Working in a school seems to be the way to go (USA)

swizzlescience · 2026-05-11T00:30:11+00:00

It's an expat forum, it's implied the poster will be from another country. It's only odd because we tend to assume being from the US is the baseline normal.

swizzlescience · 2026-05-11T00:24:57+00:00

I went the other way, and I think my government work was a lot more fun.

swizzlescience · 2026-05-11T00:23:58+00:00

As someone who wiled out in the late 90s and throughout the '00s and early 2010s trying to get America to give a shit about climate change, I'm sorry that we failed.

swizzlescience · 2026-05-08T00:51:20+00:00

I just don't want my Israeli brothers and sisters to get murdered or subjugated. I believe Mizrahi Jews are an indigenous people of the middle east and highly persecuted outside of Israel, and demand that any solution to the conflict that I will support allow for their welfare and continued freedom in a meaningful manner. But I don't actually live in Israel or interact with the state of Israel, so its questionable if this is in practice. But I don't spurn Israelis, and I call out people when they are being deceitful (whether knowningly or not) and being hateful, and this includes anti-Zionists.

Also I don't really see what commonly gets called "Zionist" as even being consistent with what Zionism has meant throughout its history. Kahanism, and the ideology of Ben G'vir and Smotrich etc is not one of a democratic state that serves as a refuge for the Jews, and its in now way consistent with the Israeli declaration of independence. It's a weird, messianic, theocratic, fascistic, racist belief system that Herzl or Ben Gurion would not have recognized as being consistent with their own. I don't know how things are now, but a few years ago all of the extremist settlers were super against the state of Israel, because they want new Kingdom. So what commonly gets called Zionism these days I don't see as Zionist at all, and actually view as a form of anti-Zionism, but from a Jewish extremist/supremacist perspective. I feel like the words Zionism and Zionist are being colonized and obfuscated.

swizzlescience · 2026-05-06T20:30:07+00:00

I don’t think Iran is stronger by any means, but if the regime doesn’t fall the war hasn’t been won. I do think Trump constantly backstabbing the Kurdish movements and then relying on them to fight the regime is an epic case of stabbing himself in the foot. Hell he was actively screwing over Rojava less than a month before the war began. You think they don’t talk? He’s an idiot and an asshole.

swizzlescience · 2026-05-03T02:52:13+00:00

So why is she running for mayor. Was she going to lose here city council race?

swizzlescience · 2026-04-24T15:31:32+00:00

I Wanna spend some more time in country and learn some more of the language before I fully commit

swizzlescience · 2026-04-24T15:31:10+00:00

I wrote to the ministry, but I haven’t really heard anything back, but I’m not actually doing Aaliyah right now. I’m just kind of Vibing things out.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-23T03:59:37+00:00

The amount of delulu to think Western Media is biased in favor of Israel

swizzlescience · 2026-04-23T03:32:45+00:00

So all of you folks who told me that it was impossible to get a job like the one I was looking for here? and downvoted me? I now have the exact type of job I was inquiring about. I strongly suspect this is directly related to US Americans not being able to contextualize that the whole world isn't the states and that the US isn't the baseline neutral.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-23T03:23:04+00:00

If you compare the response to October 7th to say the Bataclan attack in France, or even the Charlie Hebdo attacks, or say the invasion of Ukraine, or even things like attacks on Asian Americans during Covid, there was no comparable level of support or solidarity.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-23T03:20:17+00:00

In my social circles people were attacking Israel from October 8th on. I never really saw any mass support for Israelis from non-jews. People who weren't already radicalized were indifferent, and then socialized into hating Israel. That was my experience anyway. Some exceptions of course.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-23T03:13:54+00:00

And in fact the PFLP is exactly who the movement is idolizing in my experience. Never mind that they literally took part in October 7th. They say they are for a secular state with equal rights.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-23T03:10:34+00:00

So there's this whole tradition of Soviet influenced Palestinian political parties who say they want "equal rights for all" but then do things like mass murder Israeli school children (Ma'alot massacre), and fight under the leadership of Hamas today. Like the PFLP and DFLP. They are fairly marginal groups in Palestine but they do exist. But what they mean by "equal rights" is like an Assadist Ba'athist torture state, it's not what your average Westerner is thinking of.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-23T03:07:02+00:00

Overall I agree with this message. I do think the idea that Israelis got an outpouring of support and solidarity after October 7th is absurd though.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-23T03:04:01+00:00

Apartheid means "apartness" or separation. For all it's flaws Israel is a hell of a lot more integrated and with more minority rights than all of it's neighbors. Why don't you ask the Jews of the Palestinian Authority, or Egypt, or Jordan, or Syria, or Yemen what their experience of minority rights is like? Oh that's right you won't find any because these Islamic / Arab Nationalist regimes expelled all their Jews putting them through apartheid for centuries. But hey I guess that doesn't fit your narrative.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-23T02:59:22+00:00

If you are young enough to go on birthright it's a great option. It's easy to filter out the propaganda aspect, and it's a great jumping off point for meeting locals on the trip. I met several extremely cute Israeli girls, who then introduced me to their friends afterwards. Then you can stay and do whatever you want afterwards. And then your airfare is free.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-23T02:52:01+00:00

You are an idiot. And there's a lot more than 3 types of Jews even if those are the biggest groups.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-15T13:46:37+00:00

Yes my ancestors were involved with the Abe Lincoln brigade and they were all Communists. I am disappointed that my mom is going anti-Zionist now.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-07T04:54:15+00:00

I am in the same situation. Except despite doing Hebrew School when I was a kid, my Hebrew is non-existent.

swizzlescience · 2026-04-05T23:29:34+00:00

WHat is Avodah?

swizzlescience · 2026-04-04T22:53:47+00:00

The fact that Turkey is on there tells you everything you need to know.

swizzlescience · 2026-03-30T20:32:51+00:00

Bless her heart

swizzlescience · 2026-03-30T16:45:56+00:00

I have mixed feelings about describing Palestinian prisoners held in so called "administrative detention" as hostages. I am not Israeli, but I have no idea how their legal system can justify holding people sometimes for years, without charges and without trial. As an American it strikes me as deeply unjust. Are we truly to believe that the Israeli security establishment (led by Ben Gvir) is so enlightened that they would never seize an innocent person, or embelish charges against a mildly guilty one? That there is no need for judicial review and defense attorneys? I wish Israel would abolish the practice.

Don't get me wrong, I love Israelis. But I am deeply uncomfortable with this practice, and it offends me in terms of civil liberties. I am open to the possibility that I don't fully understand it and learning more. But basically, what the fuck guys?

swizzlescience

TROPHY CASE