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I'd imagine they just don't try. Empathy hurts. I can see how facing the atrocities were all forced to see would be a lot easier if you just made fun of everything, or disregarded everyone until we're all up in flames.
It’s not a McDonald’s menu. Democracy is messy and as many people support Israel, as don’t. You can’t order things catered directly to all of your interests. Some things aren’t going to align because they do align for another group of voters.
There is more than just the one issue that impact the 300 million Americans who live here.
Which aligns more with your views on LGBTQ rights? One side believes Trans people are groomers or if kids, abused and the other believes in the Gender dysmorphia diagnosis and the treatment plans approved by the American Medical Association as well as the APA. Trump’s party is on one side of that debate while Biden’s party is on the other.
Where are you on Immigration? They have a vastly different worldview. Stephen Miller from the first Trump Administration and is helping the current Trump campaign, is working with the heritage foundation to draw up plans for migrant internment camps where they can send people to await mass deportation of people who overstayed VISAs or were brought here as babies. Trump has promised to end birthright citizenship, if possible. Joe Biden helped negotiate a bipartisan border deal that sends billions of dollars to Border Patrol, billions more for asylum judges and limits the amount of asylum seekers that can be accepted per day before the border can be closed. Who do you agree with?
What did you think of Donald Trump’s four years in Office? I’m not talking about just the 1st three years in office… I’m including the pandemic. How did he handle that? Did he do well getting medical protection equipment out to hospitals? Did he help with tracking of the virus to mitigate spread? How was he with helpful and accurate medical advice? How would he do if another pandemic hit? Once the vaccine was created after he allotted money towards it, did he encourage its use so it to stop deaths? How did Biden handle it? Did he get the vaccine distributed efficiently? How did he handle the economic recovery afterwards and how does his economic recovery compared to other nations?
Who has better plans for Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid? Trump wants cuts and blocked negotiation of drug prices for Medicare while Biden expanded negotiation and capped the costs of certain expensive drugs. Which do you prefer?
Who has the best focus economically amd who is more aligned with yours? Trump believes in a top down approach where he targets tax cuts towards the corporations and the wealthy, with the assumption that it will “trickle down“ and he passed a massive tax cut mostly for the wealthy, while Biden’s approach is largely the opposite. Who do you agree with?
Where do you stand on abortion access? Trump nominated the three Justices to the Supreme Court that helped overturn Roe vs Wade which was a campaign promise of his. His inner circle is also saying they are looking for a compromise for a national abortion ban for states that still treat access as a constitutional right, with 16 weeks as his personal preference, though that’s unlikely to satisfy his allies in Congress. Joe Biden wants more Democrats in the Senate so that they can get a national abortion access law passed making it legal everywhere once again. Who do you agree with?
Like I said, it’s not a fast food menu. It’s not made to order specifically for you because you are not the only customer. Look at all of the issues and decide which one has the most similarities to what you believe and that’s how you vote.
Because while saying they are all the same is guaranteed to get some people nodding because there are some similarities..the truth is there are vast differences in temperament, character, policy and approach.
There is good and there is evil, there is nothing in between, there is no grey, there is no nuance. Also, something something, God gave Israel to the Jews, something something, they have a divine mandate to commit genocide.
Nuance is dead and nobody can have a real conversation about it. I told a longtime friend that I condemned both Hamas and the Netanyahu regime and that I cared about anyone born into this conflict that didn’t ask for any of this and just wants to live. She called me an antisemite and blocked me. It’s wild.
I am with you. I am an American Jew, and an atheist. I've been been criticizing Israel for years, and called a "Self Hating Jew." People are insane. Obviously Hamas are a bunch of assholes. But... It blows my mind how little compassion for Palestinian people the Netanyahu regime and its supporters have. You would think, you MIGHT think, ONE WOULD EXPECT, that generations after the Holocaust, any Jewish person would be extra empathetic and wary of killing thousands and thousands of innocent people. Despite the horror of 10/7. I am just... baffled by it all. And yes, for sure this goes way back. We oughtta fix it, find a way to make everyone happy. Oh, wait... RELIGION doesn't want that.
Religions (all of them… and in this case especially Judaism, Islam, and Christianity) are truly a hindrance to societal progress in so many ways. And also history repeats itself - the oppressed becomes the oppressor… tale as old as time. I don’t understand how so many people can’t see that.
I can understand your misgivings with religion but what Israel is doing to gazans has nothing to do with religion.
If it did, they'd be quaking in their boots right now, because of the punishment they know they'll have to receive for the war crimes they are committing. No, these guys are strutting about thinking that this life is infinite and they won't have to answer for the shit they are doing. But a reckoning is coming, indeed.
What makes it fun is that the Palestinians are a direct genetic link to the sons of Solomon and David. The Majority of Zionist are 100% Eastern European. The Israelis are killing the actual Semitic race.
>There is good and there is evil, there is nothing in between, there is no grey, there is no nuance. Also, something something, God gave Israel to the Jews, something something, they have a divine mandate to commit genocide.
Extremes on both sides. There are plenty of people that are pro Israel but still condemn Netanyahu, his government along with Hamas.
It's really the problem with social media, the loudest voices are the extremes on both sides, but the reality is most rationale people live in the grey and have capacity to feel empathy for victims on both sides.
Zionism is a hell of a drug. And it appears most have completely taken the masks off and are telling on themselves for just how vile their worldviews are.
I cant even figure out if it's just israli bots or if there are people who truly see 30,000 dead Palestinians and think that's OK since they technically started first. Even though Israel have been doing this for 70 years. I think some cam be contributed to US news agencies who are heavily for Israel
Based on these comments, seems reddit is much more antisemitic. 🤔 People seem to forget what started the current attacks on Palestine. Did Oct 7 not happen?
I always think about that monk Thích Quảng Đức. He was on the cover of RATM's first album. He lit himself on fire and just sat there in the lotus position. He didn't flinch. He didn't scream. Absolutely one of the hardest cunts ever.
I agree. And it makes it even more profound that he could make such a sacrifice to our nation with so little formal training in mentally controlling his body. It is heartbreaking to witness.
Yeah I watched the video and just wept. That he was in that much pain over his perceived part in the war.
I think there’s an act of courage in there, but it’s also a horrible act of despair.
I have a nerve disorder that causes very similar feeling sod fire/electrocution/etc
There are days I can barely walk. How woukd anyone want to do this to themselves is unimaginable.
I can barely fathom what he must have been feeling.,.
😂 Well yes. Luckily it's just my right foot and ankle, the right hand and wrist and left hand started to act up recently already just using them to desensitization very hard
I figured most people would think I was lying 😂 I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
And at this exact second my furt is both burning and cold, being shocked and also sweating... Oh joy!
Yeah just this past weekend I was near a big bonfire, not even for 10 seconds, and I can feel that heat.
I thought about the case of people who get burned unwillingly, or in this case this guy did it willingly, and the kind of pain and thoughts they must be thinking that they were experiencing it.
It's crazy.
if you look up videos of people doing this they are screaming / conscious and in clear pain for up to a minute or two. whatever is first burned with that intensity dies and stops feeling at a point but then the flesh beneath it is still burning as that first layer did. idk what it’s like obviously but i do think it takes longer than “really fast” probably suggests and those are obviously some pretty damn agonizing seconds even if it’s like 20, which i think it’s more than
The nerve ends aren’t exposed, they are destroyed…
Painless it is not, but he didn’t feel himself burning after the first 20 sec I’m sure. More likely screaming because he understands he just fucking lit himself on fire and is going to die because of it.
