Of course, political protests strictly against the Israel response are acceptable.
all do not push (much) beyond the status quo.
I wasn't asking about the acceptability of Greta Thunberg's political views regarding Gaza, I was just asking if a blue octopus plushie is some secret anti-Semitic symbol or something invented to accuse her of being a Nazi.
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