Why You Shouldn't Be Silent About Palestine: (Insights from Paulo Freire)
Discover why it's important to speak out about Palestine, with insights from Paluo Freire. learn more about the issues facing Palestine and why it's crucial to raise awareness.
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there's a beautiful saying by Paulo Frei on being neutral and I quote washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless neutral now what does he mean by this and how would Paulo's thought help us the Palestinian condition under Israeli occupation let's explore it a little further originally from Brazil Paulo FR is the father of what we now call pedagogy most of his ideas were expressed and explained in his most famous book The pedagogy of the oppressed if you're curious about it I have a whole series on it which you can time now today I'll be just discussing the Palestinian condition lens the quote that I gave you in the conversation is about the nature of conflict if we were to unpack it what all it means is that if there are two groups in a fight it could be a fight for Freedom it could be a fight for territory if there are two groups and one of them is a dominant oppressing group and the other is an oppressed group and if you choose to be neutral and you say it is has got nothing to do with me I am not participating I'm not seeing anything that neutral position defaults into you supporting the group and in terms of human interactions for fre neutrality is not an option neutrality usually means that you gave your tested support to the status quo instead of adding your voice in support Palestinian lived conditions in the West Gaza we already know that they are under occupation of a powerful state with the most powerful military force in that region at least right and that that military force has shown Us in Gaza that bombings as well as through starvation people we have seen it there is no doubt about that it has been reported even by the mainstream media in these neutrality not seeing anything for people people being starved and killed murdered is you unconsciously or consciously siding with the system oppressors now why is it important to go freir to understand these things after all he is a theorist of Education a lot of people will say that they still say it I think if you do a careful reading of Paulo's work you understand that he eloquent writers of revolutionary change revolutionary change not in the sense that I come up and replace you with my ways of doing things revolutionary change that leads to freedom and liberation of people's minds and their bodies now in the beginning of the book with the insights about what happens to the oppressed people in an oppressive system they internalize the logic of the dominant group as natural and they are afraid of undoing it and that is what Eric FR called the Freedom now if we look at the Palestinian people even after 75 years of occupation we know that they have not internalized the logic of experience that they are under occupation and they have never ever accepted that occupation now the way they resist could it could be different right but we already know that they are fre told us would take a lot of work to do to convince people to dislodge the oppressor from their hearts so Palestinian people in terms of their consciousness of politics and their lived experience are already at a stage where they know their lived conditions they know who the occupier is who the oppressor is that is what we call what consensia the term consensia CA has two Consciousness knowing the world in which you live live and your own place in it and two then actively seeking to change it these two combined form an existing consensia so if you look at actions against the settler oppression against the Israeli Armed Forces occupying parts of West Bank destroying they are the most resilient people who are already in the state of consensia which means that they know why their lives are the way they are and two they are actively seeking to change it with their words with their activism with actively fighting against the Israeli Armed Forces these are different levels resistance so if we read FR carefully I think the conditions in Palestine teach us that what he teaches us in pedagogy of the oppressed is something that has already manifested within the Palestinian resistance and Palestinian way of life one to never let the oppressor lodge its RIT on your soul go and two to constantly keep reminding yourself and your children that you are under an occupation and three that that occupation is illegal a little bit of more insights from fre could teach resistance that there should be no revanchism in it there should be no it that a resistance movement must remain true to its cause which is the liberation of its people but in the process of doing that it must not itself become oppressive to its own people and those who are not in direct them so then what F will teach us is that fight for your rights speak for your rights right but where Possible Be be like your occupiers do not replicate their tactics because that then means that you have not dislodged the logic of their system you are just copying it and repeating it and that's destructive and liberatory so as I read fre and I've read F all my life and very carefully what he gives me his Hope for Change right and it gives me and he gives me a moral compass when I choose with whom I stand there is never a doubt mind I know that I will never stand with those who oppress others I've never done it in my life and I will not do it so my loyalties my empathy and my sympathies will always be with those people who are oppressed who are occupied so if we take these insights just these insights from fre and go back to the quot with which I started and look at the invasion of Gaza stand am I with the children being killed and starved how's people people whose houses have been destroyed who are them or am I with an armed Force which has destroyed most of Gaza and is getting ready to destroy Rafa the last Palestinians in gusa and they went there because they were told evacuate from the north and go there and now they are waiting to be invaded we don't know what there so which side are you on you can question and then if you say I'm not choosing any sides I'm too busy living my life fine you're neutral but remember neutrality in a situation like this where people's lives are being Destroyers now I would be remissed if I didn't also mention here that freed for practices must also be imbued with love okay love meaning love as equals not the possessive kind of love but love human and Quest For Change must come out of that love it must not come out of hate and if it comes out of love and dialogue then there is more room on the other side for the people to see you as equal human beings and maybe come and speak to you so love and dialogue then things so what is my hope do I want Eternal confrontation between Israel and Palestinians no even the Palestinians don't want it does Israel want a constant area that they govern through military force and have to occasionally launch in visions of is that what they want I don't think so I don't think majority of Israeli people would want that so if there is dialogue then we can peace we already know that through their practice the Palestinians have already proven to the world that they will not accept the status quo they will not status and no people should accept that no people will ever accept to be governed by a foreign Armed Force arbitrarily and expecting them to do that on the part of the US administrations is an extreme form of huis right it's it's a kind of hubris that says we know what happens to you but we are going to force you until you surrender that's against the American Spirit itself that's against the way remember for fre prais is a combination of two things reflection and action action without reflection for FR is mere activism and reflection without action philosophy so the Palestinians have a practice they have reflected about their condition and they have absolutely defiance mostly peaceful but if you go to Gaza yes it's also confrontational Military a way out of that is dialogue love and understanding by You Me and Everyone Else who's standing on the oppressed if you are openly with the occupying forces my words will never you but if you are on the margins and uncommitted I just wanted to point out that F would tell you is that that position already aligns you with the oppressors whether you like it or not because you are neutral with the status scope and you are the people who can if you step forward and say this is unjust this is untable in the long run and I will now stand with the people who are being destroyed right now so these are some of my insights from fre I would also like to point out that with these videos even though more and more of you are watching and responding them I mean the negative aspect of it has also grown you're not seeing those comments but a lot of things are being said to me which is okay because no one told us that this path to speak the truth to power will ever be easy but remember when you decide to choose the oppressed over the oppressors that is one consequence of speaking truth to power when it happens when people castigate you and say things you know inappropriate things to you standing with the oppressed for peace fre will absolutely love your stance thank you so much if you have a few more moments my Paulo fre playlist will come up please watch we have done a whole reading of the book so far not finished but most of the book and as always please stay safe take care be kind and generous to each other and I will now see you next time until
