Of course it’s accurate. All world events, all of them, happen in some kind of context. Everyone knows that. No one believes that there was some kind of parallel universe where Israel and Hamas were just plopped down onto a map with no history and no context. Everyone knows the context.
The problem, however, is when people say stupid shit like, “Well, we can’t condemn Hamas without first discussing–…”
That’s when you can stop them. You can say, actually, yes, you can condemn Hamas without caveat or whataboutism. It’s a really simple thing to do. We do it all the time.
It is factually accurate to say that the economic and political aftermath of WW1 was a defining factor in Hitler’s rise to power.
Saying that does not in any way endorse the despicable beliefs they espoused.
Of course it’s accurate. All world events, all of them, happen in some kind of context. Everyone knows that. No one believes that there was some kind of parallel universe where Israel and Hamas were just plopped down onto a map with no history and no context. Everyone knows the context.
The problem, however, is when people say stupid shit like, “Well, we can’t condemn Hamas without first discussing–…”
That’s when you can stop them. You can say, actually, yes, you can condemn Hamas without caveat or whataboutism. It’s a really simple thing to do. We do it all the time.
No, no you can’t. Not at an intellectually honest level of trying to resolve an issue.
How a person reacts to you is based not on just that moment in time, but everything that leads up to that moment.
You can’t ignore history if you want to fix the present for a better future. Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.
I just did.
I’ll do it again. I categorically condemn Hamas. There.