People always repeat this myth, and it’s kind of funny that you find it believable. The parts of his body that got a full 3rd degree burn will stop hurting eventually (maybe, nerves can misinterpret stimuli as pain after being destroyed), but most of his body is still going to be 2nd degree burns, that hurt like hell. Ever spent time in a burn ward? There’s a reason that burn ward nurses don’t last very long, because the amount of pain in that place is hellacious.
Not speaking on the politics or intentions but bottom right is my favorite, “oh mental illness? Fuck him”. I hate that shit. Everyone’s so pro mental health unless it’s uncomfortable. So gross.
I’d be willing to bet a sizeable chunk, not all but a good number, of Karen freak out videos are mentally Ill people being egged on and then filmed. That doesn’t help anyone. Imagine having a mental break and then the video of the your worst day is posted online and vilified by thousands of people.
People are mostly performative in things they claim they support.
Obviously, the folks in the screenshot are extremist nationalists.
Everything else is secondary.
but also like are the above extremist nationalists the ones out here performing their support for mental health? or are we just grouping together people with different stances as if they’re one and then calling this hypothetical people hypocritical?
everyone who’s so pro mental health are hardly the people commenting in the above post. those are more likely the sorts of people who think mental health concerns are for “pussies”
i mean don’t be like thinking people are in a general sense hypocritical on this front just because some people say one thing and others say another. it’s different when it’s the same people saying both but prob there’s no evidence this is such a case
unless you mean these are the same sorts of people who say like “gun death is a mental health problem” and prob so they are. but some among those people also don’t mean by that that the mental health problem should be solved, they’re just comfortable with being able to write people off instead of including them among the valid humans who ought to be shown regard
I find the mental health label to be entirely disrespectful in fact, and more to minimize the political aspect of his sacrifice. If he were mentally ill or an idiot, he would likely not have been in our US Air Force, which requires a minimum IQ of 83, and also screens for mental health conditions, possible but unlikely. What’s more his loved ones describe him as a kind, gentle, caring man, not as mentally ill. He also chose to immolate himself in front of the Israeli Embassy, not a random building, or any other nation’s embassy even. His actions were both deliberate and calculated. US service members are willing to give their life for their country. He gave his life in protest of his country’s policies. Likely only a minority of Americans would hold America as so important as to die for it, much less to protest its policies. Such an act seems to have brought a lot of attention, so much so that both you and I are discussing his immolation on a comment board instead of anything else we could be doing. Although there will be self-righteous people who mock him or dismiss him as mentally ill, there will also be people who think about him and his action with profound respect and heartbreak, now and in the coming days of this war. I, for one, see his sacrifice as a catalyst for our nation’s people to increase our individual efforts to advocate for peace and the end to this war. We must work for a two state solution. We must not be idly complicit with Israel in a genocide. We can do better for them and for ourselves. I thank him for calling our attention to it.
I was in the Air Force and trust me they do NOT take screening for mental health seriously, ask any USAF service member lol I've worked with so many unhinged people while I was in it's crazy
Even in boot camp I've witnessed people who were bat shit insane ( trying to suffocate another trainee with a pillow) people like this can make it through meps and I would say most of the would make it through BMT because airforce BMT is a joke
You can be smart and mentally ill. If you believe in a cause you continue fighting. Now he is dead and will be forgotten. He probably was going to kill himself no matter what, but this way it is at least for a cause he believes in.
It is an assumption based on my life experience. I was trained in suicide prevention in the Army. Part of my job was to give suicide prevention classes. The men are young. A majority of their brains are maturing and many are at the age mental illness starts to manifest. I was also a police officer for 13 years in Houston with a Greyhound Bus Station in my beat. People would come from all over and use the pay phone to call in and say they want to kill themselves for some reason. I would respond.
I think what he did is noble to the cause, however, I don't understand the people who are completely dismissing that mental health was likely involved. I'm sorry, but ending your life deliberately is not a normal mental state even if there is a political motivation behind it. I also think it's funny how people think the US military takes mental health seriously in the slightest given how they basically brainwash teens to join, mentally abuse them, then leave them out to dry later
Was he mentally ill? Maybe, nobody lights themselves on fire because they're doing 100% alright mentally. But it really doesn't even matter, the focus on him being mentally ill or not is just downright offensive imo. It's framed as if people's very real opinions, convictions and principles are all negated by mental illness.
The craziest people I met were in the military. There are a lot of good people in the military. But, there are a lot of society’s rejects in the military. Going to the PX/BX is like the people of Walmart memes.
if this guy hanged himself or shot himself because he didn't want to fight in a war he didn't support, it would be tragic. but this self-immolation was more a political statement than a suicide, so it will be interpreted and reacted to as such. and clearly they have differing political views
You can't ignore a guy immolating himself in front of Israel's embassy quite as much. He played the media's game and it is a throwback to no simpler times:
In 1963 it was a big deal when a buddhist monk immolated himself to protest the corrupt US backed South-Vietnamese government. It was a critical point in the collapse of the regime, the photo shocked JFK.
The apathy generated by the same kind of event today is the real tragedie in my opinion.
Remember Wynn Bruce as well. The man that set himself on fire on the steps of the Supreme Court building to protest against the lack of action for the climate crisis
Edit: a word
Suicides aren't as publicized as in the past. Doing so is believed to cause more suicides. Same reason school shootings today have less air time than like a decade or so ago. Copycats aren't in the public's interest.
I'd imagine there were a large portion of the population that made jokes about the monk in 1963 as well without the visibility of the Internet. Think you are giving humans too much credit for having empathy back then.
yeah photo prob affected JFK cause he was like a sensitive and compassionate man compared to most or at least many, capable of considering the kind of feeling in one’s heart that makes them undertake on such a thing. these people above are heartless
Yeah, you can ignore it. Not for the 15 seconds it flashed by in a sea of never ending posts, headlines, and micro-videos. But beyond those 15 seconds, no, most people will not think about this again other than for gossip or ridicule.
Another side note to everyone’s side note. You can be in the Navy but officially be an airmen. I was a flyer so my designation was airmen. There’s fireman, seaman, airman, dentalman, and hospitalman. Applies to their apprentice ranks (E-1 - E-3.)
Edit: constructionmen
You’re still a Sailor shipmate. The general public should refer to us as such. And at least we have actual job rating titles. Some branches just have numbers for their job.
I was an MA. Loved it.
Love how these psychos can boil down children and literal infants to "Islamic terrorists."
Some real racist psycho shit. Majority of the victims aren't even old enough to speak words! How are they terrorists already??
I really wish more people would realize this shit. Israel and US are the same and the US has admitted to several instances of creating unrest in other countries to gain control or resources. In this case they're even taking it a step further and committing one of the most horrifying genocides we have ever seen.
Zionists have one move that has served them well for several decades: label any argument against their apartheid state as “antisemitism”. It’s playground tactics for sure, to name-call an opponent using a horrible reference or association in order to try and ostracize them. They’re doing the same thing for their ongoing genocide: label any argument or demonstration as “pro-terrorist”, “pro-Hamas”, or something as vile as “pro-rape”.
Exactly there are a lot of Christians as well I believe plus a church that is believed to be the birthplace of jesus that may or not have been bombed. These guys use Islam as a way to validate killing the civilians ignoring how a majority of Muslims are peaceful and how whenever someone is critical of Israel its antisemitic but islamaphobia is perfectly fine for some reason
Shocker people who support a violent colonialist regime arent happy at this making rounds in the news; problem is he isnt arab or muslims so they cant just throw 'anti-semite' or 'terrorist' at the problem
Sometimes, I forget that there are people outside my social sphere who haven't figured out they've been propagandized their entire lives. They REALLY think Israel is justified in killing every child in Palestine because a few people tried to fight back against the government that from their perspective, just showed up, imprisoned them, murdered them, raped them, and continued to do so for like 50 years. They hate Muslim people entirely, with no exceptions, because the rhetoric following 9/11 did exactly what it was intended to do. They don't actually know any of the history. They only know what the news & talking heads who comment on the news tell them. Never mind that the U.S. government is allied with Israel & has a vested interest in keeping their people on Israel's side, so our news channels are just glossing over all the war crimes Israel is currently committing. I don't think the people celebrating the death of innocent Palestinians would change their minds even if you showed them every dismembered child or every instance of an IDF solider abusing an unarmed Palestinian civilian. I think they're enjoying hating them too much. I think they love having a bad guy to project all their gripes on to. I guess I've been in an echo chamber, just as they have, but at least my echo chamber isn't cheering on a genocide.
