Let’s get something straight right off the bat: What’s happening to Palestinians is genocide. Real. Systematic. Ongoing. They are being erased, by a military force under the command of a government led by a man with no moral ground to stand on. And that government is propped up, armed, and protected by others who are either equally vile or, more likely, just deeply invested in their own power and profits.
This is not abstract. It’s not “complicated.” It’s atrocity. In real time. And in the open glare of the world.
Now, with that clear, let’s talk geopolitics.
Iran’s government is not your friend. They don’t deserve praise, only recognition that in this one tightly confined moment, they’re being targeted. And in this moment, that makes them the oppressed.
Same goes in reverse. The U.S. government is not your personal enemy. But they do deserve condemnation here, because right now, they’re playing the part of the aggressor. That makes them the oppressors, in this specific place, time, and context.
Apply the same logic everywhere. To China. To Russia. To Israel. To Pakistan. To whatever flag you were born under. No state is a saint. No state is forever damned. They are all just machines designed to survive and grow stronger.
And the people? The people are not the villains. Not the heroes either. And this is not a movie with good guys versus the bad guys. They are all just humans. In every country. Motivated by fear, pride, desperation, dogma, tribal affiliation, and greed. Trying to protect what’s theirs. Trying to get more of what they think they need. Exactly like you.
Let me repeat that: Exactly. Like. You.
Nobody is locked into being good or evil forever. Politics doesn’t work that way. Morality doesn’t scale cleanly. Everyone’s just manoeuvring for comfort, safety, leverage, power, control, and longevity. Just like you.
So maybe chill a bit on the flag-waving and chest-thumping. Or the despair. Neither makes you particularly insightful or nuanced.
But don’t chill on this: The genocide is real. And if your worldview makes it hard to say that plainly, the problem isn’t with the facts. It’s with your frame.
