Israeli-Palestinian conflict

  On 5/25/2021 at 11:13 PM, chenGOD said:

I think that's a big assumption to make. People ignore other conflicts for any number of reasons - lack of capacity to process that much information in a meaningful manner, more local issues taking up more of their time, or lack of awareness in the first place. Someone may know about the treatment of Rohyinga in Myanmar, but they may not know much in detail. Or they may not have read about it all, if their reading/information habits are more directed to local issues or issues where they are experts/work. That doesn't mean they are not concerned about the human cost.

With respect to your first point, there are a lot of angles for consideration, some will undoubtedly be vested interest (after all, International Relations are still largely based on realism, and occasionally offensive realism -as an aside, Mearsheimer and Walt's book "the Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy" is a very good read), some will be over concerns of war, some will be involved precisely for humanitarian reasons. Since the division of Palestine can be traced back in the modern era to the Paris Peace Accords (as a rough starting point), that's more than 100 years of context, which will inevitably lead to many positions being taken, some disingenuous, others not. I don't think that putting it in black and white terms such as "being led by vested interests and Western citizens choosing sides" is a very helpful position, because of all that context.

Expand  

I've spent my adult life watching Western audiences comment on global issues entirely inconsequential to their own lives. I've concluded that interest is largely down to two factors:

1) being right in arguments with other Westerners, or

2) appearing virtuous in front of an audience of fellow Westerners. 

Yes, it's cynical, but it's what I see. Either way, it's performative and empty rhetoric.

Free Palestine

  On 5/26/2021 at 1:33 PM, Thu Zaw said:

I've spent my adult life watching Western audiences comment on global issues entirely inconsequential to their own lives. I've concluded that interest is largely down to two factors:

1) being right in arguments with other Westerners, or

2) appearing virtuous in front of an audience of fellow Westerners. 

Yes, it's cynical, but it's what I see. Either way, it's performative and empty rhetoric.

While I'm only really fluent in Korean outside of "Western" languages, I'm relatively* sure this is not a phenomenon unique to the West.

  On 5/26/2021 at 1:58 PM, chenGOD said:

I'm relatively* sure this is not a phenomenon unique to the West.

Doesn't matter. After what the West did to the rest of the world, it has to conform to an extra strict set of norms for a while to make up for it. See also: nazi jokes are not acceptable when made by Germans, probably acceptable when made by other Europeans, definitely ok (if in poor taste) when made by people from Asia or Africa.

It's very likely Westerners will shortly be joined by the Chinese in this. I watched a documentary about the Chinese expansion into the rest of the world, Africa, Madagascar and Serbia and such, and it was pretty much Heart of Darkness all over again.

But until they, too, have ravaged entire continents and shredded other people's ancient societies to bits, it'll be only us Westerners that are stuck here in this sort of moral time out room. Sucks, but such is life.

  On 5/26/2021 at 2:44 PM, rhmilo said:

Doesn't matter. After what the West did to the rest of the world, it has to conform to an extra strict set of norms for a while to make up for it. See also: nazi jokes are not acceptable when made by Germans, probably acceptable when made by other Europeans, definitely ok (if in poor taste) when made by people from Asia or Africa.

It's very likely Westerners will shortly be joined by the Chinese in this. I watched a documentary about the Chinese expansion into the rest of the world, Africa, Madagascar and Serbia and such, and it was pretty much Heart of Darkness all over again.

But until they, too, have ravaged entire continents and shredded other people's ancient societies to bits, it'll be only us Westerners that are stuck here in this sort of moral time out room. Sucks, but such is life.

Expand  

What does this have to do with whether or not people in other countries talk shit about global issues entirely inconsequential to their own lives?

Also, the "West" is not the only entity that has colonized other nations or used its economic might to reduce the status of others.

  On 5/26/2021 at 4:05 PM, chenGOD said:

What does this have to do with whether or not people in other countries talk shit about global issues entirely inconsequential to their own lives?

Other people in other cultures are free to do so. We in the West ate not because we’re on probation.