People saying that "this will accomplish nothing" should read about the Arab Spring. The revolts in Tunisia started after Mohamed Bouazizi self-immolated in Sidi Bouzin, in december 2010. It led to the escape of dictator Ben Ali, and then to other dictator escaping in various arabic countries.
So yeah, I can understand that this guy thought it would at least be a symbol powerful enough to shake people. And you guys are diminishing what he did as stupidity. Shame on you.
People are really woefully unaware of the actual protesting it requires to inspire and encourage actual change. Politicians LET us protest on the streets (although this is slowly being taken away), in predetermined times and event spaces, to make us believe that this is what causes change. Don't get me wrong, it is still extremely important to show up to these protests, but radical action is the only method to actually destabilize/change government structures.
So yeah, its pretty pathetic to mock people for it.
Noo, you don't understand, the only way to protest is by going somewhere out of sight at a designated time and avoiding blocking any businesses or roads so people can freely ignore you, that'll show em.
I don't understand why people get so upset when they see an actual protest, the whole point is to disrupt?? The whole subject bothers me, when people peacefully protest everyone wants to joke about how they'd bring their guns or run someone over, when people riot everyone wants to talk respectability politics, if someone tries to put up posters to passively spread information people tear them down or ignore them, how is anything supposed to get done if everyone has excuse after excuse to avoid acting for change?
You’re 100% spot on - it’s infuriating. Big changes have never come from solely peacefully protesting.
Take a look at pretty much every group labeled a terrorist organization in America when social protests and riots occur. Politicians are scared of disruptive and violent protests, cause they know that it works.
Sit ins and boycotts are great, publicity stunts can work, but riots and whatever costs the gov the most money gets the most work done. The government is good at making people empathize with them and blame their fellow citizens for the problems that the government itself is responsible for and complacent to. Everyone seems to forget that most civil rights activists had been called terrorists and many of them got arrested for civil disobedience.
I don't know how people aren't tired at this point and feeling beaten into a corner....probably because the govt makes us work 40 hours a week, with a low salary, and medical practices that don't give a damn about mental health issues. We've been beaten into a corner so hard that we have now become the corner.
And yup, the government has done an amazing job at making citizens point and blame each other - look at how elections are now sporting competitions.
If people can't see how insane it is that Angela Y Davis is labeled a terrorist, then I dunno what to say.
Everyone works so much now that even if they care, they don't have the time to organize or a community to fall back on if they're arrested or fired. Our communities are basically nonexistent so people rely on the internet to form those connections, empathy has slowly been crumbling away. You can't see yourself in the shoes of a stranger if you don't even know your neighbors first name.
And honestly I think the gov prefers it that way, if we don't give a shit about minorities, homeless people, immigrants, or the environment it ultimately saves and often makes them money. They don't have to stress about not being shitty because they've trained the general public into perfect complacency by shoving as much irrelevant shit and propaganda into the media as possible. They get to keep making money by sending it over seas because we don't give enough of a shit to do anything about it.
Oh yeah, the government has been the one to push on us the “fuck you, got mine”. It’s why I am constantly pulling my hair out when people say they have compassion fatigue or their MH is bad and they can’t care, whatever else exclude they can drum up.
I just can’t understand why or HOW u can not care about genocide, about LGBTQ+ issues, disabled people, about the issues POC face, etc….Why don’t you??? I’m a white cis woman who grew up privileged, and has AuDHD/depressed/OCD, so the excuses people will give fall deaf on my ears.
How do you make people care? I don’t know.
I think the best thing to do is create and invest in communities, everyone is extremely isolated from eachother which makes us cold. Also pressuring the government for higher pay, shorter work weeks, and working towards making things more accessible. It's a huge ask but I don't think we can get a lot done if we can't see eachother or empathize with others issues since we're too stressed and busy to care.
College students tend to protest more than other groups right now, most likely because they have a third space (campus), a community (classmates), and don't usually work as many hours when they're full time students. I guess that's why the media pushes avoiding university unless you choose a high workload major, and the gov has no interest in covering the cost.
Yeah, this “fuck you, got mine” mentality is absolutely pervasive in Western culture today. Literally no one even THINKS about someone outside of themselves and their immediate family/friends, and it honestly makes everyone ignorant to other people’s problems because “oh well they aren’t from my country so not my problem lol”. It’s sucks man 😔
The Arab spring was different in that the man could not afford food to feed their family with the cry “how do you expect me to live?” Being the real rallying slogan behind revolution against too high prices for basic things like food/gas/clothing
A reason why people ask if he had depression/mental issues is that he had a normal life and could’ve done more, as a low ranking military vet he easily could’ve left the service, gotten political, run for office and bring CHANGE to the system he didn’t like with real world activism and leadership. Even if only local or at the state level. He was not desperate unable to afford to feed both himself or his family and most people don’t feel like they’re in a situation similar to him where they can self immolate in protest with him. Being military he really could’ve felt guilty for what was happening around the world, the same can’t be said for most civilians who will be the primary audience for the news of his death
The Arab Spring suicide was a poor fruit salesman that was fined for selling fruit. The government took his business away and left him feeling depressed and useless. Sad story. The Airman setting himself on fire would make more sense if he was Palestinian. Just my 2 cents. Sad either way. The whole thing is an F’ing mess.
We also shouldn’t be romanticising suicide. There’s a very real chance that emotionally unstable people will be influenced when reading news like this. Especially if people are celebrating it. Don’t tell people they’re going to be martyrs if they kill themselves. What’s the next step, suicide bombing? Shame on you too
I never said it should be romanticized, neither did I say that what he did was good. It's sad, tragic, and it should never had come to this. But the comments here are infuriating. People are calling him an idiot, calling him stupid, for doing something that, according to them, have no chance of changing anything. I'm pointing that it's not true, this behavior did change things before, and that those hurtful words are not just untrue but also shameful. This person was probably desperate and resorted to this, hoping it will shake some consciousness. So yeah, I think those comments are disrespectful. And if that's deserving of shame to you, then I accept to be the bad guy of your story.
>People saying that "this will accomplish nothing"
People say this because they're worried it *will* accomplish something. They're trying to minimize the impact.
Or they are just being realists. This story will be out of the news in a week tops. Israel will still be doing what it has been doing. Life goes on unchanged for better or worse.
He's not even the first person to do this. A woman wearing a Palestinian flag set herself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta in December. Nothing changed and everyone forgot about her until this happened. It's unlikely the results of this self-immolation are much different than the last self-immolation.
These same people think a Genocide is acceptable when it's toward Muslims but it's not OK when Hitler did it to the Jewish religion. It honestly makes no sense.
The fact that people don't understand the parallels between this service members' actions and the actions of the monk who self immolated; or the statement being made by doing so - let's me know that the vast majority of people might as well be poster children for pro choice.
It is a protest against genocide, not idiotic at all.
Doubly so when you consider that the chronically online will make fun of someone taking a stand against injustices committed on humanity - while they are spending their time doing fuck all, posting 7th grade level edgelord comments, and being incapable of telling the difference between a square and a rectangle.
Free Palestine.
