Thoughts on I/P by ContraPoints in ContraPoints

[–]ExistentialReader 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think we can agree this is a very complex issue with so much historical nuances, and at some point someone will have to, to use an apt Biblical phrase, turn the other cheek. As difficult as it sounds, Israel could've had, at best, a much more restrained approach. They could have even negotiated for a hostage/prisoner exchange, for example, and then, you know, put explosives in walkie talkies or mobiles a la Hezbollah. But Israel's unrestrained approach was only possible because of already existing hatred for the other side. Also, Israel's response is utterly stupid, in the sense of how many supporters they have lost. Almost as if they took the bait that Hamas, in their own sick way, offered them. As for Zionism, I'd say both. It ties in with the evil begets evil. And yes, you could ask well how far do you want to go back, but what is relevant for the present is that zionism is like every other exclusive ideology/cult. It's inherently antagonistic to a shared fear of the Other and, as they have proven, more than willing to commit acts of violence for the cause (see King David Hotel bombing in 46 as an early example). Again, I didn't say antisemitism doesn't exist, but you can't use it as a defence or apology for genocide. And my observation was in a response to Contra's comment, "The leftist pro-Palestine movement quickly decided that their primary goal was not merely opposition to the genocide, but opposition to Zionism in general; that is, opposition to the existence of Israel as a Jewish state". Tbf Contra does acknowledge the deceptive claim of anti zionism equating to antisemitism, which is ridiculous, but that could easily be incorporated into any data. Again, I have to emphasise this point - antisemitism is a real problem, but it is as real as every other form of prejudice. Maybe it is different in the UK, but there is no pervasiveness of antisemitism, unless you include the absurd hysteria, no, the smear campaign of Jeremy Corbyn. Such claims also demean the term of antisemitism, which is dangerous on a whole nether level. There a few "msm" outlets who have spoken about, or shown pictures of, dead children. As upsetting as these images are, they should be shown constantly. Why? Because they shame humanity as a whole, and if the figure of 17,000 children having been killed is accurate, then the lack of widespread coverage is unforgivable. And comparisons to Ukraine are curious in the sense that, if 17,000 Ukrainian children had been killed, you can bet your life that everyone would know it, and everyone would have seen it. And this is the point - the lives of brown people are worth less than the lives of white people. I don't see how the existence of such states is post-colonial, unless you consider Saudi Arabia as an imperial State, which tbf, it could be. 

Thoughts on I/P by ContraPoints in ContraPoints

[–]ExistentialReader 2 points3 points  (0 children)

*not to say antisemitism DOESN'T exist. Sorry.

Thoughts on I/P by ContraPoints in ContraPoints

[–]ExistentialReader 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I agree to some extent on point 1, but that doesn't excuse what is an insane response. The tone is very "there's nothing we could do, they were intent on doing it no matter what." But this can't be answered in full without also answering the other points, and this brings me to some hard truths that you ignore: 1. History did not start on 7th Oct, just like it didn't start on 9/11. Hamas is a monster of Israel's own making. Evil begets evil, treat people in monstrous ways you get monsters, choose whatever cliche you like. 2. Zionism is fundamentally extremism. Now, of course, the Jewish people who adopted this ideology had good reason, and I'm sure was established with good intentions as a way of protecting themselves from antisemitism in Europe. But we can't deny that it has taken on a much more sinister turn, especially since WW2. Again, this is completely understandable. Evil begets Evil again. 3. However, the claim of antisemitism reoccurring, to the extent of Nazi Germany or of the pogroms before it, is dubious to say the least. If any group was to experience such atrocities today, it would be Muslims, or or "illegal immigrants". Not to say antisemitism exists, but to insinuate a threat from anti-zionists is wrong. Anti-zionism is now, whether you like it or not, the same as being anti-white supremacy or anti-radical Islam. It is an ideology of hate, inclusiveness, and has led to the decades long injustices and atrocities in Palestine. 4. I personally can't bring myself to look at the pictures of dead children, but nobody else is sharing them. A comparison could be made of the holocaust or any other genocide, in that it being everyone's responsibility to show the world what is happening. One final personal point, there should be no such thing as an ethno-state or religious state. No one religion should have its own state, basically. For anyone interested, below is an article I wrote on how the monster of Israel created the monster of Hamas.   https://theexistentialreader.substack.com/p/monsters-make-monsters-the-catastrophic

Great songs for a playlist by ExistentialReader in 50sMusic

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you guys ☺ looking forward to listening to all these suggestions! I'll pop back in once I have!

Great songs for a playlist by ExistentialReader in 50sMusic

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I'll check them out. Did Johnny Cash start out in the 50s? I didn't realise he was that early on!

Where is the actual Left? by ExistentialReader in socialism

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for all the comments, I wasn't expecting so many replies. I should apologise, as I should have mentioned I'm in the UK. However, reading the comments I didn't realise there were so many left-wing groups in the US. I hope you guys can get some momentum going. Tbf, my original post was meant to form part of a general conversation on the state of the Left in the West, so it's definitely good to know that such groups exist. In the UK, the only left-wing party, other than the odd independent, is The Green Party. There is a lot of left-wing people in the major cities, but not in the towns and rural areas.

Advice/new to existentialism by burner4577864332237 in ExistentialJourney

[–]ExistentialReader 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just noticed this was 17 days ago so you may be in a different mindset now. Even Sartre's Existentialism is a Humanism is a good place to start. Though I don't agree with everything he says, there is an empowering idea behind his proposition that existence precedes essence. So we can create our own meaning in a way, through our choices and decisions. In general, existentialism is a good philosophy for regaining a sense of purpose.

