Monday, January 01, 2007

 

Boycotting Reality

SF Indymedia is hosting a video of women talking about the "Rainbow Grocery Store's" decision to boycott Israeli goods. They have used the substantial Israeli developed technology in their computers and Youtube's to spread their message.

One customer, a self-described "long-term vegan shopper" raises shocking accusations of "customer censorship" in the store, which seems to have some... Issues.

A staff member (who I hope wears a hairnet when handling food) sums up her position:
"It's very clear to me when I see a picture of a boy throwing a rock at a tank, a state-of-the art tank, who is the rich person and who is the poor person?"
This is presumably the picture she is referring to.


It is one of the longstanding images in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and has been repeated and emulated on probably thousands of sites and posters (Google Image search).

However, anyone with any military experience can see that the hatches on the tank were unlocked, for the same reason soldiers can be seen lounging around in the background.

The tank was parked.

The photograph, was staged by a photographer, presumably looking to recreate the famous images of a single young boy holding up tanks in Tiannenmen square. Emotive images are prizewinners for press photogaphers, however sometimes what's happening behind the lens is more interesting than what's happening in front of it.



Propaganda's funny that way. The woman in the Rainbow store thinks it's as simple as Palestinians throwing rocks versus Israelis using state of the art weaponry.

I wonder if she'd like to have these rocks thrown at her:

Source: Honest Reporting who have documented dozens of such cases of media misrepresentation.

They charge that the media is often guilty of creating news images, rather than capturing them.


The recent 'fauxtography' scandal involving Reuters reports in Lebanon suggest the problem is enormous. This is something Indymedia, a self-described alternative to the media could challenge. Do you think they will?

Here's some more pictures of Palestinians, err... Throwing rocks.


Here's a young Palestinian who wants to throw rocks when he grows up:


And here's what sometimes happens when they throw those rocks:


It's not really that simple is it? However, the woman in the Rainbow Store is that simple, for she's clearly been swallowing a one-sided, completely biased and evidently factually inaccurate anti-Israel narrative. The very same narrative one might find daily on Indymedia.

Therein lies the problem. The Rainbow staff member continues:
who is the rich person and who is the poor person?
Ask Yasser Arafat's Wife, who will confirm he was worth billions while the average Palestinian earned a few dollars a day, and Arafat blamed Israel for all of it. This is precisely the sort of corruption and inequality that progressive activist movements should oppose, but when it comes to Israel, they specifically choose not to. Ditto strapping bombs to young children.

Thomas Friedman wrote, "Criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic, and saying so is vile. But singling out Israel for opprobrium and international sanction out of all proportion to any other party in the Middle East is anti-Semitic, and not saying so is dishonest."

Here's the thing: Take the absolute worst things Israel is genuinely accused of. There are dozens of countries that do these things, to a far greater degree, with impunity. However, from China, to Sudan, Saudi Arabia to Syria, Libya to Iran, Zimbabwe to you name it, you seldom, if ever hear about them. In contrast, there is an absolutely constant drumbeat of criticism on Israel, the World's only Jewish state.

Does that excuse some of the things Israel has done? Of course not. However to hold Israel, the World's only Jewish state to a greater level of accountability than any other country can only possibly be described as antisemitic.

I am quite sure many of these critics, such as the owner of the grocery store, would never describe themselves as antisemitic, and would be horrified if others called them antisemitic. The fact is however, they have been romanced by a movement that is antisemitic, and simply haven't noticed.

This is some overdue introspection the Left has failed to do (despite efforts such as the Euston Manifesto) and it is a disgrace. Indymedia, could be a wonderful tool for addressing this imbalance, however instead, not only is it part of the problem, it is spearheading it.

Comments:
>They have used the substantial Israeli developed technology in their computers and Youtube's to spread their message.

But did they pay any money for any of it? I don't think so.
 
But wait, there's more:

http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/1733624.php
 
But did they pay any money for any of it? I don't think so

Then you clearly don't know a lot about how business works.

This is like saying you refuse to buy fruit which has had pesticides on it and being told the grower used them, but arguing "the grocery store didn't".

Suiffice it to say, the boycotters' lives would be far worse if they truly boycotted Israeli products, including aforementioned technology, medication, research and science. What a wonderful world it would be if the arabs turned their attention to such intellectual development, rather than terrorism and violence.

Additionally, it's very damning to note that the grocery store isn't boycotting a single Palestinian group, in the name of "peace" - but choosing sides.

True, I'm unsure what Palestinian exports there actually are to boycott - can anybody name a single product?
 
>This is like saying you refuse to buy fruit which has had pesticides on it and being told the grower used them, but arguing "the grocery store didn't".

No it's not. What it's like, in fact, what it is, is we used Israeli technology, but didn't give them any money for it. There is nothing inherently wrong with using Israeli technology. What's wrong, is sending money to Israel, or to any ethnic nationalist project, anywhere on earth.

