Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. While still lying in bed this morning I listened to an interview on the BBC World Service Radio with a survivor of the Holocaust, a woman in her nineties. She told the well-known stories (well-known at least to people of my generation): being herded into a cattle car with her family, followed by three days of fear and trembling in the dark, in the cold, with little or no food or water, without a toilet and the consequent humiliation, finally arriving at Auschwitz.
Then there was the “selection,” the separation of this fear-filled child from her parents. She was stripped naked, her hair was shaved off, and, finally assigned a sleeping place: a plank in a barracks, cheek to jowl with others who had been “selected” to work rather than to die immediately, packed in like sardines in a tin.
There followed daily deprivation and dehumanization, hunger and exhaustion, pain and humiliation, for six long months until she, for whatever reason, was transported elsewhere, to work elsewhere, where conditions were somewhat better, enabling her to stay alive, albeit barely.
Near the end of the interview the woman broke down in tears: eighty years were not time enough to dull the pain as she told of the loss of her entire family, everyone except a single sister. I cried with her—yes, literally, as I listened, as I tried to imagine the bottomless pit of life-changing horror that she had lived through, as I tried to imagine her suffering; and I cried through my own deep distress in recognizing the undeniable fact that people could subject others, their fellow creatures, to such horrors, that people could be so cruel, so savage, so unfeeling, that people could be, perhaps even in all innocence, mindless zombies.
Then the interviewer said that many young people knew little or nothing about the catastrophic events of nearly a century ago, and what had led up to them, and surmised that this woman must be profoundly disturbed by the rise of the Right Wing throughout the West. She said that yes she was, and felt it her duty to speak with young people, at schools, at meetings, to tell them what had happened, to warn them of the dangers of repetition, of sliding “innocently” into indifference, into dehumanization, into hate of the chosen “enemy.”
And there the interview ended, without a further word being said about today, about now, about Gaza and the West Bank, about nearly a hundred years of oppression, theft, murder, displacement, dehumanization and demonization that the Palestinian people have undergone at the hands of those who themselves had been demonized and victimized in the past. Not a word about the wickedness that is going on before our very eyes, day after week after month after year, while the West looks the other way, or worse: looks and approves! And then all the solemn faces and noble words by people in power about “never forgetting” and “never again.”
What the woman might have thought about the callous indifference and disdain to the suffering of others displayed by the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of some of those she might have shared a cattle car with in the past, the suffering caused by them, perpetrated by them, was not asked; what she might have felt and thought was left unknown.
The BBC interviewer, with his sonorous voice filled with the sounds of pity and understanding, so compassionate, so comprehending, so commiserative—so cowardly, so selective, so ultimately false, was, after all, just another bought-and-paid-for hack! An actor, who says his lines but knows nothing, is aware of nothing, feels nothing except what is acceptable to feel. His emotions are imitative, and, consequentially, trite, warmed over, divorced from reality. He follows the line; his job is not on the line. He dare not mention the pathological state of Israel and its pathological inhabitants. His crocodile sympathy and his hypocrisy are a stain on the human psyche; through his silence and indifference or actual hostility he mocks the suffering of those who “don’t count.”
Shame on him, shame on weepy kings and queens and politicians and “leaders” and hypocrites and the self-righteous and the self-justifiers everywhere, who mourn one holocaust while they defend another!
And praise, praise, for those brave ones who go against the poisoned grain, who open their eyes, who value truth and humanity above small-minded self-interest, above clan. Not in our name!
Based on clinical observations and research, the researchers found that the tendency for interpersonal victimhood consists of four main dimensions: (a) constantly seeking recognition for one’s victimhood, (b) moral elitism, (c) lack of empathy for the pain and suffering of others, and (d) frequently ruminating about past victimization.
...are so preoccupied with their own victimhood that they are oblivious to the pain and suffering of others. Research shows that people who have just been wronged or who are reminded of a time when they were wronged feel entitled to behave aggressively and selfishly, ignoring the suffering of others and taking more for themselves while leaving less to others.
...
At the group level, research suggests that increased attention to an in-group’s victimization reduces empathy toward the adversary as well as toward unrelated adversaries. Even just the priming of victimhood has been shown to increase ongoing conflicts, with the priming leading to reduced levels of empathy toward the adversary and people being more willing to accept less collective guilt for current harm. In fact, research on “competitive victimhood” shows that members of groups involved in violent conflicts tend to see their victimization as exclusive and are prone to minimize, belittle or outright deny their adversary’s suffering and pain.
