- Joined
- Nov 24, 2018
- Messages
- 13,230
- Reaction score
- 2,912
- Gender
- Female
- Political Leaning
- Slightly Conservative
This is just a half-baked idea, but I think there is truth in it. The political "left" in the US tends to prefer Palestine over Israel, and I think maybe I have figured out why. My explanation is pretty simple, maybe too simple -- well here it is:
Our political "left" is very much influenced by Marxism (whatever the heck that is). But we do know that Marx hated religion and blamed it for all wars. He also was opposed to nationalism, and hoped the whole world would unite as equals, as workers.
Well Israel is a religious nation. So naturally Marxists hate it. And they have framed the Israel/Palestine conflict as a case of colonialism and apartheid, just like South Africa. Or just like how early American settlers treated the natives.
We are in a different time now. But Marxists have superimposed a framework from an earlier time on Israel/Palestine. Israel is a vicious colonial power, that only wants to dominate and crush a native population.
In reality, the Palestinians were not a native population. The history of the area goes back thousands of years. Maybe locating Israel there was a bad idea, and maybe Israel has been ruthless in defending itself. But the Marxist narrative is wrong, in my opinion.
It seems to me that Max Blumenthal, for example, is applying a Marxist perspective to the conflict. To him, Israel is all bad and Palestinians are innocent victims. It's hard for me to imagine how anyone could see it that way, but he does.
Our political "left" is very much influenced by Marxism (whatever the heck that is). But we do know that Marx hated religion and blamed it for all wars. He also was opposed to nationalism, and hoped the whole world would unite as equals, as workers.
Well Israel is a religious nation. So naturally Marxists hate it. And they have framed the Israel/Palestine conflict as a case of colonialism and apartheid, just like South Africa. Or just like how early American settlers treated the natives.
We are in a different time now. But Marxists have superimposed a framework from an earlier time on Israel/Palestine. Israel is a vicious colonial power, that only wants to dominate and crush a native population.
In reality, the Palestinians were not a native population. The history of the area goes back thousands of years. Maybe locating Israel there was a bad idea, and maybe Israel has been ruthless in defending itself. But the Marxist narrative is wrong, in my opinion.
It seems to me that Max Blumenthal, for example, is applying a Marxist perspective to the conflict. To him, Israel is all bad and Palestinians are innocent victims. It's hard for me to imagine how anyone could see it that way, but he does.