@emma@beehaw.org avatar

emma

@[email protected]

New here, looking for my home on the fediverse. Interests include traditional musics from around the world, opera, Asian drama series and growing my own veg.
Decades of life with chronic illness. Brain often malfunctions. Whatever words I’ve gotten out have likely been a struggle. Please be kind.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

You’ve seen in unarguable terms how little Hamas cares for life. They’ll exploit the suffering and deaths of Gazans in their war against Israel. How can you possibly continue to think Gazans are able to “speak up” against Hamas after what you’ve seen Hamas do?

emma, (edited )
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Jewish schools in Europe are closed today. Synagogues and other places where Jews gather have been evaluating the risk they face and acting as they need to. Some might say that the claims Hamas has called for a “Day of Rage” today are internet rumours but we have to take them seriously because the consequences of failing to are so severe.

There will be calls for jihad against Jews. There always are. As emboldened as militants and wanna-bes are by Hamas’, as they see it, success in killing Jews (and yes, I chose that designation specifically and intentionally) last weekend, it won’t be different now. There have been and will be calls for jihad against us.

When Palestine attacks Israel, antisemitic violence around the world increases. When Israel attacks Palestine, antisemitic violence around the world increases. This is what diaspora Jews live with.

Bomb threats on diaspora Jewish organisations started last Saturday. Diaspora Jews have been on high alert all week.

The majority of people at those demonstrations will be peaceful. But some won’t. Some will use the gatherings to foment violence against diaspora Jews. There’s no right answer in this. If you’re affected and chaffing at the denial of your right to shout in numbers, please consider that this ban will very likely save lives, especially in France. Please don’t dismiss this just because those lives are diaspora Jews and you don’t much care about us.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

What a bizarre and unfounded leap. Your assertion is completely and entirely false.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Olmert was working on a plan to withdraw from West Bank next.

If militant Palestinian leadership were willing to live in peace with Israel there would be peace. They’ve refused so many opportunities to become their own independent state because it requires allowing Israel to also exist in peace.

emma, (edited )
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

We’ve all seen what happens when Hamas breaches the border now. That’s why the border and checkpoints are there.

Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 wasn’t an “empty political gesture”. Far from it. So far from it.

It was met by violence. It was met by the rise of Hamas.

And now that Hamas have told you very clearly exactly who they are, believe them. I know you won’t listen to Jews, so look at the utter barbarity and scale of the atrocities Hamas carried out. Look at that honestly and listen to what Hamas is telling all of us about who they are.

Can you do that and still maintain they should have free run of Israel? They slaughtered 260 kids at a music festival for peace. Their charter calls for the slaughter of Jews OUTSIDE of Israel as well as within. And you want Israel to give them open access so they can fulfill it?

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

It would be so lovely if it were possible to open up Gaza whilst still containing Hamas. Do you have a proposal for how to do that? Don’t forget the containing Hamas part. You might not want to accept it but you’ve seen what Hamas will do if they have free access to Israel.

emma, (edited )
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

So you don’t grasp WHY the blockades are in place then? How graphic do I need to get in explaining that they are there to reduce terrorist incursions into Israel and to reduce militants’ missile capability. You have seen what militants do when they breach that border, and yet you want that border open?!?!?

Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 wasn’t an empty gesture. It was a unilateral move towards peace which was violently rejected by Gazans. That part of it doesn’t fit your IsraelBad narrative but it’s vital to understanding the full picture. You have the luxury of ignoring it. You will still be safe. Israelis don’t have that luxury. Palestinian terrorists make sure they can’t forget.

Do you honestly think Hamas and the other militant groups have no power in this at all? Ok, so maybe you aren’t aware of how shitty Hamas is in running Gaza, how much aid money Hamas’ leadership skims off for their own wealth, how they keep some Gazans in poverty so they can be exploited in anti-Israel PR, their whole cult of martyrdom and jihad.