>in the name of "peace"

There will be no pace on earth until there is peace in the Middle East. There will be no peace in the Middle East until there is justice in Palestine.

>choosing sides

There's two sides here, the oppressor and the oppressed. We chose one. You chose the other. You are on the wrong side. Please reconsider. If you honestly believe that Israel is not the oppressor here, watch this video:

http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2006/12/1733200.php

Would you be able to live like that? Or would you rise up in righteous rebellion? George III treated America's founders a lot better than Israel treats the Arabs under its rule. Were they wrong to rise up? Were they wrong to wear disguises at the Boston Tea Party (a "terrorist attack" by modern definition)? Were they wrong to fire on the vastly superior Redcoats from ambush? Were they wrong to boycott tea?

Would you stand for an America in which entire roads and whole towns were reserved for members of a single ethnic group, especially if it wasn't your own? Would you kneel before the people who forced something like that upon you. I didn't think so. How then can you demand that Palestinians settle for less than you would? Have they not the same inalienable rights as you do, any human does?
 
What it's like, in fact, what it is, is we used Israeli technology, but didn't give them any money for it.

Yes you did. You are just demonstrating a fundamental misunderstanding of commerce and the half-assed nature of your boycott. What you should be saying is "gosh, I didn't realize that, we better look at alternatives" and try enjoy life without your computer, cellphone, medication, irrigation and other technology developed by a country, Israel, that chooses progress over terrorism.

There will be no pace on earth until there is peace in the Middle East.

Really? Do you think Muslims killing non-Muslims in Bangkok has anything to do with the Middle East? Do Muslims killing Muslims in the Sudan have anything to do with the Middle East? Iraq? Israel? America? All those convenient excuses? How about you start to consider that the Islamic world has a serious problem, and consistently blaming Israel and America won't encourage them to do anything about it.

There's two sides here, the oppressor and the oppressed. We chose one. You chose the other.

Really? I find it interesting that you believe everyone has to choose a side. In fact, what you are actually saying, is that 'you are either with us or against us'. This is an accusation the left-wing frequently makes of the right, when it is in fact you who seem to believe it's impossible for the Palestinians and the Jews to co-exist. Sadly, this co-existence will require the Arabs to realise they can't have peace and fight the Jews at the same time.

Read this article in yesterday's newspaper for a recent summary of why the Palestinians are their own worst enemies, not Israel.

Were they wrong to rise up? Were they wrong to wear disguises at the Boston Tea Party (a "terrorist attack" by modern definition)? Were they wrong to fire on the vastly superior Redcoats from ambush? Were they wrong to boycott tea?

When a Palestinian walks into a crowded schoolyard, and blows himself up, killing children, or shoots an unarmed pregnant woman, are you actually going to compare that to the Boston Teaparty? Or are you like the naive grocery-store woman who thinks Palestinians are just hurling pebbles at tanks.

Would you stand for an America in which entire roads and whole towns were reserved for members of a single ethnic group

This is an outright lie.

The myth of "Jewish only roads" has been spread by Palestinian propagandists, however is wholly untrue. Jewish, Christian, Muslim, B'Hai and secular Israelis use those roads. It is no different to border control between any two countries.

It didn't have to be this way of course, however due to the Palestinians shooting at passing cars, security measures had to be put in place and, like the security barrier erected to (successfully) prevent suicide bombings, they are of course now bitter about it. Well tough!

As you have raised this argument however, once again it is evident that you have been brainwashed by propaganda but most of your arguments simply don't stand up to any genuine scrutiny. What you have been led to believe, is in fact completely false.

At this point, we can get into a shouting match where you disagree with everything I've said. However, a smarter approach might be for you to realize that much of what you've heard is biased propaganda, from groups who don't appear to have any problem at all with Palestinians sending their children to blow themselves up - they keep finding ways to excuse it.

If you are really against oppression, you might care to focus a bit more on the Arab world, where there are no human rights, massive oppression of women and no freedom religion, rather than Israel.

If you choose not to however, you should really consider what The Watcher was saying - you have been romanced by a (fundamentally dishonest) movement that is antisemitic, and simply haven't noticed.

For someone (I don't know you) who I assume would call themselves a progressive activist, you are actually fighting for a group who stnad against nearly everything you believe in. From oppression of women, stoning of homosexuals, crushing of free speech, how can you actually lobby on these guys' behalf? Boy have you picked the wrong 'side'...
 
Many IM sites have allowed falsified pictures like these to be used but it's hardly surprising. IM in the UK for example follows a very set and proscribed line on events like those in Israel and if they are provided with images which reinforce their bogoted view of Jews; so much the better.

ex IMC'er
 
This was a great post. Nothing "independant" about indymedai - just the same old paranoid Jew-hating rubbish.
Keep up the good work

Deepdiver
 
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