For baby boomers in our mid to late 70's, the pro and anti Palestinian protests taking place on college campuses this year call to mind the anti Vietnam war protests in the late 60's. However, instead of the big three (CBS, NBC and ABC) and the print media being the last word in news coverage of the protests, social media is where most people get their information.
Much like the Black Lives Matter movement, the Gaza war protests are fueled by amateur news providers armed with i phones and a Tik Tok app. The images being shown to the world underline the callous indifference of the IDF to the suffering they are causing among the civilian population. Yet there seems to be little or no acknowledgement among the protestors of the horror of the October attack on innocent Israeli citizens. Unlike the Vietnam protests which split the country, the Gaza protests seem to me to be background noise except to those directly involved.
To the protestors today, their cause is all consuming. It remains to be seen if the rest of the country feels that way.
No comments:
Post a Comment