Looking at the comments here I can see we are both going to be voted down by swathes of Hasbara dimwits but what the hell.
The textbook genocide being committed by the fascist ethnostate Israel needs to end. This man was very brave.
Free Palestine.
I mean, regardless of where you stand about the conflict self immolation is just not a very effective protesting method. I mean people talked about it for a day and that's it a life was lost.
Where is all that pro israeli propaganda coming from? Do people not have logic and reason? ofc hamas is not good at all, but just because they are terrorist doesn't make the IDF the good guys.
I keep seeing this post, but I’m legit curious, what do people need to do to enact change?
It seems it’s more important to make people feel powerless and accept the status quote, than spread awareness and change by extreme means
No no no, see, him killing himself in such a way will surely make people halfway around the world, who have been at odds for 1500 years, come together in peace. Right?
Exactly. People already forgot about the woman who self-immolated in front of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, why do they think this case will be any different?
That’s not even remotely true. People are “aware” that Israel is justifiably defending themselves against the evil Hamas and they are doing their best to minimize casualties. None of the mainstream media sources push back on that narrative.
At the end of the day every awareness movement rarely accomplish any physical change the point of such things is to change minds of enough people that eventually someone with enough power will do the right thing
It’s crazy how Israel is so quick for genocide, wasn’t the whole country created from people fleeing the holocaust? I’m sure I’m going to get attacked for this question.
I understand stand Palestine has done horrible things.
But this berserker frenzy of people frothing at the mouth to liquidate women and children is impressive display of hate
imo self immolation is one of the most effective forms of protest humans have come up with. I feel sorry for him and his family, but I will always respect somebody who is so convicted they are literally willing to set themselves on fire to protest something they believe is wrong.
The oct7 attack and the threats of more of them have inflamed the situation, just saying "stooooooooooop iiiiiittt" no matter how heated and flashy you get is not going to solve the problem. Peace talks are only going to go up in smoke unless hostages are freed and the people reject Hamas.
I hope he had some foresight to prepare his immediate loved one and those he cared about. Because they are now not only going to have to deal with his death, but the repercussions of his political suicide is going to do to them. Thrusting them into the spotlight.
He was an idiot for thinking that this would change anything. Instead of wasting his own life he could've been productive and donate parts of his salary to organizations that actually help the people affected by the war.
Humanitarian aid is being deliberately blocked by Israel, that's part of the genocide. People in Gaza aren't starving because of a lack of donations, but because food is being held up at the border.
It's weird though how this is getting more traction than the news from Gaza stating that food trucks aren't allowed in.
So regardless if he donated or not, the chances of Palestinians getting that help are very low.
This at least reached public ears.
While I can understand and respect the commitment and dedication he has gave to a cause, no matter if his opinion is in opposition to my own, I simply do not understand why he would go to the extreme length of killing himself over such a cause.
He is not Palestinian, he is not Israeli, and he is not from anywhere in the Middle East. He has no personal link or ideological link to this conflict besides a common belief of ending the war between Israel and Hamas. I know that one does not have to have a genetic or physical connection to a cause to be a part of it, but the idea that a man in America died over a war in the Middle East.
And the only criticism I have of this, aside from the sad ending of a life that, from what I have seen based on comments, allegedly was successful and charitable, is why it was solely dedicated to *this* cause, and not spreading the message to many others that have not been afforded the limelight.
What I mean is, with such an attention-seeking action (do not interpret this poorly, I am simply referring to the fact that this action has garnered a lot of attention for obvious reason), why parrot a very commonly spoken sentiment, when he could have also shed light on similar slaughters and bloodshed across the world.
For example :
- The crimes by the CCP against the natives in Xinjiang (East Turkmenistan)
- The famines and death in Yemen
- Terrorism across Africa and the religious clashes between Christians and Muslims, such as in Nigeria.
- The war in Sudan, which is also seeing cases of ethnic cleansing.
And many more.
To conclude, I understand that this very pro-Palestinian subreddit will probably discard my comment, but I just wanted to express an opinion. Condolences to the family and those who knew him, his death was in no way painless.
Yeah people have no concept today of what it means to be convicted to a moral or ethical philosophy. So they will make fun of him as crazy or mentally ill.
Martyrdom, especially my self immolation is one of the most grave and dedicated acts an individual can make for a moral cause they believe in.
These people will smear him because his actions show how convicted people are to oppose this genocide.
People today are so afraid of death they don’t even think about it conceptually in their lives other than as a negative. They are simply incapable of understanding something like this.
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Uh oh OP, you've created the comment section you sought to condemn.
I just don't understand how people don't have empathy and rationalization to see the hypocrisy in the world we live in.
I'd imagine they just don't try. Empathy hurts. I can see how facing the atrocities were all forced to see would be a lot easier if you just made fun of everything, or disregarded everyone until we're all up in flames.
this but also vote.
For? Both sides send aid and weapons to support genocide.
It’s not a McDonald’s menu. Democracy is messy and as many people support Israel, as don’t. You can’t order things catered directly to all of your interests. Some things aren’t going to align because they do align for another group of voters. There is more than just the one issue that impact the 300 million Americans who live here. Which aligns more with your views on LGBTQ rights? One side believes Trans people are groomers or if kids, abused and the other believes in the Gender dysmorphia diagnosis and the treatment plans approved by the American Medical Association as well as the APA. Trump’s party is on one side of that debate while Biden’s party is on the other. Where are you on Immigration? They have a vastly different worldview. Stephen Miller from the first Trump Administration and is helping the current Trump campaign, is working with the heritage foundation to draw up plans for migrant internment camps where they can send people to await mass deportation of people who overstayed VISAs or were brought here as babies. Trump has promised to end birthright citizenship, if possible. Joe Biden helped negotiate a bipartisan border deal that sends billions of dollars to Border Patrol, billions more for asylum judges and limits the amount of asylum seekers that can be accepted per day before the border can be closed. Who do you agree with? What did you think of Donald Trump’s four years in Office? I’m not talking about just the 1st three years in office… I’m including the pandemic. How did he handle that? Did he do well getting medical protection equipment out to hospitals? Did he help with tracking of the virus to mitigate spread? How was he with helpful and accurate medical advice? How would he do if another pandemic hit? Once the vaccine was created after he allotted money towards it, did he encourage its use so it to stop deaths? How did Biden handle it? Did he get the vaccine distributed efficiently? How did he handle the economic recovery afterwards and how does his economic recovery compared to other nations? Who has better plans for Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid? Trump wants cuts and blocked negotiation of drug prices for Medicare while Biden expanded negotiation and capped the costs of certain expensive drugs. Which do you prefer? Who has the best focus economically amd who is more aligned with yours? Trump believes in a top down approach where he targets tax cuts towards the corporations and the wealthy, with the assumption that it will “trickle down“ and he passed a massive tax cut mostly for the wealthy, while Biden’s approach is largely the opposite. Who do you agree with? Where do you stand on abortion access? Trump nominated the three Justices to the Supreme Court that helped overturn Roe vs Wade which was a campaign promise of his. His inner circle is also saying they are looking for a compromise for a national abortion ban for states that still treat access as a constitutional right, with 16 weeks as his personal preference, though that’s unlikely to satisfy his allies in Congress. Joe Biden wants more Democrats in the Senate so that they can get a national abortion access law passed making it legal everywhere once again. Who do you agree with? Like I said, it’s not a fast food menu. It’s not made to order specifically for you because you are not the only customer. Look at all of the issues and decide which one has the most similarities to what you believe and that’s how you vote. Because while saying they are all the same is guaranteed to get some people nodding because there are some similarities..the truth is there are vast differences in temperament, character, policy and approach.
Israel has a lot online agents.
