SPITE ACTIVISM

IS ACTIVISM ACTUALLY MAKING THE WORLD BETTER?

… for the worse?

Anyone with a social conscience thinks we are making the world a better place. Of course, it’s all relative. Ask certain people and you’ll discover I am a genocide-endorsing, settler-colonialist-supporting, apartheidist, racist dupe of the globalist puppetmasters.

Those making this case against me are, of course, jihadist-endorsing, radicalized excusers of human slavery and clitoris-excising. So one person’s social justice activist is another’s baby-killing monster.

As I said, it’s relative.

But let’s say there’s a middle ground. In a better world, we would see the humanity and good intentions in the positions of others.

All of us should be trying to make the world a better place — even places half a world away. Our bumper stickers say “Think globally. Act locally.” A centuries-old Jewish value is tikkun olam, the obligation to strive for the repair of the broken world.

These are critical human values. If we abandon the mission of making the world a better place, what are we left with? What hope is there for the planet?

At the same time – and it is really time someone said this – let us not exaggerate our own importance. Each of us has the power to change the world, yes. We need to believe this. But we should also get some perspective.

We live in a narcissistic society. We centre ourselves in the global narrative, viewing ourselves as an irreplaceable part of movements that we seem certain would founder without our interventions.

I adhere ferociously to Margaret Mead’s idea that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens are the only thing that has ever changed the world.

But maybe it’s time we put things in context and sought a little balance. Recognize the limitations we have on events that are, more or less, beyond our control — and (uninteded?) byproducts of our efforts.

This is not to say we should give up seeking the best for all people and every cause on the planet. Whether it is feeding the hungry who live on our street or advocating for those experiencing war or famine half a planet away, people of goodwill must strive to do what we can to fix both crises.

But there are choices to make. And if having a small, positive impact in one place is not coincidentally having a huge negative impact somewhere else, the net outcome is destructive.

In a world overwhelmed by need – causes small and enormous, from microaggressions to genocides – we cannot be all things to every cause. We prioritize all the time.

Right now, we see this in an overwhelming concern about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. I have dealt elsewhere with how this tragedy seems to eclipse all of these other issues, even ones that are exponentially greater by measures of casualties and deaths. It sometimes appears as if there is nothing unfortunate in the world that doesn’t happen in Gaza.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that the conflict between Israel and Hamas is literally the most – or the only – conflict in the world.

From that assumption, let’s assess the impact we are having.

Can we agree on the following? Even the most dedicated “pro-Palestinian” activist in Canada or the United States is having only an infinitesimally small impact on events half a world away. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to have an effect. But we need to balance the minimal impacts we are having overseas with the far more substantial impacts we are having closer to home.

Our activism for social justice in the Middle East is having disastrous consequences here.

If you cared to listen to Jewish people in your circles, you would know that almost all of them feel vilified and threatened right now. Canadian Jews I know are actually considering leaving the country before things get worse. Two already have.

Yeah, yeah. I can hear the blowback. You’re concerned about Jews feeling uncomfortable? What about the discomfort of Palestinians who have seen their children killed?

Yes. Fair. Sort of.

Justifying the terrorizing of our Jewish neighbors based on the self-righteous idea that it is all in service of justice for Palestinians, may seem fair on its face. These two things are releated, but separate.

Yet even if your primary concern is the fate of Palestinians, the fate of Jews in Canada (or anywhere else) should also be a concern. That’s the nature of being a humanitarian.

It is not OK for activists to say, Too bad for Canadian Jews but Palestinians have it way worse.

First, what is happening to Palestinians is not the fault of Canadian Jews. (It is, mostly, the fault of Palestinians’ own leaders but, in the interest of getting on with our point, we’ll leave that bigger picture aside for now.) What is happening to Palestinians and what is happening to Canadian Jews are not (or, at least, should not, be) related.

Second, what is happening to Canadian Jews is a direct consequence of “pro-Palestinian” activists. As I will note shortly, it is also (and possibly more consequentially) the fault of the colossal silence of ostensibly good people.

Let’s acknowledge: Whatever we do around Israel and Palestine is having minimal impact on the situation over there. But it is having monumentally disastrous impacts on our own societies, both in terms of the civility of discourse and on the larger multicultural cohesion, particularly the security and well-being of Jews in our communities and society.