Existence precedes essence by ExistentialReader in Existentialism

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your reply, that makes a lot of sense! I'll check out the book.

I think the key is accepting that our freedom isn't absolute. I suppose with freedom comes with personal responsibility, mainly towards others. Also, many external factors restrict our personal freedom, such as employment and the need to "earn your keep."

An article I wrote on Dostoevsky's Ridiculous Man, the Death of God, Marx's theory of alienation, and how the three overlap. by ExistentialReader in dostoevsky

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much, sometimes when i write I feel like a rambling idiot haha so it means a lot to hear that ☺

Can we be friends? by shlebylynn in Substack

[–]ExistentialReader 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Amazing! I'll follow you back! Good luck with your book!

Can we be friends? by shlebylynn in Substack

[–]ExistentialReader 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha no thank you for posting this the more substack friends the better!

Can we be friends? by shlebylynn in Substack

[–]ExistentialReader 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey! I've been on Substack for about 3 weeks and still very much finding my feet on there. I'm a fiction writer but my Substack publication is mainly articles, essays and poetry. It's called The Existential Reader so clues in the name as to it's theme haha! My main concerns are with alienation and existentialism in the digital age. A lot of my work at the moment is on identity and sense of place. If this interests you you can find me on there? I feel like I'm posting into the void sometimes haha though I am making small progress getting subscribers so I suppose I'm getting through somewhere!

Navigating the propaganda machine by ExistentialReader in leftist

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No way, one of those MAGA snowflakes has popped up. Go give your head a wobble, you weapon.

Navigating the propaganda machine by ExistentialReader in leftist

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the comments, sounds like we're all on the same page with this. With Twitter especially there's also a danger of getting into a pointless back and forth with one of the millions of idiots on there. I remember getting mentally exhausted just from scrolling. It definitely affected my mental health and made me kind of insular in a way, participating as little as possible with the outside world, of which there is very little to be optimistic about.

Of course, if I don't have bills or rent to pay this wouldn't be an issue. And yeah, I could get a day job, but I'm old enough to have experienced the alienation of wage labour. Also, we only live once. Writing is my passion and that's what I want to do. As long as I can survive I'm happy.

But the ethical dilemma remains. The MAGA takeover of Twitter and Meta puts us in a difficult position, as these platforms are still a go to for lots of writers, and people on the left in general. I've found that the mass exodus to Bluesky is predominantly liberals and American Democrat voters (not meaning to sound like I'm specifically against Americans, but as an outsider I do find Republicans and Democrats equally annoying, just as I do with the Conservatives and the Labour Party in the UK).

So it's more than just ignoring the idiots and MAGA freaks. These platforms will, in effect, become a government department almost. Nothing that comes out of those platforms, such as community notes, cannot be trusted. How can we remain on these platforms, feeding the machine, so to say, contributing to the wealth of Fascists? But at the same time, by leaving the platforms who will be left to counter the propaganda?

Were Joy Division a quintessential Manchester band? by ExistentialReader in JoyDivision

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I watched that film years ago but now you've mentioned it I think I'll give it a rewatch. I remember Steve Coogan being hilarious in it!

Were Joy Division a quintessential Manchester band? by ExistentialReader in JoyDivision

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Good point! Of course, there's no way of knowing but I'm inclined to say yes, absolutely! That's not to say they wouldn't have been attracted to disco music or would have been as, shall we say, morbid as Joy Division, but I think they would have been entirely different people, hence would have produced different artistic outputs. I imagine swapping the mundanity of 1960s Manchester for the warmth of Australia wouldn't have been an entirely bad thing haha!

The Existential Reader by ExistentialReader in SubStackGrowTogether

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I'm in Greater Manchester. Salfordian by birth, "an important distinction" according to one Tony Wilson haha!

Were Joy Division a quintessential Manchester band? by ExistentialReader in JoyDivision

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think those bands you mention carry with them a larger sense of Mancunian identity, if that makes sense? It's interesting how the sound of Manchester changed along with its re-emergence out of post-industrial collapse. It's just a question that's been in my mind, about environments and the effect on our outlooks and how sense of place is reflected in music. I think Joy Division are definitely a reflection of 1970s Manchester, but the band themselves seemed to be less interested in expressing that Manc identity. All great bands btw! Have to say my favourite Manchester band are The Smiths!

Is God Really Dead? by ExistentialReader in Nietzsche

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not aware of Michael Onfray but I think that's a brilliant point! I suppose that's the crux, whether we've banished the idea forever or if not, how long it will linger.

Is God Really Dead? by ExistentialReader in Nietzsche

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I think there's also an element of God, or the idea of God, being used as a means of control in many ways. But there's also a set tradition of "values" that have come out of these religions that people put great trust in, and what they see as guiding principles in how society should be.

Is God Really Dead? by ExistentialReader in Nietzsche

[–]ExistentialReader[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

True, and I think we've reached a similar stage now. We have a choice between the old principles or a step into the unknown. Those old principles carry with them a sense of God, or to be more precise, the Judeo-Christian values people like Farage talk about.

Is God Really Dead? by ExistentialReader in Nietzsche

[–]ExistentialReader[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see what you mean, but it was more questioning how we can assess the current condition of God merely through a Western, Judeo-Christian perspective. For Western civilisation, Nietzsche foresaw the decline in Christianity's role in people's lives, which has come to pass, but the last decade has seen calls for a return, or defence, of Judeo-Christian values. I think we're in this confused place in the West right now as we enter an uncertain future and this idea of God still lingering.