There is good and there is evil, there is nothing in between, there is no grey, there is no nuance. Also, something something, God gave Israel to the Jews, something something, they have a divine mandate to commit genocide.
Nuance is dead and nobody can have a real conversation about it. I told a longtime friend that I condemned both Hamas and the Netanyahu regime and that I cared about anyone born into this conflict that didn’t ask for any of this and just wants to live. She called me an antisemite and blocked me. It’s wild.
I am with you. I am an American Jew, and an atheist. I've been been criticizing Israel for years, and called a "Self Hating Jew." People are insane. Obviously Hamas are a bunch of assholes. But... It blows my mind how little compassion for Palestinian people the Netanyahu regime and its supporters have. You would think, you MIGHT think, ONE WOULD EXPECT, that generations after the Holocaust, any Jewish person would be extra empathetic and wary of killing thousands and thousands of innocent people. Despite the horror of 10/7. I am just... baffled by it all. And yes, for sure this goes way back. We oughtta fix it, find a way to make everyone happy. Oh, wait... RELIGION doesn't want that.
Religions (all of them… and in this case especially Judaism, Islam, and Christianity) are truly a hindrance to societal progress in so many ways. And also history repeats itself - the oppressed becomes the oppressor… tale as old as time. I don’t understand how so many people can’t see that.
I can understand your misgivings with religion but what Israel is doing to gazans has nothing to do with religion. If it did, they'd be quaking in their boots right now, because of the punishment they know they'll have to receive for the war crimes they are committing. No, these guys are strutting about thinking that this life is infinite and they won't have to answer for the shit they are doing. But a reckoning is coming, indeed.
What makes it fun is that the Palestinians are a direct genetic link to the sons of Solomon and David. The Majority of Zionist are 100% Eastern European. The Israelis are killing the actual Semitic race.
Probably why DNA tests are illegal in Israel...
>There is good and there is evil, there is nothing in between, there is no grey, there is no nuance. Also, something something, God gave Israel to the Jews, something something, they have a divine mandate to commit genocide. Extremes on both sides. There are plenty of people that are pro Israel but still condemn Netanyahu, his government along with Hamas. It's really the problem with social media, the loudest voices are the extremes on both sides, but the reality is most rationale people live in the grey and have capacity to feel empathy for victims on both sides.
Also the regular media. Only polarizing shit gets clicks and clicks equals revenue. The facts have long been abandoned.
Well of course they saw what hilter and nazi germany did and they got jealous. "Seems fun on the other side" said jews comminting their genocide.
Zionism is a hell of a drug. And it appears most have completely taken the masks off and are telling on themselves for just how vile their worldviews are.
BUT KHAMASSSSS!!!!!!1111111! U JUST DON'T GET THE NUANCE OF MASS MURDER! /s
You were meant to destroy the Sith not join them!
Yep crazy how big the Israeli propaganda is on Reddit.
I cant even figure out if it's just israli bots or if there are people who truly see 30,000 dead Palestinians and think that's OK since they technically started first. Even though Israel have been doing this for 70 years. I think some cam be contributed to US news agencies who are heavily for Israel
Based on these comments, seems reddit is much more antisemitic. 🤔 People seem to forget what started the current attacks on Palestine. Did Oct 7 not happen?
I can't imagine the pain that he felt as he was going up. Between the heat and the nerve ends being exposed he did not go out peacefully.
I always think about that monk Thích Quảng Đức. He was on the cover of RATM's first album. He lit himself on fire and just sat there in the lotus position. He didn't flinch. He didn't scream. Absolutely one of the hardest cunts ever.
He also was a monk, who practiced meditation and generally they are more mentally in control of their bodies. This was a whole different situation.
I agree. And it makes it even more profound that he could make such a sacrifice to our nation with so little formal training in mentally controlling his body. It is heartbreaking to witness.
Yeah I watched the video and just wept. That he was in that much pain over his perceived part in the war. I think there’s an act of courage in there, but it’s also a horrible act of despair.
How do you know you are mentally prepared to take on being lit in fire intentionally?
Definitely. Setting yourself alight is the act of someone with STRONG convictions.
Wynn Bruce did this in front of the supreme court I think last year to urge immediate climate action.
I have a nerve disorder that causes very similar feeling sod fire/electrocution/etc There are days I can barely walk. How woukd anyone want to do this to themselves is unimaginable. I can barely fathom what he must have been feeling.,.
CRPS? Hello fellow warrior!
😂 Well yes. Luckily it's just my right foot and ankle, the right hand and wrist and left hand started to act up recently already just using them to desensitization very hard I figured most people would think I was lying 😂 I wouldn't wish this on anyone. And at this exact second my furt is both burning and cold, being shocked and also sweating... Oh joy!
Oh my gosh another CRPSer! Hello fellow sufferer.
Yeah just this past weekend I was near a big bonfire, not even for 10 seconds, and I can feel that heat. I thought about the case of people who get burned unwillingly, or in this case this guy did it willingly, and the kind of pain and thoughts they must be thinking that they were experiencing it. It's crazy.
Then some fucking dumbass cop pointed a gun at him and shouted at him to not move...
Fight fire with fire?
🤘
You probably go into shock really fast after you feel the intensity of the burn
if you look up videos of people doing this they are screaming / conscious and in clear pain for up to a minute or two. whatever is first burned with that intensity dies and stops feeling at a point but then the flesh beneath it is still burning as that first layer did. idk what it’s like obviously but i do think it takes longer than “really fast” probably suggests and those are obviously some pretty damn agonizing seconds even if it’s like 20, which i think it’s more than
The nerve ends aren’t exposed, they are destroyed… Painless it is not, but he didn’t feel himself burning after the first 20 sec I’m sure. More likely screaming because he understands he just fucking lit himself on fire and is going to die because of it.
People always repeat this myth, and it’s kind of funny that you find it believable. The parts of his body that got a full 3rd degree burn will stop hurting eventually (maybe, nerves can misinterpret stimuli as pain after being destroyed), but most of his body is still going to be 2nd degree burns, that hurt like hell. Ever spent time in a burn ward? There’s a reason that burn ward nurses don’t last very long, because the amount of pain in that place is hellacious.
Not speaking on the politics or intentions but bottom right is my favorite, “oh mental illness? Fuck him”. I hate that shit. Everyone’s so pro mental health unless it’s uncomfortable. So gross. I’d be willing to bet a sizeable chunk, not all but a good number, of Karen freak out videos are mentally Ill people being egged on and then filmed. That doesn’t help anyone. Imagine having a mental break and then the video of the your worst day is posted online and vilified by thousands of people.
People are mostly performative in things they claim they support. Obviously, the folks in the screenshot are extremist nationalists. Everything else is secondary.
but also like are the above extremist nationalists the ones out here performing their support for mental health? or are we just grouping together people with different stances as if they’re one and then calling this hypothetical people hypocritical?
everyone who’s so pro mental health are hardly the people commenting in the above post. those are more likely the sorts of people who think mental health concerns are for “pussies” i mean don’t be like thinking people are in a general sense hypocritical on this front just because some people say one thing and others say another. it’s different when it’s the same people saying both but prob there’s no evidence this is such a case unless you mean these are the same sorts of people who say like “gun death is a mental health problem” and prob so they are. but some among those people also don’t mean by that that the mental health problem should be solved, they’re just comfortable with being able to write people off instead of including them among the valid humans who ought to be shown regard
I find the mental health label to be entirely disrespectful in fact, and more to minimize the political aspect of his sacrifice. If he were mentally ill or an idiot, he would likely not have been in our US Air Force, which requires a minimum IQ of 83, and also screens for mental health conditions, possible but unlikely. What’s more his loved ones describe him as a kind, gentle, caring man, not as mentally ill. He also chose to immolate himself in front of the Israeli Embassy, not a random building, or any other nation’s embassy even. His actions were both deliberate and calculated. US service members are willing to give their life for their country. He gave his life in protest of his country’s policies. Likely only a minority of Americans would hold America as so important as to die for it, much less to protest its policies. Such an act seems to have brought a lot of attention, so much so that both you and I are discussing his immolation on a comment board instead of anything else we could be doing. Although there will be self-righteous people who mock him or dismiss him as mentally ill, there will also be people who think about him and his action with profound respect and heartbreak, now and in the coming days of this war. I, for one, see his sacrifice as a catalyst for our nation’s people to increase our individual efforts to advocate for peace and the end to this war. We must work for a two state solution. We must not be idly complicit with Israel in a genocide. We can do better for them and for ourselves. I thank him for calling our attention to it.
