> What I think makes many of us uncomfortable is the fact that because
> there is such a strong and emerging pro-violence consensus within the
> Western left - Europe, the US, we're increasingly unwilling to even
> entertain discussing non-violent alternatives to the conflict, or
> much else for that matter. That aspect of this discussion is really
> bad.
>
> Many of our fellow travellers, so to speak, are being radicalized by
> this violence in all the wrong ways, to the point that they have a
> hard time thinking outside of it. Imagination is always important. W
> when you lose that, you get into trouble.
I'm on your side of this debate, Joel, but I don't quite agree here. Is there really an emerging pro-violence consensus in the Western left? If there was, you'd expect to see leftist groups taking up armed struggle or trekking off to join the revolution, as in the 70's, but there's none of that now. What there is is a despairing willingness to offer empty "support" for violent resistance to Israel, given the impotence of the alternatives - external mediation and internal non-violence. That's obviously a childish response, but it arises from sincere frustration over a genuine dilemma. What to do? It's not like chanting the magic word "non-violence" helps things either....
Seth