Your aversion to discomfort.
Detachment is expected of us, and we’re helping to condemn thousands in Gaza.
(A mural painted on a wall in an inner city suburb).
First I want to apologise for failing to post on here about this issue before.
The days I’ve spent not posting my own writings on this issue, are days spent researching and formulating an articulate opinion. Despite having made a fairly decision when it comes to my stance here, I’m still incredibly wary of lazy writing on such a grave humanitarian issue, and made the choice to offer you nothing but my clearest thoughts on this. Because I have been fortunate in my life to know peace I also see it as entirely necessary to help advocate for Palestinian people who haven’t; both long before October 7th and ever since.
Addicts – Suckers for comfort
“Every US Citizen is an addict (…) We are all addicted to our comforts, and that is why we won’t see change at the pace we need to”.
Jasmine Harris
Harris’ observations here as in her commentary really stuck with me as I’ve been trying to figure out which angle to dissect the issue from. There are, due to it’s gravity, innumerable things to say ab this topic, but I’ve selected the one I think will resonate most with the majority of my readers who are likely of my same generation – One where our proximity to comfortability governs dictates our behaviour. When I say this, I’m not talking about luxury comforts. More crucially I’m referring to those basic necessities being currently being denied to civilians in Gaza, namely; food, water, electricity, healthcare, and a sense of security. This reality for them paired with the constant threat of excecution is a reality those of us more privileged have never had to experience. As with most tragedies, most of us are unable to conceptualise things we’ve never experienced.
Assuming this was her aim, Harris’ words offered me some kind of revelation. I had been further educated to the insidiousness present even in the wake of seemingly neutral practices. In this context, I’d been shown how our aversion to discomfort can be used to further agendas that we might be morally opposed to. More importantly, I’d been shown the importance of recognising this, if we aren’t to help further condemn those suffering due to our lack of awareness here.
When it comes to media coverage in the west, we have to first question why governments who openly support, fund and equip Israeli forces would expose us to the devastation found at the end of a conflict they’d created.
(This is where the emphasis on comfortability becomes incredibly important).
As ruthless as western governments are with the denial to certain liberties and freedoms, they have always allowed citizens to remain comfortable. Of course our current economic downturn signifies a failure to keep citizens comfortable, but there are still many who are comfortable in their financial hardship under the assumption that at some point things will change.
Stock Photo - Illustration depicting concept of ´Ignorance is bliss´
Relying on our preference for comfort, exposure can be understood a deterrent as well as a means to spreading information. For those of us who live in comfort, we can profess the agony felt for the Palestinian people whilst looking at that place in fear more than anything else. Proportionate to the brutality of the crimes against Palestinian people, the reality is that a lot of us simply aren’t emotionally affected enough by this.
“They’re using it almost the same way we use baby content on this app as birth control (…) You see people without their privileges, human rights, their comforts in life and you go ‘Blinders on!’”.
Harris’ comparison here is a great way to present the characteristic of discomfort as a deterrent. In the same way that having children at first appears a dream to many until they’re faced with the difficulties of parenthood, can be likened to our frequent idolisation of the concept of humanitarianism without considering what that will mean for our access to comfort. Upon being faced with the imagery of unimaginable pain and suffering, we turn our eyes, having been cautioned not to involve ourselves in conflict.
In an effort to establish power and dominance, exposure can a powerful tool. At the moment, this tool pushes us further from radicalism, a necessary feature of our resistance. Where there exists what seems to be sheer news coverage on this latest genocide, we’re also being reminded that in the context of ‘war’ there is a winner or a loser. Where western powers appear to win consistently in the business of brutalism, we drift into a mindset that assures us all that we don’t even want to engage. Many acknowledge that on the surface this looks like to us is an attempt to maintain control by whatever means necessary, and they’d certainly be right.
(But there is simply more to this)…
We’re also being shown a willingness to inflict violence on innocents deemed less deserving of the basic human right to life, with no fear of consequence.
“To me they are like animals, they are not human, the Palestinians are not educated towards peace”.
- Ben Dahan, 2015
Words uttered by Israel’s previous deputy defense minister not only remain the underlying justification for Palestinian genocide today, but contain a sentiment echoed within numerous other instances too. We see this same attitude mirrored in the Congo now, where silent genocide occurs in an effort to clear a pathway to mineral rich soil. This sentiment is also seen trickling down into law enforcement, where agents of an institution can act with impunity. It’s important at this time to recognise the consistency in an approach to control, and how Palestinian suffering is yet another end result of actions made from a well-oiled machine designed to bully and abuse.
A 1906 PUNCH CARTOON.
Toxic positivity has no place in politics
There will always be those who choose to value their comfort over their sensibilities to human suffering, and somehow toxic positivity culture has found its way into discursive spaces or those advocating for a free Palestine. The perpetuation of that peace, love, liberalist approach to conflict with the use of popularly distasteful phrases like “Remember to take a mental health break at this time” and “We need to approach this with love” running recklessly amok online. One particular, formerly adored influencer chose to use her platform to express the all too ‘neutral’ sentiment that “We were all put on this earth to vibe and not be caught in the middle of political crossfire”.
