It’s taken me a while to figure out how to keep my weekly commitment to writing when there are so many more important voices to hear from right now.
The second week of October 2023 has been distressing.
A massive earthquake hit Afghanistan with an estimated death toll of 1000 people. And then, a second earthquake hit a few days later. I thought I’d be seeing a lot more news about this online, but I didn’t. The massive earthquake barely made the headlines.
Like I said, the second week of October 2023 has been distressing.
The Israel-Palestine conflict escalated and is showing no signs of approaching a ceasefire any time soon. The impact is catastrophic. I used to think this was a complex, nuanced issue. But I no longer think that.
I’m choosing to see it this way: There’s an oppressor, and there are the oppressed. That’s it. And since I’m not being called on to solve international conflicts and foster diplomatic relations, I can do that.
I usually refrain from discussing politics, current affairs, and stuff of massive consequence on this blog. I stick to pop culture, internet culture, modern life, social media, and our relationship with ourselves in light of all these cultural forces. Today, it’s impossible for me to just look away and look at something else. I’m trying hard to not let this entire essay come across as virtue signalling, that is not my intention at all. But if I’m misunderstood, that’s a relatively small consequence for me to bear and I’ll do it gladly.
It’s been impossible for me to think of much else this week. I’ve wept over the tragedy, the lives lost, and the depravity of this situation. I’ve felt my heart sink with every update. I have the option to check out and log off social media for my mental health but I don’t feel like it right now.
I don’t want to look away and ‘unplug’ and brand my individualism/selfishness as self-care. I feel like I need to bear witness to what’s happening, and I’m choosing to be affected. I’m paying attention and I’m learning, and talking about it. To me, these are imperative steps.
And I’m grieving at the loss of humanity – a kind of grief that’s profound in its helplessness. I’m grieving at the injustice of people being caught in the crossfires of a battle they didn’t choose. And since this conflict is playing out in some very damaging ways online, social media is inextricably part of the conversation.
Sometimes when bad things happen, it’s okay to allow yourself to feel bad about it. It’s okay to get angry at injustice while you’re in the process of educating yourself on what’s happening. It’s okay to learn, evolve, and grow – even in public if you choose to be vocal about your views.
It’s also okay to choose your own safe spaces to share your opinions. It doesn’t have to be on Instagram, or on your family WhatsApp group. It could be with a few trusted friends. I don’t imagine for a second that the internet and social media are safe, unbiased spaces.
Unlike many other conflicts where people online are loud and proud about fighting oppression (yet can’t do much to change the systems that enable it) in this particular conflict with Palestine, the narrative is different.
It’s complex. As people like to call it.
There’s rampant misinformation online, even from credible news sources, and these false narratives have real-life consequences. As with most cases of extreme oppression, those being oppressed are also being silenced. Their internet access is taken away. Their voices are deliberately drowned out. Their accounts are being banned.
One of my biggest mental roadblocks with online discourses like the one we’re having right now was my desire for it to sound productive rather than simply punitive. I obviously don’t imagine we’ll solve this conflict in the comments section, but I’ve been trying to remind myself that anger is a powerful emotion, and sometimes dissatisfaction needs to be expressed and acknowledged fully before next steps are even considered.
Learning, talking, and sharing – this is the start, and not the end of our involvement.
History, with all its complexity, is punctuated by events that challenge the moral fabric of humanity. Moments that compel us to question our collective conscience. It has a haunting way of asking us: “Where were you?” when pivotal moments reshape the world. It’s a question that pierces the conscience, but it isn’t meant to assign guilt, rather to spur introspection.
Today, as I reflect upon the enduring tragedy of the ongoing Palestinian oppression and genocide, I find myself grappling with that very inquiry.
I wasn’t living in the world’s largest open-air prison when it was bombed relentlessly and starved of basic necessities. I wasn’t caught under the rubble or facing the harrowing reality of hiding my children during an airstrike. I wasn’t standing at checkpoints, enduring the anguish of life under occupation.
I wasn’t there.
But I’m listening to the stories of the people that are there, and listening is my act of solidarity.
These are the Instagram accounts of journalists and people committed to sharing the real stories of what’s happening on the ground in Gaza. Because the mainstream news outlets are rife with propaganda, it might be a bit startling to see how much the reality differs from what’s being reported.
And because corporations like Meta are complicit in silencing free speech, these accounts are often taken down or shadow banned. Two big ones were temporarily taken down just yesterday.
Here’s where you can learn more about what’s happening for as long as there are updates and internet access:
- Key48: Full of helpful educational resources
- Yousef Mema (Joegaza93): The best place for on the ground updates from an activist and PICU nurse based in Gaza
- Gazan Girl
- Let’s Talk Palestine
- Sanad Zaqtan
- Hind Khoudary: Palestinian journalist based in Gaza.
- Yasmeen Alhaj
- Palestine Is Still The Issue: If you really want a deep dive into essential texts, critical theory, political insights, art and cultural writing by Palestinian authors, texts on war and imperialism, this drive folder is regularly updated with new stuff.
Follow them. Follow the stories. Listen and learn.
I’ll be back next week, hopefully with less important stuff to talk about.
Unfinished Conversations 
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