  On 5/26/2021 at 4:05 PM, chenGOD said:

Also, the "West" is not the only entity that has colonized other nations or used its economic might to reduce the status of others.

What other entity are you thinking of that systematically and thoroughly plowed under entire continents for profit? The best I can come up with is rapacious conquerors like Genghis Khan, but those merely pillaged, which is very different from forcing entire societies to work for you as slaves.

  On 5/26/2021 at 2:44 PM, rhmilo said:

Doesn't matter. After what the West did to the rest of the world, it has to conform to an extra strict set of norms for a while to make up for it. See also: nazi jokes are not acceptable when made by Germans, probably acceptable when made by other Europeans, definitely ok (if in poor taste) when made by people from Asia or Africa.

It's very likely Westerners will shortly be joined by the Chinese in this. I watched a documentary about the Chinese expansion into the rest of the world, Africa, Madagascar and Serbia and such, and it was pretty much Heart of Darkness all over again.

But until they, too, have ravaged entire continents and shredded other people's ancient societies to bits, it'll be only us Westerners that are stuck here in this sort of moral time out room. Sucks, but such is life.

Expand  

this makes absolutely no sense to me lol

hey, "the West," you guys are in a time out. not discussions at this time. dude what?

*going to haiti and asking random people there if it's ok if i discuss global affairs on the computer*

the problem i have with moral framings is that it doesn't point to anything objective. at most it just points to something a lot of people agree on currently. people could theoretically disagree. Hell, there have been many entire cultures where the idea of being an invading warrior barbarian would have been considered dope af.

Which isn't to say that I myself think the west should or shouldn't repent for perceived past sins. I just think it's a bit of a sleight of hand to frame this as something that some kinda universal authority has determined, and not just the consensus of a sufficient number of individuals

  On 5/26/2021 at 5:51 PM, Alcofribas said:

this makes absolutely no sense to me lol

hey, "the West," you guys are in a time out. not discussions at this time. dude what?

*going to haiti and asking random people there if it's ok if i discuss global affairs on the computer*

no harm comes from generalizing human groups negatively. there's no reason not to.

  On 5/26/2021 at 6:24 PM, very honest said:

no harm comes from generalizing human groups negatively. there's no reason not to.

if you believe this then surely you can identify the absurdity in assigning a "probation" to "the West" while people from "other cultures" are free to do so. 

on topic: is Israel “the West?”

  On 5/26/2021 at 6:44 PM, Alcofribas said:

  On 5/26/2021 at 6:24 PM, very honest said:

no harm comes from generalizing human groups negatively. there's no reason not to.

if you believe this then surely you can identify the absurdity in assigning a "probation" to "the West" while people from "other cultures" are free to do so.

lol 

i was hoping it would be obvious that i was not serious

  On 5/26/2021 at 5:25 PM, rhmilo said:

Other people in other cultures are free to do so. We in the West ate not because we’re on probation.

Is this kindergarten? "Naughty west - time out corner for you."

  On 5/26/2021 at 5:25 PM, rhmilo said:

What other entity are you thinking of that systematically and thoroughly plowed under entire continents for profit? The best I can come up with is rapacious conquerors like Genghis Khan, but those merely pillaged, which is very different from forcing entire societies to work for you as slaves.

Japan took a pretty good whack at East and Southeast Asia for slightly over 50 years. China proclaimed its superiority over other nations during much of its imperial reign, through the form of suzerain-vassal international relations (extracting "tribute" for profit, and controlling other nations' foreign affairs). Go back further and you'll find western Asian nations colonizing Africa.