But now you’ve seen how little Hamas cares for human lives. You cannot deny the immense ruthless barbarity of their actions Saturday. They will sacrifice Gazan lives too, because, until the slaughtering rampage last weekend, that is and always has been their most effective weapon against Israel. Hamas, PIJ, Muslim Brotherhood, they will sacrifice civilian Gazans, celebrate them as martyrs and keep on doing it.

How the eff do you counter that peacefully? Please tell me, cause I would love to know.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Yeah, it’s pretty shitty inside Gaza for some people. (There are also luxury shopping malls and much wealth. Vloggers share that part of it on Arabic-language social media, quite different from the idea of universal poverty presented on European-language social media.)

Israel can’t force the PA or Hamas to distribute aid money evenly. They can’t force Hamas to run the Gazan economy better. Israel does not have all the power here.

Militants use the concrete to build underground bunkers for themselves and tunnels into Israel. If they didn’t do that, there wouldn’t be a restriction on the amount of concrete allowed in. Israel isn’t limiting it to be cruel or pissy. Every restriction is an attempt to reduce violence and terrorism.

When militants destroy infrastructure for bringing electricity, water and other supplies in, Israel rebuilds it. The siege is horrible. I do not deny that at all. But Hamas only listens to force. Signs of perceived weakness (including Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005) are taken as a signal to increase attacks, that the infidel opponent is weak and can be destroyed. Hamas is so emboldened by what they “achieved” Saturday, of how weak they made Israel, they’re not going to stop until they are forced to. Why is this aspect of their militancy so hard for westerners to see?

Israel has to show itself as stronger than Hamas. Absorbing the losses without offensive reaction will lead to more and more and more death and violence. If only this weren’t the case, but Israel has to deal with the reality of militant thinking. They don’t have the luxury of internet sophistry like we do. I don’t know how anyone could possibly handle this in terms Hamas, PIJ, Muslim Brotherhood, Iran et al will understand which also keeps civilian Gazans safe.

That, and it is an absolute tragedy, is part of how the militants work. They will sacrifice civilians, celebrate them as martyrs and exploit their deaths and suffering as part of their war to eradicate Israel and bring the entirety of the land - river to sea, not just Gaza, not just West Bank - under sharia law.

Their role in all of this MUST be understood.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Yep. It’s a double edged sword. It sucks. Absolutely sucks.

It also feeds militant goals for war and chaos and hampers everyone’s efforts towards peace. It’s an impossible line for Israel to walk. But you all would rather blame Israel than the militants 🤦

Oh fucking hell. Anything to hang Arab militancy - which has existed since before Israel re-emerged as a modern state - on Israel, eh?

So PRECISELY how does Israel starve Hamas, PIJ, Muslim Brotherhood, and that long history of anti-Jewish militancy? Stop existing? Jump into the sea? That would do it, if the land were finally Judenrein 🙄. Gazans in general might be open to a real resolution to the conflict which accepts the existence of Israel as a Jewish state but their leadership isn’t. How do we remove dictators like Hamas from power? They’re not going to go of their own accord. Israel showing perceived weakness emboldens them. Israel taking steps to reduce terrorism is condemned. It’s an impossible situation and Palestinian militancy thrives on it.

Don’t give me meaningless platitudes that are nothing more than substance-free word play. Deal with the complexity of the reality.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

You’ve made up a whole hell of a lot that I DIDN’T SAY.

So you’re way to counter an impossible situation peacefully is to make up crap about me, list things Israel’s done and hasn’t done (cause some of what you’re citing is jihadi propaganda and make up complete shite about genocide. Yes Israel could wipe Gaza out entirely. They haven’t.

They haven’t.

Israel is in an impossible situation. They contribute to it, but they didn’t create it. ISRAEL CANNOT SOLVE IT ALONE. Any attempt to do so is considered by Palestinian militants a sign of weakness to be exploited. That’s the reality. Deal with it.