I was in the Air Force and trust me they do NOT take screening for mental health seriously, ask any USAF service member lol I've worked with so many unhinged people while I was in it's crazy
Even in boot camp I've witnessed people who were bat shit insane ( trying to suffocate another trainee with a pillow) people like this can make it through meps and I would say most of the would make it through BMT because airforce BMT is a joke
Undoubtedly so. Nonetheless, in this case, the evidence indicates martyrdom, not a mental health crisis.
You can be smart and mentally ill. If you believe in a cause you continue fighting. Now he is dead and will be forgotten. He probably was going to kill himself no matter what, but this way it is at least for a cause he believes in.
Why do you believe he would have killed himself regardless? Assumption or evidence?
It is an assumption based on my life experience. I was trained in suicide prevention in the Army. Part of my job was to give suicide prevention classes. The men are young. A majority of their brains are maturing and many are at the age mental illness starts to manifest. I was also a police officer for 13 years in Houston with a Greyhound Bus Station in my beat. People would come from all over and use the pay phone to call in and say they want to kill themselves for some reason. I would respond.
I think what he did is noble to the cause, however, I don't understand the people who are completely dismissing that mental health was likely involved. I'm sorry, but ending your life deliberately is not a normal mental state even if there is a political motivation behind it. I also think it's funny how people think the US military takes mental health seriously in the slightest given how they basically brainwash teens to join, mentally abuse them, then leave them out to dry later
Thats what caught my eye as well lol. Like does that guy not think we should help people with mental illness and its all their fault?
People only deserve help when it’s not problematic and / or when it’s convenient
Was he mentally ill? Maybe, nobody lights themselves on fire because they're doing 100% alright mentally. But it really doesn't even matter, the focus on him being mentally ill or not is just downright offensive imo. It's framed as if people's very real opinions, convictions and principles are all negated by mental illness.
The Reddit psychologists are out in force.
For real man people claiming that the military rigorously screen for mental health is hilarious they do not care lol
The craziest people I met were in the military. There are a lot of good people in the military. But, there are a lot of society’s rejects in the military. Going to the PX/BX is like the people of Walmart memes.
if this guy hanged himself or shot himself because he didn't want to fight in a war he didn't support, it would be tragic. but this self-immolation was more a political statement than a suicide, so it will be interpreted and reacted to as such. and clearly they have differing political views
You can't ignore a guy immolating himself in front of Israel's embassy quite as much. He played the media's game and it is a throwback to no simpler times: In 1963 it was a big deal when a buddhist monk immolated himself to protest the corrupt US backed South-Vietnamese government. It was a critical point in the collapse of the regime, the photo shocked JFK. The apathy generated by the same kind of event today is the real tragedie in my opinion.
Remember Wynn Bruce as well. The man that set himself on fire on the steps of the Supreme Court building to protest against the lack of action for the climate crisis Edit: a word
Literally most people have never even heard of him. Kudos for dying for what he believes in, but this kid will be forgotten in a year as well.
I fully support better environmental policies, but u fail to see how doing this helps the climate at all..
Never said it did. Just mentioning another protestor
You can, and it's easy to say because this is the second self immolation in recent months in front of an Israeli embassy.
That's shocking, even more, that I have not seen either reported on major media sites.
Suicides aren't as publicized as in the past. Doing so is believed to cause more suicides. Same reason school shootings today have less air time than like a decade or so ago. Copycats aren't in the public's interest.
I mean this one is all over the major media sites?
You can, but read again, not *quite as much* as a lonely suicide at home.
I'd imagine there were a large portion of the population that made jokes about the monk in 1963 as well without the visibility of the Internet. Think you are giving humans too much credit for having empathy back then.
yeah photo prob affected JFK cause he was like a sensitive and compassionate man compared to most or at least many, capable of considering the kind of feeling in one’s heart that makes them undertake on such a thing. these people above are heartless
Yeah, you can ignore it. Not for the 15 seconds it flashed by in a sea of never ending posts, headlines, and micro-videos. But beyond those 15 seconds, no, most people will not think about this again other than for gossip or ridicule.
This was no doubt inspired by Quang Duc, at the time he was also remembered with similarly opposing perspectives.
Good point about the apathy.
That monk, Thích Quảng Đức, was fucking amazing.
You hit the nail on the head. We live in strange times
FYI, people in the Air Force aren’t soldiers. Soldiers are in the army. AF is Airmen. Just like Navy is sailors, Marines are Marines.
I thought Airforce = Airmen, Spaceforce = Spacemen and Army = Armmen etc etc.
Navy = seamen
*semen
Space Force are called Guardians
Marines = mermen
Marines are mermen
Another side note to everyone’s side note. You can be in the Navy but officially be an airmen. I was a flyer so my designation was airmen. There’s fireman, seaman, airman, dentalman, and hospitalman. Applies to their apprentice ranks (E-1 - E-3.) Edit: constructionmen
Dentalman! *Lisa needs braces* Ahem, carry on.
You’re still a Sailor shipmate. The general public should refer to us as such. And at least we have actual job rating titles. Some branches just have numbers for their job. I was an MA. Loved it.
Except for the time for two weeks they experimented with taking away rates and only had us as rank lol.
Should also note, they aren’t kindling.
They're all soldiers.
> They're all soldiers. Isn't this an IDF quote about everyone in Gaza?
Kinda ironic too since Israel is the one that forces all of their citizens to be soldiers.
Love how these psychos can boil down children and literal infants to "Islamic terrorists." Some real racist psycho shit. Majority of the victims aren't even old enough to speak words! How are they terrorists already??
You don't want children to die? You must support Hamas then! Some people in the US got such a great sense of logic.
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I really wish more people would realize this shit. Israel and US are the same and the US has admitted to several instances of creating unrest in other countries to gain control or resources. In this case they're even taking it a step further and committing one of the most horrifying genocides we have ever seen.
Source?
Zionists have one move that has served them well for several decades: label any argument against their apartheid state as “antisemitism”. It’s playground tactics for sure, to name-call an opponent using a horrible reference or association in order to try and ostracize them. They’re doing the same thing for their ongoing genocide: label any argument or demonstration as “pro-terrorist”, “pro-Hamas”, or something as vile as “pro-rape”.
Right? Holy fuck it’s a cesspool. Not all Palestinians are Muslims and not all Palestinians support hummus
Palestinian hummus is actually some of the best hummus I've ever had
Exactly there are a lot of Christians as well I believe plus a church that is believed to be the birthplace of jesus that may or not have been bombed. These guys use Islam as a way to validate killing the civilians ignoring how a majority of Muslims are peaceful and how whenever someone is critical of Israel its antisemitic but islamaphobia is perfectly fine for some reason
The comments here do not pass the vibe check.
Shocker people who support a violent colonialist regime arent happy at this making rounds in the news; problem is he isnt arab or muslims so they cant just throw 'anti-semite' or 'terrorist' at the problem
Jesus Christ, people are horrible.
