> I would like to know how would anyone give a positive spin to genocide and civilian displacement
Well... what did Hamas expect after Oct 7th, other than the IDF riding into Gaza and cleaning shop for good?
As for the genocide claim... we're seeing average casualty and collateral damage reports for highly urban warfare. Hard to make a credible claim of genocide.
> I just feel nihilism/defeatism towards the Middle East. In 500 years they’ll still be killing each other with all sides genuinely believing in their righteousness
Phrasing it as something that happens over there is disingenuous when it resource extraction and foreign interference that directly contributed to political unrest and radicalization and war. It is the CIA that poured literal millions in funding extremists groups. It is western troops and bombs and that landed on their soil again and again.
It's not something that simply happens over there, war is not some unforgivable trait related to tanned foreign people who believe in islam. Our governments have their hand in this cookie jar.
The middle east is an outdated term referring to a conflict zone that the West itself created.
You're not being as sly as you think you are. You said "they’ll still be killing each other", implying that this is the nature of the "Middle Eastern" people.
This, of course, is a statement that almost required the person who replied to you to add context due to the absurdity of the statement.
If you genuinely did not mean to imply this, you might consider reading your comments before submitting.
That's not what you said. You implied it's simply in the nature of the Middle East to be fighting religious wars, and that is why you are hopeless.
In fact, the aggressors in this case are European colonists, only 3rd generation or so, and they are pretty much following the standard historical playbook for how European colonists treat locals, including the assumed divine right of genocide ("manifest destiny") The Middle East isn't an especially belligerent place otherwise.
> Between Chinese values and American values which do we prefer? A society with no freedom of speech? Where people are arbitrarily jailed if they voice an opinion against the government? Where the government places citizens in concentration and re-education camps and runs them over with tanks? I mean to me the choice is clear.
If these are the values you are looking at then the difference is slimmer than you think. Until you said tanks I was fairly sure this will be a bait and switch.
Here's a lifehack my dad taught me.
If you have cold feet and no way to warm them - stuff some newspaper (or any kind of paper really) in your boots or socks. Most of the cold comes from moisture and paper is incredibly good at sucking it all up. The difference is huge and instant .
I feel like this trick has saved me from catching a cold on quite a few occassions.
This advice was also given to me if I ever get caught in the rain while camping and soak my shoes.
Bring some newspaper for both a firestarter and for leaving in your shoes overnight, and wake up to dry shoes!
I would like to know how would anyone give a positive spin to genocide and civilian displacement