Racism and propaganda make us believe that barbarism, terrorism, and fanaticism belong to 'the Other'—those who wear different clothes, have different skin colors, different haircut, culture, religion, and ideology. We tell ourselves that we are not barbaric; we are civilized, even if we make 'mistakes'. Even when our leaders’ policies lead to the deaths of tens of thousands or even millions because our politicians still wear fancy suits, speak polished words, and don't appear as violent or backward as the 'terrorist' Other. Even the weapons we use to kill and destroy look modern and clean, not savage like those of the Other.
The propaganda and rhetoric we use to dehumanize Others, to justify and normalize their oppression or even genocide, is cloaked in the language of human rights, peace, democracy, and progress...in our holy values. It’s different from the rhetoric of the Other, which we claim is based on religious fanaticism. This is why, even when our rhetoric leads to death, we don’t see ourselves as fanatical, hateful, bloody, or irrational—unlike the Other.
So, even if we support the ongoing genocide in Gaza, even if our weapons, money, media, and political backing kill more children and women than any armed conflict or crime in decades, we still view ourselves as more civilized and incomparable to the "barbarians" we are suppressing and killing. We kill, burn, and tear children to pieces, all because we supposedly have no other choice—because we are 'forced to.' The Other only understands violence, or so we tell ourselves. The Other is guilty not only when they kill us but also when we kill them and their children.
This is why even when we witness the children, women, and men of the Other burning, suffering, in pain, starving, or reduced to scattered limbs, we still manage to see only the violence, barbarism, and terrorism of the Other. We remain blind to our own crimes, to the weapons we supply, the policies we implement, and the discourse we perpetuate that make these bloody acts possible.
Our empathy becomes selective. We mourn when the violence touches us but remain indifferent when it devastates the Other. The suffering inflicted by our bombs, our sanctions, and our support of oppressive regimes is rationalized or dismissed. Instead of recognizing our own role in perpetuating cycles of violence and destruction, we cling to the belief that we are justified—that our actions, no matter how destructive, are the necessary price of maintaining order, peace, and progress.
This blindness is rooted in the same sense of superiority that justified colonization, exploitation, and mass killings throughout history. It allows us to uphold the illusion of moral high ground even as our actions cause untold suffering. And as long as we continue to normalize the barbarism of our own leaders and governments, and ignore the suffering of those we label as 'barbaric', ' uncivilized' or 'terrorists', we remain trapped in a cycle of violence, self-deception, and hypocrisy.
If we genuinely desire peace, we must confront and reject this selective blindness. We must acknowledge that the violence we so easily attribute to the Other is mirrored in our own actions, our own policies, and our own rhetoric. Only by facing these truths can we begin to dismantle the structures of power and propaganda that sustain the violence and inequality we claim to oppose. If we do not do this, sooner or later, we and our children will taste the pain and suffering of this violence.
#colonization #gaza #palestine #PalestineAction
Aral Balkan
التحرر الرقمي
Ruben De Smet
