The Cynicism of Abusing Humanity
And how to condemn terrorism done in your name.
Recently in The Bulwark:
CHARLIE SYKES: Normie GOP, R.I.P
JVL: Crossing Jordan 🔐
JUST BETWEEN US 🎧 : Why is There No Passionate Centrism? 🔐
You can support The Bulwark by subscribing to Bulwark+ or just by sharing this newsletter with someone you think would value it.
MONA CHAREN: Hamas Uses Israel’s Humanity Against It.
IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT WE’VE LEARNED about our culture in the age of social media, it’s that we have the memories of goldfish. Our critical faculties have atrophied as we consume clips of information (mostly visual) packaged to appeal to our lizard brains. We are forever in the moment.
Hamas is banking on that. Its sadistic attack on Israel constituted an encyclopedia of war crimes: targeting civilians, rape, parading of corpses, burning people alive in their homes, torture, killing children in front of their parents and vice versa, beheading babies, kidnapping, and more. But Hamas knows that those atrocities will fade quickly from memory. They will be replaced—they are already being replaced—by images of Palestinian civilians fleeing from their homes, or weeping over the bodies of their lifeless children, or surveying their smashed neighborhoods. After a few days of this horror, even people of goodwill will begin to forget their sympathy for Israel and demand that the killing stop. “What good does it do?” they will ask. “How can Israel claim moral superiority when its only answer to the suffering of its own people is to inflict the same thing on its enemies? Aren’t both sides equally at fault?”
🎥 PODCASTS AND VIDEOS 🎧
Did you know? Bulwark+ members can listen to an ad-free version of these podcasts on the player of their choice.
Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.
WILLIAM SALETAN: How to Condemn Terrorism Done in Your Name.
ON FEBRUARY 25, 1994, Baruch Goldstein, a Jewish settler in the West Bank, gunned down scores of Muslims as they prayed at the Cave of Patriarchs, a holy site in Hebron. Twenty-nine victims died. More than 100 were wounded.
Four days later, in a searing speech, the leader of a Middle Eastern country called Goldstein a “weed,” “a degenerate murderer,” and “a shame on Zionism.” He described with contempt how, “in the middle of the Ramadan fast, a villainous Jew opened fire and killed scores of Muslim worshipers.”
That leader was Yitzhak Rabin, the prime minister of Israel.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
It was not Jim Jordan’s day…. But at least he put on a jacket for the humiliation. We laughed, we cried, we kissed a few hours goodbye, and there’s no new Speaker. (And nobody got hurt.) And we still head towards shutdown. Matt Gaetz may have friends now, but if he ruins Thanksgiving? Ken Buck had quite the day on media.
As Charlie often says… Come back tomorrow, and we’ll do this all over again.
Red October Returns… While my teams aren’t in the playoffs, it is that time of year where Mark Willott’s MLB on TBS sometimes makes its way into my dreams. (Don’t judge.)
I’m beginning to believe the Phillies might just be a Team of Destiny. And if you keep up numbers like this?
That stat is now 5-0 and 29-8. Bonkers.
Audio on for this… Ukraine just got ATCAMS.
The Conspiracy to End America… My pal Stuart Stevens has a new book out, it’s wonderful. (Albeit a depressing topic!) Make sure you pick up your copy today or request it from your local library.
The Daily Wire… is getting into children’s programming. Expect more of this, but probably fewer apologies.
Jack “Winnebago Man” Rebney… On the use of foul words.
“I Don’t Think They Care”… Virginia Is Slow-Walking the Fix to a Wrongful Voter Purge.
Tech support questions? Email members@thebulwark.com. Questions for me? Respond to this message
Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.
