Why is Gen Z so pro-Palestine and anti-Israel?
Category: News & Politics
Via: vic-eldred • last year • 19 commentsBy: Juan P. Villasmil (The Hill)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Polls, hashtags, Instagram stories and college demonstrations show that my generation, Generation Z, is more skeptical of Israel than older Americans. On TikTok, where half the users are under 30, #freepalestine has 31 billion posts compared to 590 million for #standwithisrael — more than 50 times as many.
Most of these bite-sized videos seem to be filmed by teenagers who have about as much knowledge of the conflict as I do (not a lot). Yet what these kids lack in information, they make up for with passion. While older Americans may still see TikTok as the app where teens perform silly dances, it's time they start seeing it as the media source that most shapes their kids' worldview.
Some politicians already recognize this — hence the calls to have TikTok banned entirely. Regardless of your stance on that, here's what's certain: An app that has American teens convinced that they've suddenly become experts on Middle Eastern history and politics is worth taking seriously.
In the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the latest TikTok trends demonstrate something that's been growing for years: the imperialistic nature of American far-left thought. Ironically, uniquely American perspectives — often espoused in the name of anti-imperialism — have themselves become imperialistic, forcing their way into affairs where they simply don't belong.
The first time I encountered this was when I began my college journey at American University, where I first learned that, in the eyes of my peers and professors, my #livedexperience of living in Caracas for more than a decade actually made me less knowledgeable about Venezuelan affairs than the average darker-skinned political science student.
"You can't speak honestly about what is happening in Venezuela because you are white and rich," I was once told. To which I remember responding that almost half of the country's population is white and more than 90 percent live under the poverty line. There is much more I could've said about the cultural factors that make looking at Venezuela through the prism of American race relations inadequate, but I knew there was no point, as my fellow student had abandoned reason.
I see this same phenomenon at work in my peers' online reactions to the Israel-Hamas war. To be fair, there are some respectable folks making sophisticated arguments for why Israel's policy toward Palestine is detrimental, pointing out ways in which the Israeli government has sponsored injustice and calling for restraint. But a sizable faction of online activists are extending critical race theory and the Black Lives Matter movement into the Palestine-Israel conflict to such an extent that they flat out deny reality.
There are many people my age who feel (not think) that this conflict has only victims and oppressors. There are individuals who see in a foreign cause nothing but a mirror. In a way, they're motivated more by vanity than by compassion. They want to let others know how much they care, but their expressed empathy is not often accompanied by charity.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine is long and complex. As much as some say that taking a side is obligatory, doing so without prudence is wrong. "I don't know" is not a hateful phrase, no matter what activists say. What is hateful is to assume that one group is inherently evil. Sadly, when it comes to Israel-Palestine, this is exactly where much discourse lands.
Juan P. Villasmil is an Intercollegiate Studies Institute editorial fellow at The Spectator World and a Young Voices contributor.
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There are many people my age who feel (not think) that this conflict has only victims and oppressors.
And there it is. They go to college and become indoctrinated tools.
there's always a segment of a group that are so ignorant they're susceptible to and preyed upon by agenda driven media outlets looking to exploit their lack of critical thinking skills. [Deleted]
I think what some fear most is that the majority of them will NOT be voting for the former 'president'.
Young people dont know a balanced history of the region. They see the Palestinians "occupied" by Israel for the past 75 years, and that is basically enough to make them opposed to Israel. Its a shame the Israelis dont understand how much the occupation is damaging them.
Really?
Well, yeah.
How would they think that? Israel didn't have Gaza occupied when they were attacked.
Good god. Gaza is not the entirety of the Palestinian people. Its not even half. Prior to the attack Gazans were not allowed to come and go within Israel as they wished. Their electricity, water , and supplies from the outside were and are controlled by Israel. Israel could enter Gaza any time they wanted for any reason in a military action.
You seem to know absolutely nothing about the West Bank. What the heck do you read every day?
Oh the west bank
Here John:
Israel claims historical and religious rights to the West Bank as the ancestral land of the Jewish people. It also says its presence there - especially in the Jordan Valley - is strategically vital for its self-defence.
It says settlements are not an obstacle to peace and that they would remain part of Israel under any peace deal with the Palestinians, whether they are annexed now or not.
Mr Netanyahu has long championed the settlements and through annexation wants to remove any doubt as to their fate, something which strongly appeals to his political base.
Why is this being talked about now?
Until recently, Mr Netanyahu would have faced solid opposition among the international community to such a move.
However, Donald Trump's Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, unveiled in January, allows for Israel to "incorporate" all the settlements - something no previous US administration had countenanced.
Explainer: Israel, annexation and the West Bank (bbc.com)
I think either of those areas being a place for the "Palestinians" is rather insane. Why would Israel allow for Palestinian territory on both sides of Israel?
There is only one way for the fucking "two state solution" to work. The Palestinian state CANNOT border Israel.
the bible I wrote for my religion says that god promised me america. you're trespassing on my property. time to pack your stuff and move on ...
Your rationale for the decades long occupation of the Palestinians is that Israel claims religious rights to the land, and you wonder why young people oppose your beliefs.
My rationale for the occupation of the Palestinians IS THAT THEY HAVE REPEATEDLY ATTACKED ISRAEL.
Schools ignoring history and getting their news from Chinese spyware, whose messaging reflects the pro Hamas stance of China.
Like CRT?
Yes, exactly. Racialist propaganda instead of history.
like catholic schools ignoring the roman catholic church sponsored atrocities in the new world?
When did you last review their curriculum? My friends daughters Catholic High School cover US History in the Junior year, largely conforming to AP exam curriculum.