I have seen social media posts making an alternative case very bluntly – when Palestinians are dying, why are we wasting our time talking about antisemitism in Canada?

If, as I’ve already argued, there are bigger issues in the world than Palestine – like, for example, actual genocides – then surely antisemitism in Canada and other Western countries falls even lower down the hierarchy of injustice.

But this is to miss the point on several fronts.

First of all, the limited impact we are having overseas is not unconnected to the detrimental effects we are having here. When the effect our activism is having on the well-being of Palestinians is negligible or nil but that same activism is having on Jewish Canadians (and Swedes and Venezuelans) is vast and vilifying, the net outcome of our activism is negative. Hugely negative.

Your social media posts, your snarky comments to coworkers, and your chants of “From the river to the sea” are not helping Palestinians. It might be making you feel better – but it really isn’t doing a hell of a lot for them. So what is this about, really?

There is the defence that, no matter how small an influence we may be having, it is an important ripple in the ocean – that even if we are having no positive effect whatsoever, it is better than doing nothing.

But there are cost-benefits to all this.

Jewish people all over the world are feeling isolated and endangered. Even those whose synagogues have not been firebombed, whose kids’ schools have not been shot at, who haven’t directly experienced overt antisemitism … they are still reeling from a post-October 7 realization that much of the world is not only unconcerned that a band of genocidal maniacs are committed to eliminating the Jewish presence from the Middle East and, ultimately, the world.

More than this, they are realizing that a small bunch of their neighbours are actually celebrating the rapes, beheadings, live immolations, kidnappings and mass murders that took place that day.

Perhaps worst of all has been the slow dawning, in light of all these horrible realizations, that the vast majority of decent people who, in almost any other instance affecting any other group of people would be first in line to stand in solidarity, are completely silent. Utterly absolutely inaudible.

Your response to this may be, Well, Jewish discomfort is a small price to pay given what is happening to Palestinians. But that is a false equivalency. Whatever is happening to Palestinians does not in any way justify inappropriate words, actions or violence toward Jews anywhere. If you think it does, well, there’s a word for that.

And that is probably the real issue here.

They not helping Palestinians – and that’s OK with them. Helping Palestinians is not really their goal.

They are trolling Jews. That’s what this is about.

When a Jew-baiter walks by a rabbi I know (identifiable as a Jew, if not as a rabbi, by his kippah) and says “Free Palestine,” that is not about freeing Palestine. It is about sticking it to a Jew.

Activism ostensibly for Palestinians is having negative impacts on Jews. This might be justifiable – in a weird balancing of moral rights and wrongs – if it were actually having a positive impact on Palestinians.

But it’s not. And the activists know it’s not. And they’re good with that.

What it is doing is making Jews feel unsafe in Canada and elsewhere. Moreover, activists know it is.

They know that they are having little or no impact on Palestinians but a huge impact on Canadian Jews. Is it because they are so “pro-Palestinian” that hurting Jews half a world away from Israel is the least they can do? Or are they such overt Jew-haters and Jew-baiters that Palestinianism is just an awesome excuse to poke a Jew?

What difference does it make?

Exactly none.

Either way: It’s not about Palestinians.

It’s about Jews.

And they’re good with that too.

*

A personal note …

I started this Substack because I thought my perspective as a progressive, gay, non-Jewish, Zionist Canadian offered something different to the dialogue about antisemitism, anti-Zionism, Palestinians and peace. It actually never crossed my mind that people might give me money for it. When people started generously subscribing and donating, I threw myself into this project more, partly because I am a writer by trade and I am still building my RSPs for some distant retirement. Based on online advice (!) I started making my Saturday posts for “Paid Subscribers Only.” But, I modestly acknowledge, each one is too delicious to paywall. So I am going to assume that, if you like my stuff and want more of it, you’ll give if you can. If not, please share. (Please share regardless!) No more paywalls. But there may be other incentives I could offer. Not sure what. Got any ideas? Do folks want to get together for online discussions or see me compile some of these posts as a book? Let me know. Meanwhile, enjoy! (If that is the right word for these sometimes dark musings.)