A group that is completely preoccupied with its own suffering can develop what psychologists refer to as an “egoism of victimhood,” whereby members are unable to see things from the perspective of the rival group’s perspective, are unable or unwilling to empathize with the suffering of the rival group, and are unwilling to accept any responsibility for harm inflicted by their own group.
...
Similar findings have been found at the group level. A strong sense of collective victimhood is associated with a low willingness to forgive and an increased desire for revenge. This finding has been replicated in diverse contexts, including thinking of the Holocaust, the conflict in Northern Ireland and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.</BLOCKQUOTE>
Instead of healing from the state of Victimhood, "Israel" seeks to perpetuate it, and descend further
into the "Dark Side" of violence, self-centered needs, theft and aggression.
The main temple for Victimhood and Holocaust worship is in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem.
All new IDF recruits are made to visit Yad Vashem with the goal of teaching the recruits, "Why we fight".
Don't know if I 100% buy the psychologists' analysis, but it's quite interesting, thanks for the post. One thing that struck me was: (d) frequently ruminating about past victimization. Would seem to connect to the close affection for and study of the Old Testament, in which enemies and victims are central to the narrative, particularly where vanquishing Israel's enemies is connected with intervention by the hand of Yahweh to spare the tribe from such victimization. Might make for some heavy psychological baggage with subtle but real influences.
Every morning, I await your posts because each day I feel the strictures of authoritarian forces choking off what I've been told are my "freedoms". Oh sure, Trump and his toadies, but he's just the figurehead vomited up by the billionaire Zionist elites, warmongering weapons salesmen, Russia- and Sino-phobe racists, and all the other profit-margin maniacs in this insane economic system. All in all, it's the propaganda strangulation of us proles, treated as worthless trash until they require a vote on a tuesday in November. The entire ludicrous scenario reminds me why I need the fresh air of your writing -- which I imagine like a window to distant snowy mountain peaks from which fresh cool breezes are delivered to a community on a warm sunny early spring day.
All I know is once you realize you've been lied to about so many things it's hard to believe any of our history especially the wars and the supposed Holocaust. I know the Red Cross had reported 600,000 Jews died in WWII and not 6 million.
<BLOCKQUOTE>NEW YORK — In echoes of Holocaust denialism, social media apps and websites such as X, Instagram, TikTok and 4chan are plagued by a new form of denialism connected to the October 7 massacre in southern Israel. This canard, which claims <B>the attacks were an Israeli “false flag” operation to allow it to commit genocide in Gaza</B>, is just one example of the intensifying antisemitic vitriol in cyberspace. Yet, as alarming as such conspiracy theories are, they’re not new.</BLOCKQUOTE>
.
Article is in support of the treachery and betrayal committed by Netanyahu. Trying to bury the fact that the Genocide in Gaza was preplanned
and Netanyahu sacrificed his own citizens in the pursuit of his goals.
.
post script
.
A Haaretz article dated 12/10/2024:
<I>A New Low for Netanyahu: He Tells Israelis the Failures of Oct. 7 Will Never Be Investigated</I>
.
(archive is available)
<BLOCKQUOTE>Once the government decides to create such a commission [for a Oct 7th inquiry], it is the president of the Israeli Supreme Court who appoints its members. This construct was intentionally devised in order to avoid a situation where a government appoints the commission members who will investigate its own failures, thereby ensuring "softer" conclusions regarding the conduct of those in power.
.
Instead, his[Netanyahu's] ruling coalition is now trying to promote a bill that will give politicians – and not the Supreme Court – the ability to appoint the members of any future commission of inquiry. In other words, those who have to be investigated will choose their own investigators.
.
Even by Netanyahu's own corrupt standards, this is a new low. The chances of this legislation passing aren't high, but that's not the point. It is being promoted under an assumption that it will fail and, when it does, he will tell the public: "Well, I tried, but we couldn't find an agreed-upon mechanism for this investigation."
.
The result will be that the failures of October 7 will never be investigated, the lessons never learned, the necessary changes never implemented. This is a threat to Israel's national security – but as always with Netanyahu, his own interests come first and the national interest comes last.</BLOCKQUOTE>
I’m really glad that you included the Expo marker in your painting, Caitlin. Sam Husseini mentioned that he had it there intentionally because Refaat Alareer said that an Expo marker was the toughest weapon he had and he would use it to defend himself when the Israelis came for him
Excellent subject choice for the cover. If journalists like Sam can't do their jobs properly, then the public is at risk of manipulation by those who don't have our best interests in mind. Support REAL journalism not propaganda!