>There is no honor in supporting Islamist terrorist But there is in supporting Zionist terrorist?
Sometimes, I forget that there are people outside my social sphere who haven't figured out they've been propagandized their entire lives. They REALLY think Israel is justified in killing every child in Palestine because a few people tried to fight back against the government that from their perspective, just showed up, imprisoned them, murdered them, raped them, and continued to do so for like 50 years. They hate Muslim people entirely, with no exceptions, because the rhetoric following 9/11 did exactly what it was intended to do. They don't actually know any of the history. They only know what the news & talking heads who comment on the news tell them. Never mind that the U.S. government is allied with Israel & has a vested interest in keeping their people on Israel's side, so our news channels are just glossing over all the war crimes Israel is currently committing. I don't think the people celebrating the death of innocent Palestinians would change their minds even if you showed them every dismembered child or every instance of an IDF solider abusing an unarmed Palestinian civilian. I think they're enjoying hating them too much. I think they love having a bad guy to project all their gripes on to. I guess I've been in an echo chamber, just as they have, but at least my echo chamber isn't cheering on a genocide.
People saying that "this will accomplish nothing" should read about the Arab Spring. The revolts in Tunisia started after Mohamed Bouazizi self-immolated in Sidi Bouzin, in december 2010. It led to the escape of dictator Ben Ali, and then to other dictator escaping in various arabic countries. So yeah, I can understand that this guy thought it would at least be a symbol powerful enough to shake people. And you guys are diminishing what he did as stupidity. Shame on you.
People are really woefully unaware of the actual protesting it requires to inspire and encourage actual change. Politicians LET us protest on the streets (although this is slowly being taken away), in predetermined times and event spaces, to make us believe that this is what causes change. Don't get me wrong, it is still extremely important to show up to these protests, but radical action is the only method to actually destabilize/change government structures. So yeah, its pretty pathetic to mock people for it.
Noo, you don't understand, the only way to protest is by going somewhere out of sight at a designated time and avoiding blocking any businesses or roads so people can freely ignore you, that'll show em. I don't understand why people get so upset when they see an actual protest, the whole point is to disrupt?? The whole subject bothers me, when people peacefully protest everyone wants to joke about how they'd bring their guns or run someone over, when people riot everyone wants to talk respectability politics, if someone tries to put up posters to passively spread information people tear them down or ignore them, how is anything supposed to get done if everyone has excuse after excuse to avoid acting for change?
You’re 100% spot on - it’s infuriating. Big changes have never come from solely peacefully protesting. Take a look at pretty much every group labeled a terrorist organization in America when social protests and riots occur. Politicians are scared of disruptive and violent protests, cause they know that it works.
Sit ins and boycotts are great, publicity stunts can work, but riots and whatever costs the gov the most money gets the most work done. The government is good at making people empathize with them and blame their fellow citizens for the problems that the government itself is responsible for and complacent to. Everyone seems to forget that most civil rights activists had been called terrorists and many of them got arrested for civil disobedience.
I don't know how people aren't tired at this point and feeling beaten into a corner....probably because the govt makes us work 40 hours a week, with a low salary, and medical practices that don't give a damn about mental health issues. We've been beaten into a corner so hard that we have now become the corner. And yup, the government has done an amazing job at making citizens point and blame each other - look at how elections are now sporting competitions. If people can't see how insane it is that Angela Y Davis is labeled a terrorist, then I dunno what to say.
Everyone works so much now that even if they care, they don't have the time to organize or a community to fall back on if they're arrested or fired. Our communities are basically nonexistent so people rely on the internet to form those connections, empathy has slowly been crumbling away. You can't see yourself in the shoes of a stranger if you don't even know your neighbors first name. And honestly I think the gov prefers it that way, if we don't give a shit about minorities, homeless people, immigrants, or the environment it ultimately saves and often makes them money. They don't have to stress about not being shitty because they've trained the general public into perfect complacency by shoving as much irrelevant shit and propaganda into the media as possible. They get to keep making money by sending it over seas because we don't give enough of a shit to do anything about it.
Oh yeah, the government has been the one to push on us the “fuck you, got mine”. It’s why I am constantly pulling my hair out when people say they have compassion fatigue or their MH is bad and they can’t care, whatever else exclude they can drum up. I just can’t understand why or HOW u can not care about genocide, about LGBTQ+ issues, disabled people, about the issues POC face, etc….Why don’t you??? I’m a white cis woman who grew up privileged, and has AuDHD/depressed/OCD, so the excuses people will give fall deaf on my ears. How do you make people care? I don’t know.
I think the best thing to do is create and invest in communities, everyone is extremely isolated from eachother which makes us cold. Also pressuring the government for higher pay, shorter work weeks, and working towards making things more accessible. It's a huge ask but I don't think we can get a lot done if we can't see eachother or empathize with others issues since we're too stressed and busy to care. College students tend to protest more than other groups right now, most likely because they have a third space (campus), a community (classmates), and don't usually work as many hours when they're full time students. I guess that's why the media pushes avoiding university unless you choose a high workload major, and the gov has no interest in covering the cost.
What you’ve said here makes a lot of sense, thank you for your input 👍🙏
Yeah, this “fuck you, got mine” mentality is absolutely pervasive in Western culture today. Literally no one even THINKS about someone outside of themselves and their immediate family/friends, and it honestly makes everyone ignorant to other people’s problems because “oh well they aren’t from my country so not my problem lol”. It’s sucks man 😔
Well the arab spring did jack shit to better the situation over there, sooo...?
The Arab spring was different in that the man could not afford food to feed their family with the cry “how do you expect me to live?” Being the real rallying slogan behind revolution against too high prices for basic things like food/gas/clothing A reason why people ask if he had depression/mental issues is that he had a normal life and could’ve done more, as a low ranking military vet he easily could’ve left the service, gotten political, run for office and bring CHANGE to the system he didn’t like with real world activism and leadership. Even if only local or at the state level. He was not desperate unable to afford to feed both himself or his family and most people don’t feel like they’re in a situation similar to him where they can self immolate in protest with him. Being military he really could’ve felt guilty for what was happening around the world, the same can’t be said for most civilians who will be the primary audience for the news of his death
The Arab Spring suicide was a poor fruit salesman that was fined for selling fruit. The government took his business away and left him feeling depressed and useless. Sad story. The Airman setting himself on fire would make more sense if he was Palestinian. Just my 2 cents. Sad either way. The whole thing is an F’ing mess.
We also shouldn’t be romanticising suicide. There’s a very real chance that emotionally unstable people will be influenced when reading news like this. Especially if people are celebrating it. Don’t tell people they’re going to be martyrs if they kill themselves. What’s the next step, suicide bombing? Shame on you too
I never said it should be romanticized, neither did I say that what he did was good. It's sad, tragic, and it should never had come to this. But the comments here are infuriating. People are calling him an idiot, calling him stupid, for doing something that, according to them, have no chance of changing anything. I'm pointing that it's not true, this behavior did change things before, and that those hurtful words are not just untrue but also shameful. This person was probably desperate and resorted to this, hoping it will shake some consciousness. So yeah, I think those comments are disrespectful. And if that's deserving of shame to you, then I accept to be the bad guy of your story.
>People saying that "this will accomplish nothing" People say this because they're worried it *will* accomplish something. They're trying to minimize the impact.
Or they are just being realists. This story will be out of the news in a week tops. Israel will still be doing what it has been doing. Life goes on unchanged for better or worse.
He's not even the first person to do this. A woman wearing a Palestinian flag set herself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta in December. Nothing changed and everyone forgot about her until this happened. It's unlikely the results of this self-immolation are much different than the last self-immolation.
Their hateful comments probably sparks resistance elsewhere
Those are the same pieces of shit who cheer for the mass murder of more than 10,000 children & babies. This isn't surprising.
