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July 30, 2006
When are Children Children?
On Sunday, Israel hit a building in Qana, Lebanon, killing 34 children. The Associated Press story reporting the killing of these children was headlined "34 youths among 56 dead in Israeli strike," which seemed really peculiar to me. (The text of the story correctly reported that the victims were children. The headline was also used by many outlets that carry AP stories.)
Youths sounds just a bit less childreny, I suppose. We've already declared that all "military age male"s are terrorists. The women are collaborators. The infrastructure is all command and control centers. Trucks carrying food and aid could be munition relief. Ambulances... don't ask.
But the children pose a bit of a problem because while we have managed to dehumanize entire nations, our caring towards children is a bit more resistant to propaganda.
Ergo, all children are youths. And they will one day grow into adults, who are all terrorists (men) or collaborators (women), after first growing into youths.
But this child in Qana will not be doing any more of that pesky growing up thing, solving in one fell swoop the problem of the tension we have between continuing to care about children, and our utter lack of concern for their parents, their environment, and their well-being:
We can now feel bad for him and only him.
Posted by zeynep at July 30, 2006 09:23 AM
Comments
HERE IS A LETTER TO EDITOR I SENT TO SEATTLE P.I.
"34 youths among 56 dead in Israeli strike"--who picked this headline?
The picture accompanying the online Associated Press article about the Israeli bombing at Qana on Saturday definitely shows a dead toddler. Any internet investigation would have found at least a half dozen pictures of dead babies and children. The article itself uses the word "children." A representative online definition of "youth" is this one: "A young person, especially a young male in late adolescence."
The pro-Israeli bias of the mainstream media during this war of aggression on the civilians is nothing short of appalling and is also dangerous. One of the most technologically advanced armies in the world, its weapons largely paid for with US tax dollars, is waging an air war on the defenseless civilians of a neighboring country. Not only is there no criticism from the people and press of the "civilized" world, when the press does bother to notice, they distort the facts in favor of the aggressor.
Such treachery will have dire long-term consequences for us all.
Posted by: LindaJ at July 31, 2006 03:34 PM
Am a pretty stolid guy, mostly...but wept on seeing the images of all those dead babies and little kids. Then to hear the Israeli's disgusting propaganda made the gorge rise in my throat. I, literally, felt like I was going to vomit. Am ENRAGED at this godawful rogue state sits like a spider in the Middle East, ENRAGED...If I, anglo-aussie, feel like this what do the Lebanese feel? There are depths of hatred so deep that no words can express them, no words but I am sure certain actions WILL express them. Blowback is a bitch...of our own making.
Posted by: GreginOz at August 2, 2006 01:16 AM
“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” George Orwell
Posted by: GraceL at August 3, 2006 01:04 AM