When journalist are your friend. and have an agenda to back you no matter what, because their top 1% bosses will not let them report the news accurately and fairly and objectively the TRUTH is ALSO not your friend. As is the case with the legacy establishment Main Stream Media. There is NO TRUTH in the main stream media. ONLY #FAKENEWS POLITICAL AGENDAS and slanted #FAKENEWS OPINIONS
Holocaust
Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. While still lying in bed this morning I listened to an interview on the BBC World Service Radio with a survivor of the Holocaust, a woman in her nineties. She told the well-known stories (well-known at least to people of my generation): being herded into a cattle car with her family, followed by three days of fear and trembling in the dark, in the cold, with little or no food or water, without a toilet and the consequent humiliation, finally arriving at Auschwitz.
Then there was the “selection,” the separation of this fear-filled child from her parents. She was stripped naked, her hair was shaved off, and, finally assigned a sleeping place: a plank in a barracks, cheek to jowl with others who had been “selected” to work rather than to die immediately, packed in like sardines in a tin.
There followed daily deprivation and dehumanization, hunger and exhaustion, pain and humiliation, for six long months until she, for whatever reason, was transported elsewhere, to work elsewhere, where conditions were somewhat better, enabling her to stay alive, albeit barely.
Near the end of the interview the woman broke down in tears: eighty years were not time enough to dull the pain as she told of the loss of her entire family, everyone except a single sister. I cried with her—yes, literally, as I listened, as I tried to imagine the bottomless pit of life-changing horror that she had lived through, as I tried to imagine her suffering; and I cried through my own deep distress in recognizing the undeniable fact that people could subject others, their fellow creatures, to such horrors, that people could be so cruel, so savage, so unfeeling, that people could be, perhaps even in all innocence, mindless zombies.
Then the interviewer said that many young people knew little or nothing about the catastrophic events of nearly a century ago, and what had led up to them, and surmised that this woman must be profoundly disturbed by the rise of the Right Wing throughout the West. She said that yes she was, and felt it her duty to speak with young people, at schools, at meetings, to tell them what had happened, to warn them of the dangers of repetition, of sliding “innocently” into indifference, into dehumanization, into hate of the chosen “enemy.”
And there the interview ended, without a further word being said about today, about now, about Gaza and the West Bank, about nearly a hundred years of oppression, theft, murder, displacement, dehumanization and demonization that the Palestinian people have undergone at the hands of those who themselves had been demonized and victimized in the past. Not a word about the wickedness that is going on before our very eyes, day after week after month after year, while the West looks the other way, or worse: looks and approves! And then all the solemn faces and noble words by people in power about “never forgetting” and “never again.”
What the woman might have thought about the callous indifference and disdain to the suffering of others displayed by the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of some of those she might have shared a cattle car with in the past, the suffering caused by them, perpetrated by them, was not asked; what she might have felt and thought was left unknown.
The BBC interviewer, with his sonorous voice filled with the sounds of pity and understanding, so compassionate, so comprehending, so commiserative—so cowardly, so selective, so ultimately false, was, after all, just another bought-and-paid-for hack! An actor, who says his lines but knows nothing, is aware of nothing, feels nothing except what is acceptable to feel. His emotions are imitative, and, consequentially, trite, warmed over, divorced from reality. He follows the line; his job is not on the line. He dare not mention the pathological state of Israel and its pathological inhabitants. His crocodile sympathy and his hypocrisy are a stain on the human psyche; through his silence and indifference or actual hostility he mocks the suffering of those who “don’t count.”
Shame on him, shame on weepy kings and queens and politicians and “leaders” and hypocrites and the self-righteous and the self-justifiers everywhere, who mourn one holocaust while they defend another!
And praise, praise, for those brave ones who go against the poisoned grain, who open their eyes, who value truth and humanity above small-minded self-interest, above clan. Not in our name!
Eugene Sigaloff
27-1-2025
Your post ended well, but I would caution you, Eugene, not to inadvertently incite Genocide in Gaza.
.
Why are "Israelis" so aggressive and violent? Why do they create pain and suffering for
others while lacking any morsel of compassion, any awareness of the pain and suffering
they create? Why do they believe they are just and right while committing the worst forms of war crimes?
I didn't expect Scientific American to have an article about "Israelis" and Victimhood,
but here it is (link below).
Speaking about people in general everywhere, Victimhood is a natural personal state developed
after a variety of life's traumas. From that state, it is necessary to learn, understand and forgive,
and then it is healthy to progress, develop and move on. But some, for various reasons,
become stuck in the Victimhood state. They can discover a selfish power that that state of
Victimhood bestows upon them, others may develop a group identity in Victimhood.