But oh no, put all the fucking blame on Israel for not managing to walk an impossible line in an impossible situation.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Wherever you got that 500k number from, get rid of that as a source. It is wrong by several orders of magnitude. Since 2010 it’s 4,882.

Which of course is still 4,882 too many.

The only ethnic cleansing in Gaza was when all Jews were removed in 2005. It is not being ethnically cleansed of Gazans. I am not “justifying ethnic cleansing” in talking about the role Palestinian militants play in these deaths.

What I am trying to get through here is that Palestinian militants are complicit in and exploit these deaths because - until the barbaric rampage last Saturday - these deaths have the militants’ most effective weapon against Israel. They provoke Israel, Israel responds, civilians die, militants continue. When they take a break from provoking, Israel stops too. This is consistent. It’s observable over and over and over again, except it doesn’t become news until Israel responds.

Hamas’ provocation last weekend was so extreme the world sat up and noticed. Israel is responding. It’s the same pattern. You’ve now seen it yourself. It is still true that if Palestine lays down their weapons, there will be no more war; but if Israel lays down theirs, there will be no more Israel.

So back to my question to you, how do you propose to contain Hamas without harming civilians?

If you don’t have an answer, don’t fall back on your old IsraelBad tropes or attacks on me. Recognise that it is an impossible line for anyone to walk. Hamas, who very intentionally embed themselves in civilian centres for the precise reason that attacking them means killing civilians, cannot be contained without harming civilians. That’s not justifying or excusing their deaths at all. I am recognising the reality on the ground which must be dealt with.

I totally forgot how terrible a non-ad-free YouTube experience is

So I’ve been using youtube ad blockers since pretty much when ad blocker extensions were first available. Lately though I’ve been getting hit more and more with these messages that YT was sending out every 5 or so videos telling me that adblockers aren’t allowed. No problem, just gotta wait 5 seconds to x it out and then...

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Use Piped as a front end for y–t—. It’s open source & non-tracking, but views still count. The creator is active on the fedi too.

Individual servers sometimes go off line or lose quality when they’re rate limited. Just try a different server when that happens. If the one you’re using at the time shows ads and there are too many, check preferences to turn them off.

(My addiction is Thai. Also watch some c- and k- too.)

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

i’ve only found k-drama communities on lemmy and it seems like they’re all abandoned. i know several k-fanatics on mastodon, some hardcore c-drama folk and 3 other thai fans. i don’t know if lemmy plays well with the more twitter-like parts of the fediverse but i can introduce you there if you have an account. i think we can DM on here?

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

This just happened. It’s far too early to do more than speculate.

Like we can also connect dots from known things like FBI agents being killed because Trump leaked documents, his connections with Russia directly and thus Iran, to the possibility that information also leaked which compromised agents acting on Israel’s behalf within Gaza. To be clear, this is also speculation.

But yeah, we can create all sorts of scenarios based on bits of information and our biases and ways of looking at the world. We’ll never know everything which factored in.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

This IS a proxy war from Iran.

Iran will give Hamas and other militant terrorist groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad as many arms as they can get across the border.

That’s a rather significant fact to be unaware of.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Hamas is the second richest terror organisation. Funding from Iran but they also grift 13% of all aid money going into Gaza via charges for currency conversion. “Not for resale” aid food products are routinely sold for profit in Gaza.

Hamas routinely chooses military spending over social spending. It’s always been their way.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

False equivalence from you there. Oh so false. I’m pointing out some of the flaws in your thinking. Don’t downplay Hamas’ resources.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

I’m countering the way you downplayed Hamas’ resources. You keep doing this which leads to sloppy opinions. Especially so if you truly are aware of the resources Iran puts into their proxy wars.

The PRESENCE (not necessarily use) of additional weapons NOW is geo-political message to Iran to de-escalate, that the US will respond in some way. Iran will hear it even if you can’t, we’ll see what they do.

emma, (edited )
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Israel is such a small country that the percentage of population killed in these attacks is greater than the percentage of the US population killed in 9/11. Everyone knows someone who was killed, kidnapped or injured.