(This is the kind of person who epitomises Harris’ fears of our frailty and reliance on comfort).
Honestly one can only hope that those more impressionable who find themselves online at this time aren’t captive audience members to this kind of rhetoric. The notion that ‘Mental Health Matters’ is after all routinely weaponised to protect the wilful ignorance of a few people in my generation, where what was formerly a necessary de-stigmatisation of mental illness has since been abused to feed an incredible selfishness.
I remember when there was discussion about the weaponization of ‘therapy speak’ for Gen Z, and whilst it’s not so much therapy speak being weaponised here, there is a similar selfishness that comes when we claim that we’re protecting our mental wellbeing by turning a blind eye to the horrors in Gaza, and the recent trend of weaponizing traditionally professionally used language around mental health.
Somehow our scope for humanity only extends for as long as it doesn’t require the maintenance of attention on issues like these. Those in Gaza are in urgent need for people to pay attention to their suffering, yet we’re too addicted to our comforts to think of them as a priority.
But what is the comfort here?
Child-like oblivion.
The notion of ‘self-care’, (self-centredness) as it exists in politics is a complete and utter shame, and the advertising of this kind of self care can be understood as the biggest tool to preventing people from considering collective action.
Questions…
Sometimes I wonder what happened to the supposed innate connection said to exist between people, so that we might truly care about these instances, but perhaps this kind of devotion exists in a mere utopia and nowhere else. Fortunately for western powers, they have succeeded in fostering a certain weakness in most of us, one that darkens even the most basic instincts to protect others. Often times we forget ourselves, and people fail to realise how much of a privilege it is to be able to ‘Take a mental health day’ and send ‘thoughts and prayers’ from afar. As we shop for Halloween weekend, the taxes from our spending an indirect contribution and mindlessly withdraw our attention from Gaza, there still remains those born into colonial occupation; actually having to experience what it means to be ‘Caught in the crossfire’.
I wish we could say that the promotion of mental wellbeing at this time was an insidious effort by oppressive forces going completely unidentified by us for the nature of it’s hiddenness. But the Israeli government has been putting out ads with BetterHelp (est.2013), for weeks now; an entirely transparent effort to divide our attention. Our susceptibility to fickleness is almost insulting to those suffering. Ultimately, community is to be prioritised over self-care, though currently, as western governments turn a blind eye to those dying at their hands, we make it that much easier for them; following suit and facilitating vast horror.
I guess I’m also left wondering whether our aversion to discomfort feeds our ignorance and or whether our ignorance feeds our aversion to discomfort? Figuring out which comes first would help us all tackle the problem, if nothing else. On the one hand, we can very much see where our aversion to discomfort contributes to our ignorance.
For example, sufficient research into British involvement in Gaza would allow those I school with to realise the very real relationship between our education system (which aims to help raise the next generation) and military violence occurring in Gaza.
With a world renowned department in engineering, and thousands of future engineers a captive audience, the university I attend has been known to collaborate with companies like Rolls Royce and Moog, those that happen to help manufacture engines for F-35 jets being used to deploy bombs in Palestine. Since learning of this association I have been in contact with various relevant parties, and my peers, most of whom were left alarmed likely due to the suppression of this information by higher authorities. Here we can see how our unwillingness to turn our eyes to Gaza, researching the ways in which we’re actively contributing to genocide for fear of sacrificing comfort has left us in a position where we’re helping to enable genocide.
It is a common British practice to pretend that the horrors we see don’t exist, and so some of the responses from a place of indifference rarely surprise me.
Yet I’m not here to beg for your support, or even to guilt you into taking action. By now if you don’t feel inclined to stand with the people of Palestine, then I’m sure this post won’t have changed your mind. But as you sit cozied by your comforts both now and going forward, standing firm in your resistance to demonstrating compassion, you might allow yourself to question the authenticity of your indifference and whether or not you’re aversion to discomfort is a mere expectation from those who planned for it.
Asisa
Important Links
Where you can help
https://www.amnesty.org/en/petition/demand-a-ceasefire-by-all-parties-to-end-civilian-suffering/?fbclid=PAAabj3y68caCWD3vmgwoSThBjn1LCJPc-t7m3uxO1AXWoZe39wkOBSIdL15E_aem_AU-gMQjDnQ2DLxn95jQZnmFmCLhgv3kLptDrtd71uiYXetmigI3DMVJ84MXvH4ofzZc – Petition to “Demand a ceasefire by all parties to end civilian suffering” Amnesty international
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/648456 Petition to “Withdraw support for Israel and support Palestine in Israel-Palestine conflict” Petition Parliament UK
https://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/giving/appeals/palestine/#:~:text=Why%20donate%20to%20the%20Palestine,to%20families%20in%20the%20region. (Donate) Palestine Emergency Appeal
Beautifully written and thank you for raising awareness. A lot of people need this hard hit of information to slap them out of their comfort zone. Free palestine 🇵🇸
"As ruthless as western governments are with the denial to certain liberties and freedoms, they have always allowed citizens to remain comfortable." I ADORE this line so much. It was such an incredible way to open up this amazing piece. Comfort goes against any "need" for resistance. You are always a reliable beacon of awareness. 🇵🇸