Moving from the general population to speaking of "Israelis" in particular.
Why are "Israelis" so aggressive and violent? Why do they create pain and suffering for
others while lacking any morsel of compassion, any awareness of the pain and suffering
they create? Why do they believe they are just and right while committing the worst forms of war crimes?
And if the thousands upon thousands of Holocaust movies, books, memorials, museums, and more, have
only served to incite "Israelis" to commit Genocide, to perpetuate the state of Victimhood,
then should not that incitement be condemned, shunned and banned?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/unraveling-the-mindset-of-victimhood/
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Based on clinical observations and research, the researchers found that the tendency for interpersonal victimhood consists of four main dimensions: (a) constantly seeking recognition for one’s victimhood, (b) moral elitism, (c) lack of empathy for the pain and suffering of others, and (d) frequently ruminating about past victimization.
...are so preoccupied with their own victimhood that they are oblivious to the pain and suffering of others. Research shows that people who have just been wronged or who are reminded of a time when they were wronged feel entitled to behave aggressively and selfishly, ignoring the suffering of others and taking more for themselves while leaving less to others.
...
At the group level, research suggests that increased attention to an in-group’s victimization reduces empathy toward the adversary as well as toward unrelated adversaries. Even just the priming of victimhood has been shown to increase ongoing conflicts, with the priming leading to reduced levels of empathy toward the adversary and people being more willing to accept less collective guilt for current harm. In fact, research on “competitive victimhood” shows that members of groups involved in violent conflicts tend to see their victimization as exclusive and are prone to minimize, belittle or outright deny their adversary’s suffering and pain.
A group that is completely preoccupied with its own suffering can develop what psychologists refer to as an “egoism of victimhood,” whereby members are unable to see things from the perspective of the rival group’s perspective, are unable or unwilling to empathize with the suffering of the rival group, and are unwilling to accept any responsibility for harm inflicted by their own group.
...
Similar findings have been found at the group level. A strong sense of collective victimhood is associated with a low willingness to forgive and an increased desire for revenge. This finding has been replicated in diverse contexts, including thinking of the Holocaust, the conflict in Northern Ireland and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.</BLOCKQUOTE>
Instead of healing from the state of Victimhood, "Israel" seeks to perpetuate it, and descend further
into the "Dark Side" of violence, self-centered needs, theft and aggression.
The main temple for Victimhood and Holocaust worship is in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem.
All new IDF recruits are made to visit Yad Vashem with the goal of teaching the recruits, "Why we fight".
Don't know if I 100% buy the psychologists' analysis, but it's quite interesting, thanks for the post. One thing that struck me was: (d) frequently ruminating about past victimization. Would seem to connect to the close affection for and study of the Old Testament, in which enemies and victims are central to the narrative, particularly where vanquishing Israel's enemies is connected with intervention by the hand of Yahweh to spare the tribe from such victimization. Might make for some heavy psychological baggage with subtle but real influences.
Thanks for reading my comment.
We don't actually need anyone, psychologists or otherwise, to figure it out. Just look at "Israelis" themselves and see how they behave.
The oppressed have become the oppressors.
Every morning, I await your posts because each day I feel the strictures of authoritarian forces choking off what I've been told are my "freedoms". Oh sure, Trump and his toadies, but he's just the figurehead vomited up by the billionaire Zionist elites, warmongering weapons salesmen, Russia- and Sino-phobe racists, and all the other profit-margin maniacs in this insane economic system. All in all, it's the propaganda strangulation of us proles, treated as worthless trash until they require a vote on a tuesday in November. The entire ludicrous scenario reminds me why I need the fresh air of your writing -- which I imagine like a window to distant snowy mountain peaks from which fresh cool breezes are delivered to a community on a warm sunny early spring day.
Other than that Misses Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?
C'mon Patrick, how about some original sarcasm. This one's pretty stale.
It's not sarcastic. It's a way of gently pointing out the over the top awfulness of the situation.
Sorry for the hole in my lexical skills. Once I flowery-praised Caitlin, I think a dark malaise set into my day.
Edward Snowden & Julian Assange a warning from the establishment.
All I know is once you realize you've been lied to about so many things it's hard to believe any of our history especially the wars and the supposed Holocaust. I know the Red Cross had reported 600,000 Jews died in WWII and not 6 million.
<B>The Confession</B>
Netanyahu has fought long and hard to block an official inquiry
into the "failures" ( LIHOP/MIHOP ) of October 7th.
His trump card has been, "let us wait until the war is over for an
inquiry, else we will disrupt the generals in their tasks".
.