So yeah, 9/11 has some accuracy as a metaphor.

emma, (edited )
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Are you naive enough to think Hamas is open to a peaceful solution? Their f-ing charter calls for slaughtering Jews OUTSIDE of Israel as well as annihilating those inside.

No peaceful solution is currently possible. There isn’t any solution at all right now.

If it weren’t for the blockade and the security fence, the horrors of Saturday’s massacres would be standard. Hamas shows you exactly who they are and you’re blaming Israel for taking necessary measures to reduce terrorism? Israel isn’t perfect but my word, understand who Hamas are and how much responsibility they have for conditions in Gaza.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

LOL. No. Jihad against Jews existed long before Hamas become an organisation for a small part of it. Your grasp of both history and current events isn’t anywhere near as solid as you seem to think it is. The gap in your logic and knowledge here is a chasm.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

You mean the same report which also talks about arms coming into Gaza via Sudan? But yes, Gaza militants fire so many rockets and missiles at Israel they have to make their own in addition. This smuggling includes key components. And yes, Iran’s contributions are far bigger than smuggling in arms. My bad for not including a full list 🙄

None of this changes the fact that it is a proxy war with Iran.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Proportionally, when the death toll was at 700, that was already EIGHT TIMES the percentage of population as 9/11. In US terms, the equivalent would be 25,000 deaths through terrorism in a single day. (Source: The News Agents podcast)

Six hours ago the death toll was reported as over 1000 in Israel.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

saw a translator post elsewhere for these terms as used by Israeli media - critical condition means head wounds, very unlikely to survive; seriously wounded means living changing injuries. if i can find the post again i’ll link.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Hamas is funded and armed by Iran. Iranian leadership really doesn’t want Saudi Arabia to make a formal normalisation agreement with Israel. Hamas leadership is dedicated to maintaining the wealth they gain from being Iranian proxies. The rest of Hamas is dedicated to destroying Israel.

Hamas is also fighting Fatah for control of the West Bank and the Palestinian Authority government. The worse things are for residents of the West Bank, the better it is for Hamas.

So it’s in Hamas’ interests, both as proxies for Iran and for their own in the West Bank, to do everything they can to force the Arab world to choose sides and scupper every normalisation agreement, especially the big daddy Saudi one.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Meanwhile, the actual IHRA definition explictly states: “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic”.

Once again, for the people who imagine it says something different: “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic”.

Now if we’re talking and it comes out that I’m a Jew and you immediately shift to BUT ISRAEL, that’s racism. You likely understand this for say, Chinese people, right?

If you use antisemitic tropes in your criticism of Israel, those tropes are still antisemitic - whether you realise it or not. Making out it’s “just criticism of Israel” doesn’t erase the tropes of their antisemitism.

If you believe things which are rooted in antisemitism (and yes, a hell of a lot of stuff circulating on the internet which claims to be “just criticism of Israel” does have its roots in antisemitism), those things are still rooted in antisemitism even if you’re ignorant of those origins and are determined to stay in that ignorance.

And once again, the actual IHRA definition explictly states: “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic”.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

oh dear. i do NOT need any more headphones. subscribes anyway because headphones.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

I have zero interest in spending that much time wading through crap just so I can have the personal decision to block it.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

This one actually sounds credible. Or maybe I’m just hoping too hard for a friend.

Recommendations for an outsider

I learned to read in grade school like pretty much everyone else I know, and I remember really enjoying reading for a very narrow portion of my younger years. When reading books became a compulsary part of school, that enjoyment just vanished, and video games ended up filling that void of “solitary passtime”. I dont even...

emma, (edited )
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Another rec for libraries - brilliant places for exploring. And also one for LIBRARIANS. When you go in to sign up for a library card, ask the librarians for suggestions. You will probably make someone’s day to let them help you get into reading. Librarians are really cool like that :)

Also look around for a wee display of curated selections. Those will change every month or so and feature recommended books.

