11:31 PM - My Link "Odyssey"
Okay, corny title. But this week marks the first anniversary of my first ever message on this site. I remember reading a rather intelligent opinion piece (one year ago, almost to the day) by somebody who was tired of the mindless debate that was filling this school. It gave me a good impression of this paper, (which would easily be categorized by some people I know as a "commie rag"), and the intelligent, hard-working editors and writers who get the hard facts to us, the students.
This past year I have sort of discovered myself, or rather my people, and earnestly learned a lot about both Jewish religious practice and nationalism, ie: zionism. Being ever the rebel (and self-styled prophet ;-), I have tried to bring some people around to my point of view, but quickly discovered that most people have made their minds up about the contentious Israel-Palestine issue, and the best way for me to get along with friends both new and old was to avoid talking about Israel, or even Judaism.
In the halls, I debated Samer Elatrash, Sami Nazzal (whose response to my repeated opinion that Jews have at least as much a claim to a homeland as Palestinians do, was to finally say, "Well, maybe you have some racism" and stand up and walk away) and Yves Engler at length but realized that, for one reason or another, they refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of my position. I stood and asked pointed questions at the SPHR booth, in the naive hope that some people would come around to my belief in a two-state solution, but found myself soon wishing I had just kept walking. It would be frustrating to find somebody who was obviously intelligent, but whom I could not convert to my own (self-?) righteous (read: leftwing moderate) zionism. Eventually, I realized that I could not win. The end of my political virginity, I guess.
My family is Jewish on my mother's side, but most of them have not been to Israel and are not at all religious. Also, most of my friends one year ago were not Jewish. One girl I dated was Algerian. Another classmate was Palestinian. Why offend? So talking about politics became a no-no.
But on the internet, it is possible to say what one pleases (within reason) and not have to worry about offending people. Some people are probably even offended by the fact I am Jewish (my Concordia experience has, unfortunately, taught me too much about racism) , but I felt protected by the anonymity of my user name, Tambourine_Man. The internet is big enough for all kinds of people and views.
Another part of anonymity is the chance to say things that one would never say to anybody in person. It was only recently that I told a few friends about my postings here (one girl I know jokingly asked if I was "tormented") and there are definitely some personal things that I would take down from this website, if I could. But all in all, I am proud af having stood by my people and my country (or rather countries, because I am also a proud Canadian), in my own way, here at Concordia.
Thoughts for today -
Ted Turner once used an expression that has stayed with me, "Lead, follow, or get out of the way." That was before he was swept aside by the AOL Time Warner deal. So his advice may not be the best. Then again, he did know to get out of the way when the getting was good. So did Conrad Black (or Lord Black of Crossharbour, or whatever he goes by nowadays...) and the owners of just about every newspaper that is now owned by media giant Izzy Asper. Sometimes you can't beat the Man (or as the case may be, the Woman), and you have to cash in.
Other times, it is a lot more rewarding to follow. There are rabbis and other people on the political right who I have met who have a lot to teach. And I am convinced that the reason Israeli politics (and particularly the left-centre) is such a constant mess is that it is made up of individualistic people who would rather resign (Dalia Rabin), or join an unelectable party (Yossi Beilin and Sarid jumping to Meretz) because they tire of the daily grind involved in power politics. Ariel Sharon's Likud party may have its dishonest party hacks and a few MK's who got elected because of who they knew rather than who they were, but one has to hand it to them for tenacity and cohesion. Ditto Paul Martin here in Canada. Many left-wing types are much too individualistic to be part of a real political process, and it's a mark of arrogance imho. The Golan was won in 1973 (or was it 74?) partly because of the sacrifice of a few brave IDF soldiers who allowed themselves to serve as human bridges over fences of barbed wire. In my mind, it is hard for me to fully grasp what these people could possibly have been thinking. But I know that individualism is not always a virtue. Neither, come to think of it, is a light touch. Most of the idealistic people that I have met in my life, are not able to be both empathetic, discerning, and also (when the situation demands it) utterly ruthless. Ariel Sharon ruthless. Yasser Arafat ruthless. Rumsfeld, Rice, and Cheney ruthless. The kind that inspires both respect and fear from ordinary people like me.
Maybe I will step back from the liberal views of my family (my grandparents were hardcore communists, like a lot of Jews from their generation) or from political debate altogether, and learn to follow my gut. It is more rewarding to learn about Judaism than to debate endlessly with people whose minds are closed to everything but their own list of grievances. Maybe Thomas Friedman is right, that the only change that matters is that which happens from within, and all of the hippies and treehuggers in the world will not change the world until they change themselves.
That sounds like some sort of New Year's resolution. Then again, maybe this is too much philosophy for a one-year web-versary...
'Nite all. Shana Tova.