Catering to Woundedness

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Clarissa

January 5, 2017

At the colonial Latin American literature session, a colleague said that the Philippines should be included in colonial Latin America because that will allow to bring up US imperialism and that would make the field interesting to our students.

So I asked whether it was really that productive to cater to the narcissistic woundedness of Americans that prevents them from accepting that anything outside themselves merits attention.

The colleague responded that Americans are not prepared to acknowledge the massacres for which they are responsible.

I wasn’t given a chance to respond but I was shocked at the colleague’s naiveté. Americans love to acknowledge massacres, schmassacres, and bombassacres as long as they are the protagonist in absolutely any capacity.

And now please excuse me for I have to witness a bunch of Americans make themselves feel important by wagging their fingers moralistically at Israelis. That the people who foisted Trump on the world should lecture anybody at this point in time beggars belief but here you have it.

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9 responses to “Catering to Woundedness ”

danmillerinpanama

January 5, 2017

It was refreshing to read this about Israel:

a bunch of Americans make themselves feel important by wagging their fingers moralistically at Israelis.

.

Obama, Kerry et al have been doing that continuously ever since Ms. Clinton lost the election.

According to this article, it seems as though Keith Ellison is still a front-runner to head the Democrat National Committee. According to this article, he is highly qualified for the post.

Why are the Democrats fixated on losing the Jewish vote?

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1. Clarissa
  
  January 5, 2017
  
  Read my series on the shameful and pathetic discussion of the proposed boycott of Israeli academics at my professional association.
  
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  1. danmillerinpanama
    
    January 5, 2017
    
    I did. The notion that academics should boycott either pro-Israel or anti-Israel speakers is perverse. Those who feel the need for safe spaces should not impose them on others.
    
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    1. Clarissa
      
      January 5, 2017
      
      Exactly. We are an organization of literature professors. We have so many problems of our own. What gives us the right to lecture Israeli academics or any other academics?
      
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  2. Stringer Bell
    
    January 5, 2017
    
    Clearly, the democratic party should be taking lessons on how to win from a proud Trump supporter who cries ‘white genocide’ from the rooftops.
    
    Yeah, danmiller really has the democratic party’s best interests in mind. Let’s all listen to his valuable suggestions.
    
    He’s the very definition of ‘concern troll’.
    
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    1. danmillerinpanama
      
      January 5, 2017
      
      “Clearly, the democratic party should be taking lessons on how to win from a proud Trump supporter who cries ‘white genocide’ from the rooftops.”
      
      Had your hearing checked lately?
      
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Stringer Bell

January 5, 2017

“..wagging their fingers moralistically at Israelis.”

The point about Israel was almost a non sequitur to the rest of your post but I’ll engage anyway. Who the fuck is wagging their fingers moralistically? A country whose government has written a blank check to Israel, military, financially, and diplomatically? Who has armed Israel in real time as it engages in mass slaughter of civilians while ‘urging calm on both sides’?

It seems to me that you think only you have the right line on when it is appropriate to criticize American actions abroad.

“witness a bunch of Americans”

Seriously, what the hell is so wrong about some americans criticizing Israel? I’m shocked you didn’t call them ‘overfed’. That’s your go-to insult for americans who dare to take a point of view you do not agree with.

No, america is not omnipotent, and yes other countries have ‘agency’ blah blah, but there’s something to be said about the most powerful empire in the history of the world. A country which is simultaneously at overt and covert war with countless countries. The richest country in the world, with unparalleled financial and diplomatic world power.

Forgive the rubes who think that maybe, just maybe, this country’s actions could have (good and bad) reverberations around the world.

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Shakti

January 5, 2017

At the colonial Latin American literature session, a colleague said that the Philippines should be included in colonial Latin America because that will allow to bring up US imperialism and that would make the field interesting to our students.
What? Let’s jump forward in time and through geography so we can make some ex ante points about US imperialism to some geographically & temporally confused students. If you can’t bring up US imperialism somehow while talking about Latin America or at the very least the transition from colonial to post independence Latin America, what are you even doing?

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1. Clarissa
  
  January 5, 2017
  
  Even a non-specialist ☺ can see that the Spanish-US war of 1898 can be easily used for this purpose. Thank you.
  
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