E-books are another possibility and there are many sources of free ones - another low cost way of exploring and experimenting. I read free fluff from the book store app built into my tablet when I’m not up to anything serious, go to Project Gutenberg and Standard E-books for out-of-copyright classics when I am, and sometimes find something on the e-book system I have access to with my library card sign-in. (I rarely buy e-books as I prefer to put my book budget to subscriptions from small presses because they need our support and an unexpected book arriving in the post is a delight.)

Some of the high school curriculum will always be dry, but some of it is just forced on us when we’re still too young to really understand what’s going on and it’s much more interesting when we have enough experience and maturity to get it. So if you come across something you have bad memories of but it sounds interesting, try it again.

For a specific rec, I’m going to suggest Death and the Penguin by Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov. 1996, but shouldn’t be hard to find in translation given the recent western interest in Ukraine. This was my review: “Quietly absurdist, yet feels well grounded in the realities of time and place. Pacing, flow and details are excellent; exceptionally well written and translated. Don’t find out more about it, wondering what is going on is part of its appeal, just read it :)”

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

I was never so glad I’d bought a normal telly as the week I spent in a rental with a “smart” one.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

I like the idea of this very much and I hope someone has made/does make it.

What’s the book? Who knows, you might find the core of your group just by sparking interest in the book. Good luck :)

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

I am careful that way. Thanks for this.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

Self-hosting on Mumble isn’t going to help me join existing communities on Discord, is it? I already have an over-abundance of opportunities to talk to myself ;P

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

ok, thanks. this is the kind of info i’m looking for. disappointed to hear but better to know.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

these replies are making me feel less lonely. thanks x

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

yes! words are tricksy wee beasties

sending empathy in whatever form works best for you in this moment

Where To Find Actually Good Search Engines?

I’m kind of tired of Google sending me to the same 3 sites whenever I search for something. If not the same 3 sites it’s 7 others that are so generic and boring I just feel they’re useless. It’s always makeuseof, androidauthority, or whatever other sites that have useful information but I rarely feel like they are saying...

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

“propitiatory indexing” is a delightful autocorrect :)

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

The current climate of “discourse” in the US works against effective teaching. I do know what I’m talking about here; teaching emotionally charged subjects was my strength but it’s nearly impossible to online these days.

I have no idea how you get out of this dynamic when it’s become so deeply embedded in how things are done, just that for every person who manages to learn something amidst the shouting, another is driven further away from what you wish to teach. But this is where we are and what we have to work with.

This can be true along with the unfairness of putting the burden on the disadvantaged side. I don’t know the answer. Perhaps there isn’t one.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

I don’t come anywhere near close to meeting the requirements for intentional communities. Chronic illness is a real bastard. I don’t need much and the quality of my life could so easily be improved by just a little help from others, but everyone - even intentional communities - is caught up in focusing on how much others can help them. What I can give is less tangible, and therefore dismissed.

I don’t want to abandon society but I do recognise we’d all be far better off if we lived in ways which were less isolating. Every person/family for themselves harms us all.

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

I’m part of the We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it generation, so for me it will always include everyone, even if fashions change.

What do you do when a great book has an absolutely uninteresting storyline?

I always say to myself that it is not worth to force books through. I do like 1/5th then I drop it if it did not catch me. Now I’m reading Pandora’s star which is a great scifi book and sandwitched inbetween the great scfi chapters there is this uninteresting detective storyline with zero scifi, people talking to eachother...

emma,
@emma@beehaw.org avatar

I tend to set things down if it’s not working for me at the moment, because sometimes later I’ll come back to it and it will. But in this case, where it’s part not the whole you’re struggling with, maybe you just need to know what the point of the bits you find uninteresting is? The writer will have included all of it for a reason.

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