Author's Note: This is a follow-up post to Internal Thoughts: Stop Being So Political! Not much has changed, and yet, so much is worse. In light of a few recent public controversies--one you've almost certainly heard of and one you probably haven't--I felt I needed to get this out of my head. As always, this is an opinion piece, so take that with a grain of salt. But as the title suggests, there's no room for cowardice right now. Silence does not have a place. This is my stance, and I won't apologize for it.
Okay, so if you've read my other post (which externalizes a lot of myself and what I believe), then you know that I'm not generally one to argue about politics in general online atmospheres. In fact, I try to steer away from it because I know there are a lot of people in my communities who use this as an escape. I don't begrudge you that. Reading is also my escape from this hellish nightmare we're currently in. I can appreciate a safe space as much as anyone else. And there are people I can talk to openly about this, to know that I'm not alone with this crippling anxiety.
But here's the thing. As I've stated previously, and many times elsewhere, there's no escaping politics, especially in the US. It lives and breathes in every facet of our lives because the powers that rule have made it so. I wish personal identities, preferences, healthcare, livelihoods, gas prices, self-autonomy, and countless other everyday needs weren't political topics. But I've already covered this.
Here's the thing. When oligarchies and tyrants control the masses and hold sway over how everyone's lives are lived, there's no getting away from it. When government leaders actively call for the extermination or bombing of innocent people because those leaders don't believe those others have a right to exist, there is no standing silent while it happens. As many more profoundly intelligent people before me have basically already said, if you aren't standing against the oppressors, you're just as complicit in the oppression as they are. And that's not to say that every silent person is a racist tyrant who wants to murder children or exterminate an entire group of people because they hold differing beliefs.
But if your stance is that you don't want to take a stance, then you've already shown me what kind of person you are. People who are not willing to stand up against injustice are the reason why injustice continues to happen. I would not be the first or thousandth person to compare what's happening in the US right now to countless atrocities throughout history, most notably those of Nazi Germany before and during WWII. And that's just one of many examples that can be pointed to throughout history and current lived events. It just happens to be one of the biggest and most well-known.
In light of several recent events making their way into my sphere, it has brought me unfathomable confusion as to how anyone can turn a blind eye to what's happening or not want to get involved. If you don't hold an opinion, it's because you don't care about anything or anyone but yourself. How can you be so ignorant that just because its not directly happening to you, it doesn't matter or affect you? The very idea is baffling to me.
And if you do know what's happening and you still don't care, then your lack of human empathy is abhorrent. That says to me that you are probably not a good person. That the suffering of others has no bearing on your life. And let me be extremely clear. That is a generalization. Because even though the thing that is all at the front of our minds is what's happening in Gaza, this generalization extends far beyond that. The people who control our government are actively trying to 'other' and remove those who don't fit their mold. Members of the LGBTQ+ community--especially trans individuals, people of color or non-white nationalities, immigrants, poor people, women, etc. face daily discrimination and suffering in our current climate. And none of it is okay.
The news cycle, and the most recent spark of outrage, is mostly talking about the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza. It's bad enough if you don't care about children being bombed, water and food supplies being removed, and an entire group of people being exterminated by another government. And this is not directed as an attack on Jewish people in general. If that's your first thought, grow the fuck up. Condemning the Israeli government is not antisemitism. I have nothing against Jewish people, in general. This is about a government overstepping its bounds and committing acts that violate the sanctity of human life. I am not Jewish, nor am I Palestinian. But the Palestinian people do not deserve what is happening to them, and to say otherwise is sickening. I will stand for their freedom from this atrocity.
And that's not where it ends.
This is why you can't hide in the dark. You cannot say you aren't taking a stance. That you aren't political and you don't want to talk about politics. You especially can't do that if you are a public-facing entity. If you wanted neutrality, then you should have stayed a nobody. If you can't fathom that what you are saying directly impacts those who watch you, who listen to you, who maybe even idolize or admire you, then you have no business being in the spotlight. You cannot say you don't do politics and then talk about something highly politicised or turn a blind eye when someone does stand up for others and is condemned for it. Those things cannot coexist. You claim you haven't taken a stance, but yes, you did. When you chose not to say anything or fight back against the oppression because you 'don't do politics', you took a stance. And you have to face those consequences. You do not get to have your cake and eat it too. You live in a fucking society. Act like it!
In case you've gotten this far and it's somehow still a mystery to you, there are a few things I strongly believe in with relation to the current controversies I've been surrounded by. People, no matter their shape, size, political leanings, religious affiliations, sexual orientation, gender identity, origins, or background, deserve to be treated as people. Everyone deserves access to clean water, affordable food, affordable housing, education, affordable healthcare, bodily autonomy, happiness, and freedom from fear for being whatever or whomever they choose to be. Governments should not withhold any of these things from people because they don't fall into a specific political alignment, because they don't look a certain way, or because they don't follow an acceptable religious affiliation.
Every oppressed nation deserves freedom. Their people deserve freedom. To say otherwise is an affront to humanity. My heart hurts for those being affected right now in Gaza and elsewhere. And I could not, in good conscience, as a person with any online platform, not say anything. It won't matter to most people because I'm not a highly visible person. But I will not contribute to oppression. If you don't agree, then so be it. That's your burden to bear when you meet your end, in whatever capacity you believe that will be.
I, for one, won't be ignorant and remain silent while others suffer. Silence is complacency. Free Palestine!