The "west" is just the latest in a series of colonizers (or aggressive entities) throughout history, which of course is the theory behind offensive realism (see Mearsheimer and Walt - more so Mearsheimer).

going to the UN and getting freakin grounded for my bad behaviors

Then there is the problem of the ambiguousness and lack of clarity of historiography. History is a narration, it's a story we are constantly weaving and changing to make it work in the present. If you believe what you are told is the consensus between leading experts in the academic historiography, then you know that narratives have always existed in the past and almost all of them, especially of the earlier past, have proven to be wrong or inaccurate, or outright crazy by modern "standards" (which again, are something you just have to believe because a teacher or a book told you so, not because you acquired evidence yourself, which is nigh impossible in a lot of cases, and it becomes a political thing rather than an scientific one). Therefore discussing these topics only traps you in one or the other narrative. We should see which narrative is the least of a lie while at the same time should have the most beneficial consequences for humanity and all other beings of this planet, knowing that reality is a lot weirder than the human mind is able to grasp and that no narration can really capture the past as it really was in its entirety and absoluteness.

  On 5/26/2021 at 1:33 PM, Thu Zaw said:

I've spent my adult life watching Western audiences comment on global issues entirely inconsequential to their own lives. I've concluded that interest is largely down to two factors:

1) being right in arguments with other Westerners, or

2) appearing virtuous in front of an audience of fellow Westerners. 

Yes, it's cynical, but it's what I see. Either way, it's performative and empty rhetoric.

"I don't care about things that don't hurt me because I'm a sociopath so it must be that way for others"

pretty ironic that a post you make about performativity is so smug and performative, perfectly calculated to raise yourself above all sides

  On 5/26/2021 at 7:44 PM, cyanobacteria said:

"I don't care about things that don't hurt me because I'm a sociopath so it must be that way for others"

pretty ironic that a post you make about performativity is so smug and performative, perfectly calculated to raise yourself above all sides

No, not sociopath, my dear. Misanthrope.

  On 5/26/2021 at 6:54 PM, chenGOD said:

Japan took a pretty good whack at East and Southeast Asia for slightly over 50 years. China proclaimed its superiority over other nations during much of its imperial reign, through the form of suzerain-vassal international relations (extracting "tribute" for profit, and controlling other nations' foreign affairs). Go back further and you'll find western Asian nations colonizing Africa.

The "west" is just the latest in a series of colonizers (or aggressive entities) throughout history, which of course is the theory behind offensive realism (see Mearsheimer and Walt - more so Mearsheimer).

Japan in Korea is a good example, agreed (but note their attempts to create an East Asian Co Prosperity sphere elsewhere  didn't last for more than half a decade) . The others are questionable. China demanding tribute from all over the place is vastly different from what, say, Japan did in Korea. Earlier examples really are just one ruler replacing another one with life for people on the ground remaining pretty much unchanged (apart from a little massacre here and there). This is distinctly different from Western style imperialism. 

But, you know, you can choose to shrug it off. The worst that will happen is that you'll be angry all the time at brown people calling white people off for what seems to you to be no reason at all and those brown people will think you're an asshole. In the greater scheme of things that's probably not too bad.

  On 5/26/2021 at 9:20 PM, rhmilo said:

Japan in Korea is a good example,

Taiwan, Manchukuo (Manchuria), were also colonized by the Japanese with typical colonial economies (i.e. resources and output went to the colonizer). The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere ran into a little problem called the Second World War, after which you'll note that many of the western colonists also lost their colonies.

Yes Chinese control over client states was different than colonization, but the idea was that those client states only derived any authority through the mandate of the Emperor. There was still an element of use of foreign resources for the Chinese.

  On 5/26/2021 at 9:20 PM, rhmilo said:

But, you know, you can choose to shrug it off. The worst that will happen is that you'll be angry all the time at brown people calling white people off for what seems to you to be no reason at all and those brown people will think you're an asshole. In the greater scheme of things that's probably not too bad.

What is this even referring to. Do you somehow think that because I acknowledge that other people besides westerners have agency in discussing global issues that have no impact on their lives, I'm somehow shrugging off the very real issues of colonization's legacy? Or the very real issue of Israel being absolutely in the wrong in their relations with Palestine? Why are you using slurs when discussing the issue here?

yes I’m having trouble understanding this approach. itt people are criticizing the occupation and destructive domination of the Palestinians by Israel - a western nation backed by Western superpowers. 
 

