The shock doctrine of the post–Oct. 7 world overloads the various channels for information everywhere you look, all the time. It is rather impossible to look away. It’s impossible to look away from the thousands of Palestinians and other neighboring Arab countries who’ve been the subject of the expansionist conquest of a greater Israel. Student encampments here in the US, mainly in high profile schools, faced tremendous state brutality for practicing their first amendment rights.
This happened under a supposedly progressive administration, whose undying loyalty to Zionism ultimately cost them the election to a much greater evil.
Furthermore, we live in a time today, in which conditions are impacting our lives in a much heavier way than any of us could’ve imagined. The administration is kidnapping our brothers and sisters in the streets. For the crime of seeking a better life. Escaping the horrid conditions left by imperialism, colonialism and the cruel and ruthless impact of climate change. Our academic freedoms are fleeting, depending on where you live and what school you attend. Vaccines for preventable and long dormant diseases are no longer guaranteed. Not only for us as adults, but for our children as well. On top of all of that, our local representatives turn their backs on the lives in Gaza and the West Bank. They are completely disconnected from us. Here in the valley alone, our district representative and both senators, and our current and prospective governors have taken thousands, if not more, in “donations” from the American-Israeli lobbying group better known as AIPAC.
I know for many of us, this is wholly overwhelming. And depending on your identity, absolutely terrifying. Make no mistake, in the age of Neo-Fascism clouding over liberal democracies all across the Western world, we feel a comprehensible sense of dread and anguish. We feel for our neighbors in the cross-hairs, we feel a genuine uncertainty for tomorrow.
However, at this movement and beyond, we don’t feel defeat, in any sense of the word. Millions everywhere, all around the world are working around the clock for Palestinian emancipation. Just last week, a group of over 50 ships set sail in the latest iteration of the “Freedom Flotillas” in an attempt to break the ongoing famine and illegal siege of the Gaza Strip.
We are in a sort of unprecedented time here in the U.S and beyond. Yet amidst all the darkness, you see a sea of resilience, our friends from all different backgrounds and walks of life. Being a student here at EMU for a very short time has shown me a lifetime of humanity and inspiration. It’s taught me in this short time, that the better world for all that we dream of feels closer than ever before when we’re on campus together. Through a multi-part writing, I want to tackle the question being asked all across the world in the face of the world’s first live-streamed genocide, happening on our phone screens every day. It is a challenging time all across the globe. Yet together, here at EMU we are constantly confronting the question of our time: what is to be done?