Now that there is a ceasefire and also high ranking generals have
resigned from active duty Netanyahu needs something more to thwart inquiry.
.
Netanyahu has chosen cover-up through intimidation.
.
In "Israel" they have tossed the facade of belief in
'accountability, integrity, and trustworthiness'
and opted for in-your-face coercion.
.
A brand new law has been passed (notably, at the same time that
hostages/<B>witnesses</B> are being released) that will put a bootheel down on the
neck of anyone straying from the official narrative.
.
The law is <B>intentionally ambiguous</B> in it's wording so as to be
applied at the will and whim of a lawfare prosecutor. The defendant
is required, extorted, to expend funds to keep themselves out
of jail - a five year sentence.
.
At this point, one must ask whether the cover-up, and the new anti-free speech
law, is also a confession.
.
Is the cover-up a confession of wrongdoing?
.
If you don't think that such a law is going to be parroted in the US/Brit/EU
then think again. They are already building the narrative for it.
[Also, count how many times 'Holocaust' (18) and antisemitism (also 18)
are used in this article (1/29/2025).]
<I>Are conspiracy theories about Oct. 7 a new form of Holocaust denial? Experts weigh in</I>
https://www.timesofisrael.com/are-conspiracy-theories-about-oct-7-a-new-form-of-holocaust-denial-experts-weigh-in/
.
The very first paragraph is this:
<BLOCKQUOTE>NEW YORK — In echoes of Holocaust denialism, social media apps and websites such as X, Instagram, TikTok and 4chan are plagued by a new form of denialism connected to the October 7 massacre in southern Israel. This canard, which claims <B>the attacks were an Israeli “false flag” operation to allow it to commit genocide in Gaza</B>, is just one example of the intensifying antisemitic vitriol in cyberspace. Yet, as alarming as such conspiracy theories are, they’re not new.</BLOCKQUOTE>
.
Article is in support of the treachery and betrayal committed by Netanyahu. Trying to bury the fact that the Genocide in Gaza was preplanned
and Netanyahu sacrificed his own citizens in the pursuit of his goals.
.
post script
.
A Haaretz article dated 12/10/2024:
<I>A New Low for Netanyahu: He Tells Israelis the Failures of Oct. 7 Will Never Be Investigated</I>
.
(archive is available)
<BLOCKQUOTE>Once the government decides to create such a commission [for a Oct 7th inquiry], it is the president of the Israeli Supreme Court who appoints its members. This construct was intentionally devised in order to avoid a situation where a government appoints the commission members who will investigate its own failures, thereby ensuring "softer" conclusions regarding the conduct of those in power.
.
Instead, his[Netanyahu's] ruling coalition is now trying to promote a bill that will give politicians – and not the Supreme Court – the ability to appoint the members of any future commission of inquiry. In other words, those who have to be investigated will choose their own investigators.
.
Even by Netanyahu's own corrupt standards, this is a new low. The chances of this legislation passing aren't high, but that's not the point. It is being promoted under an assumption that it will fail and, when it does, he will tell the public: "Well, I tried, but we couldn't find an agreed-upon mechanism for this investigation."
.
The result will be that the failures of October 7 will never be investigated, the lessons never learned, the necessary changes never implemented. This is a threat to Israel's national security – but as always with Netanyahu, his own interests come first and the national interest comes last.</BLOCKQUOTE>
Thank You Caitlin
I’m really glad that you included the Expo marker in your painting, Caitlin. Sam Husseini mentioned that he had it there intentionally because Refaat Alareer said that an Expo marker was the toughest weapon he had and he would use it to defend himself when the Israelis came for him
I can’t even read it on Substack! What’s going on?
Excellent subject choice for the cover. If journalists like Sam can't do their jobs properly, then the public is at risk of manipulation by those who don't have our best interests in mind. Support REAL journalism not propaganda!
So frustrating not being able to access your great work even after paying for the download! Not happy!
Caitlin I bought a download copy for $10!but still can’t access the reading on my phone! So frustrating!
Caitlin = awesome -- every day, every (dissident, moral, justice-oriented, truth to power...) way.
When journalist are your friend. and have an agenda to back you no matter what, because their top 1% bosses will not let them report the news accurately and fairly and objectively the TRUTH is ALSO not your friend. As is the case with the legacy establishment Main Stream Media. There is NO TRUTH in the main stream media. ONLY #FAKENEWS POLITICAL AGENDAS and slanted #FAKENEWS OPINIONS
Do today's journalists get together before they get down to work and have a Two Minute Truth Hate?
Demonstration in the streets is never a grass-root.