I don’t get how we’ve segued into how ya westerners are not allowed to chime in on issues impacting “other cultures” or whatever we’re even discussing rn lol

Not sure I'd call Israel a Western nation

  On 5/26/2021 at 8:49 PM, Thu Zaw said:

No, not sociopath, my dear. Misanthrope.

misanthropy is sociopathic and narcissistic

  On 5/26/2021 at 10:17 PM, Thu Zaw said:

Not sure I'd call Israel a Western nation

israel is literally a US-backed white ethnostate plopped down in the middle east illegally and through genocide, it's basically western

  On 5/26/2021 at 10:23 PM, cyanobacteria said:

misanthropy is sociopathic and narcissistic

 

You have a strange understanding of misanthropy.

  On 5/26/2021 at 9:46 PM, chenGOD said:

Taiwan, Manchukuo (Manchuria), were also colonized by the Japanese with typical colonial economies (i.e. resources and output went to the colonizer). The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere ran into a little problem called the Second World War, after which you'll note that many of the western colonists also lost their colonies.

My goodness. Perhaps you should read up on your history sometime because you seem to be taking on a bit more than you can chew here, attempting to equate between 200 to 50 years of world wide Western Imperialism to the fairly benign integration of Taiwan into Japan (seriously, look it up),  a 13 year long military occupation of part of China and 4 years of occupying SE Asia during, as you correctly point out, a World War.

  On 5/26/2021 at 9:46 PM, chenGOD said:

Yes Chinese control over client states was different than colonization, but the idea was that those client states only derived any authority through the mandate of the Emperor. There was still an element of use of foreign resources for the Chinese.

You cannot possibly expect me to believe that that you take the boasts of Chinese civil servants at face value. I assume anyone would understand there flattery of writers at one court have no bearing whatsoever on where another court thinks it derives it’s authority from.

Honestly, you should maybe spend a little more time actually studying history instead of just arguing about it on the internet. This is embarrassing.

  On 5/26/2021 at 10:17 PM, Thu Zaw said:

Not sure I'd call Israel a Western nation

What would you call it? Modern Israel was created through the Balfour Declaration, the British Mandate of Palestine (endorsed by the League of Nations and the US), and then partition. The state supposedly adheres to "western" principles such as democracy and a market-based economy, and in theory upholds fundamental human rights. It's major trading partners are the US and UK (and China of course, they need to buy cheap shit like everyone else).

  On 5/26/2021 at 10:40 PM, rhmilo said:

My goodness. Perhaps you should read up on your history sometime because you seem to be taking on a bit more than you can chew here, attempting to equate between 200 to 50 years of world wide Western Imperialism to the fairly benign integration of Taiwan into Japan (seriously, look it up),  a 13 year long military occupation of part of China and 4 years of occupying SE Asia during, as you correctly point out, a World War.

You cannot possibly expect me to believe that that you take the boasts of Chinese civil servants at face value. I assume anyone would understand there flattery of writers at one court have no bearing whatsoever on where another court thinks it derives it’s authority from.

Honestly, you should maybe spend a little more time actually studying history instead of just arguing about it on the internet. This is embarrassing.

Expand  

My man - you should read up on Taiwanese resistance to Japanese rule. Sure the Taiwanese have more respect for the Japanese than Korea, but it is 100% disingenuous to call it benign. The point is that Japan tried to emulate the Western colonizers, not that they did for as long.

It wasn't merely boasts - and those countries often did accept the suzerain-vassal state. For a nuanced look at the issue, I recommend "Ambassadors from the Islands of the Immortals", or "Tradition, Treaties, and Trade: Qing Imperialism and Choson Korea". For a look at how Chinese philosophical thinking affected Korea, Martina Deuchler's "Confucian Transformation of Korea" is required reading.

Of course international relations in East Asia are more nuanced than that, so here, you can read some more of my thoughts on it.

ASIA 410 Term Paper (edit).pdfFetching info...