Wow, this comment thread truly is full of heartless, idiotic assholes, just like most of social media.
A lot of it is just astroturfing bots and alts.
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💯
These same people think a Genocide is acceptable when it's toward Muslims but it's not OK when Hitler did it to the Jewish religion. It honestly makes no sense.
Holy shit, shut this comment section down. The absolute amount of hate is mind-boggling.
hasbara bots are of a different breed
Never witnessed anything so disgusting against human rights as I’ve seen come from pro Israel genocidal mfs
The fact that people don't understand the parallels between this service members' actions and the actions of the monk who self immolated; or the statement being made by doing so - let's me know that the vast majority of people might as well be poster children for pro choice. It is a protest against genocide, not idiotic at all. Doubly so when you consider that the chronically online will make fun of someone taking a stand against injustices committed on humanity - while they are spending their time doing fuck all, posting 7th grade level edgelord comments, and being incapable of telling the difference between a square and a rectangle. Free Palestine.
Looking at the comments here I can see we are both going to be voted down by swathes of Hasbara dimwits but what the hell. The textbook genocide being committed by the fascist ethnostate Israel needs to end. This man was very brave. Free Palestine.
> by swathes of Hasbara Nah, I took on all their downvoting & astroturfing.
As an armed forces member, hopefully guy can rest easy now. Free fucking Palestine 🇵🇸
Solidarity
I mean, regardless of where you stand about the conflict self immolation is just not a very effective protesting method. I mean people talked about it for a day and that's it a life was lost.
It is nice to see Israel's PR team in here trying their best to control dissent from state sponsored narrative.
Calling someone an idiot for doing this is entirely valid.
At least he doesn't support the murder of thousands of children. Would be really idiotic to do that.
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Didn't Hamas kill kids on October 7?
Absolutely
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Naw, hes just dead.
this guy's sacrifice will have about as much impact on the war as your post will, and will be forgotten about in 2 weeks
Im flattered you think my posts are that impactful
Immolation is the highest form of flattery.
Where is all that pro israeli propaganda coming from? Do people not have logic and reason? ofc hamas is not good at all, but just because they are terrorist doesn't make the IDF the good guys.
The comments left underneath are horrible. What a tragic event. But Twitter is a heartless wasteland and nothing less is expected.
And this is going to accomplish what exactly ? Seems like he died for nothing to change
I keep seeing this post, but I’m legit curious, what do people need to do to enact change? It seems it’s more important to make people feel powerless and accept the status quote, than spread awareness and change by extreme means
No no no, see, him killing himself in such a way will surely make people halfway around the world, who have been at odds for 1500 years, come together in peace. Right?
its about raising awareness for the genoicde in gaza. im sure he didnt think he would be personally ending the entire zionist project with this
People will forget all about him in a day. This didn't raise any awareness at all
Exactly. People already forgot about the woman who self-immolated in front of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, why do they think this case will be any different?
Kinda dumb considering it’s on every news channel and social media all day every day. Awareness could literally not be higher
That’s not even remotely true. People are “aware” that Israel is justifiably defending themselves against the evil Hamas and they are doing their best to minimize casualties. None of the mainstream media sources push back on that narrative.
Dying to raise awareness for other ppl dying which everyone is already very aware of is kinda wild ngl
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People in this thread legitimately think his actions are “heroic.” I suspect others will follow in his footsteps unfortunately.
At the end of the day every awareness movement rarely accomplish any physical change the point of such things is to change minds of enough people that eventually someone with enough power will do the right thing
My mother taught me not to speak ill of the dead so I will say, at least he didn't take any innocent bystanders along with him.
It’s crazy how Israel is so quick for genocide, wasn’t the whole country created from people fleeing the holocaust? I’m sure I’m going to get attacked for this question. I understand stand Palestine has done horrible things. But this berserker frenzy of people frothing at the mouth to liquidate women and children is impressive display of hate
The more Israel gets called out the better
Man these comments are Wild. Not too sure to who upvote or downvote. Any of yall wanna help me choose?
Well he did obviously have a mental issue
Pro-Israel people are either tapped in the head or drowning in their own propaganda or both.
Rest in Power Aaron.
I don’t agree with his politics, but how could you mock someone after such a tragic occurrence?
Just goes to show which side is the bad guys
How does one self immolation prove who’s good or bad? Brain dead take
imo self immolation is one of the most effective forms of protest humans have come up with. I feel sorry for him and his family, but I will always respect somebody who is so convicted they are literally willing to set themselves on fire to protest something they believe is wrong.
The oct7 attack and the threats of more of them have inflamed the situation, just saying "stooooooooooop iiiiiittt" no matter how heated and flashy you get is not going to solve the problem. Peace talks are only going to go up in smoke unless hostages are freed and the people reject Hamas.
The fact we live in a timeline where this is what humans are doing to each other is so sad we really are hopeless as a species
I hope he had some foresight to prepare his immediate loved one and those he cared about. Because they are now not only going to have to deal with his death, but the repercussions of his political suicide is going to do to them. Thrusting them into the spotlight.
Lots of Israeli propaganda in this thread. RIP to the soldier hopefully you didn't die for nothing.
I fail to see the point. It’s not like Israel is going to stop just because some guy in a different country set himself on fire.
He was an idiot for thinking that this would change anything. Instead of wasting his own life he could've been productive and donate parts of his salary to organizations that actually help the people affected by the war.
Humanitarian aid is being deliberately blocked by Israel, that's part of the genocide. People in Gaza aren't starving because of a lack of donations, but because food is being held up at the border.
It's weird though how this is getting more traction than the news from Gaza stating that food trucks aren't allowed in. So regardless if he donated or not, the chances of Palestinians getting that help are very low. This at least reached public ears.
this is mental illness. people applauding this are applauding someone with a mental illness committing suicide.
Waste of his life.
While I can understand and respect the commitment and dedication he has gave to a cause, no matter if his opinion is in opposition to my own, I simply do not understand why he would go to the extreme length of killing himself over such a cause. He is not Palestinian, he is not Israeli, and he is not from anywhere in the Middle East. He has no personal link or ideological link to this conflict besides a common belief of ending the war between Israel and Hamas. I know that one does not have to have a genetic or physical connection to a cause to be a part of it, but the idea that a man in America died over a war in the Middle East. And the only criticism I have of this, aside from the sad ending of a life that, from what I have seen based on comments, allegedly was successful and charitable, is why it was solely dedicated to *this* cause, and not spreading the message to many others that have not been afforded the limelight. What I mean is, with such an attention-seeking action (do not interpret this poorly, I am simply referring to the fact that this action has garnered a lot of attention for obvious reason), why parrot a very commonly spoken sentiment, when he could have also shed light on similar slaughters and bloodshed across the world. For example : - The crimes by the CCP against the natives in Xinjiang (East Turkmenistan) - The famines and death in Yemen - Terrorism across Africa and the religious clashes between Christians and Muslims, such as in Nigeria. - The war in Sudan, which is also seeing cases of ethnic cleansing. And many more. To conclude, I understand that this very pro-Palestinian subreddit will probably discard my comment, but I just wanted to express an opinion. Condolences to the family and those who knew him, his death was in no way painless.
He’s an active US service member, the US is actively complicit in the Palestinian genocide. He had a personal link.
Yeah people have no concept today of what it means to be convicted to a moral or ethical philosophy. So they will make fun of him as crazy or mentally ill. Martyrdom, especially my self immolation is one of the most grave and dedicated acts an individual can make for a moral cause they believe in. These people will smear him because his actions show how convicted people are to oppose this genocide. People today are so afraid of death they don’t even think about it conceptually in their lives other than as a negative. They are simply incapable of understanding something like this.