World Politics
How Genocide Goes Unnoticed Thanks To Natural Human Empathy.
Genocide is becoming politically acceptable due to the natural human empathy that has propagated the human race for millions of years.
There are children dying. There are men, women and the elderly dying too, but they evoke less sympathy. We have a primal urge to protect children, a trait evolved once to further continue the human race. But today, attempts to use it for good are backfiring.
For the purposes of this article, i refer to the Israeli invasion of Gaza as an ethnic cleansing. Not because it is shorthand or customary but because i have slowly but surely come to the personal conclusion that the IDF actions in Gaza are that of an ethnic cleansing or genocide. However this piece was not written to debate the nature of the conflict.
So when we see videos of Gaza children screaming and crying as their homes are burned and the families bludgeoned, we are rightly outraged, it not only tugs on our metaphorical heart strings but outright tears them out. You have likely seen photos, videos or stories come out of Gaza in the past 9 months of these horrid sights and likely, were filled with despair and fury. But these sights have been plastered over every inch of every newspaper, social media platform and conversation. From water cooler gossip to TikTok, it is completely inescapable. At face value this seems to be a great thing, people are outraged about what is happening in Palestine and will be motivated to do something, or push people with power to do something, your Presidents, your Senators, your PMs and MPs will be forced to act. That is true, to an extent. Yes — people are outraged and such outrage has resulted in massive protests, in the digital and physical realms — but they have been severely weakened.
Because in the information age, rising rates of mental health issues, a largely fear-based 24-hour news cycle and a general deficit of hope in societies around the globe, we already feel filled with despair on a weekly basis. Many lack the emotional, metaphorical hand space to carry anymore baggage. It’s not that people don’t care about palestine its that too many have become desensitised to the ruthless violence that joins ethnic cleanses like the one in Palestine. The seemingly endless coverage of even greater endless violence and savagery has appeared to almost backfire and has brought people’s minds and hearts to their knees. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of people care, millions protest in a million different ways but the people who cannot handle anymore violence yet scroll through it every day on tiktok, just to turn on the news and see more of it before being tormented by it in dinner table conversation are finding it much harder to act than care.
This backfiring is only worsened by a cacophony of headlines depicting regular oppression and injustice, from global warming and deforestation to gay rights and gender equality, it is more difficult than ever to have a positive outlook on life. It takes much more energy to even begin to muster one let alone withstand seeing it all and then acting to correct injustice. Let alone the length and polarisation of the conflict, making speaking out simultaneously taboo and a social necessity.
I am not writing this to justify a seemingly total inaction from western governments but rather to justify a partial inaction by the general public or specific segments thereof. I also think it’s interesting how, at least in my opinion, we have surpassed the amount of coverage that is good for a cause for at least the immediate future.
Politicians do however, bare greater social responsibility than a random member of the general public, those who actively seek out power must deal with it’s responsibility. They cannot afford to be desensitized, granted it is easier as most politicians lack hungry mouths at home or even the regular burden that normal life has nowadays. Hence this does argument does not justify their actions and should not be used to, they should be taking action.
Action is needed. Almost everybody knows it but the lack of consensus on what needs to be done especially in the long term and in who what blame should be placed on as well as the desensitisation of many to war crimes and outright genocide makes it difficult to act. For anything to get done, despite the ever-prudent and growing need for it.
I believe there are other causes for the partial lack of action from the public but I will have to save that for next week’s piece. If you like or were at least intrigued by my writing consider following and there are more stories of mine below. All support is appreciated.
I don’t usually ask for donations for any cause unless it is for an especially prudent cause, something that seemingly happens more and more these days but if you were equally appalled by the actions in Gaza, consider donating to UN Crisis Relief, here.
