Lots to think about

On it goes: Some friends have been called up to the reserves, while others are hosting entire families and other animals, fleeing from the missile-scarred, literally shell-shocked north. And the TV images from Lebanon continue to numb us all.

Many people around me are very vocal in their support of this war, while a significant amount have not been vocal in any direction. Then there are the others who are vocal in their opposition (mostly behind closed doors.) And finally, there are those who say wholly unhelpful things. "Smash the Patriarchy!" for example. While I am, in theory, as anti-patriarchy as the next feminist, I am at a loss as to where and when anyone would begin smashing it at this sensitive stage.

Nevertheless, having spent every waking/non-working hour glued to the Israeli TV coverage, I couldn't help but notice how very male the news seems to have gotten over the past week. And I'm not the only one- I was pleased to see that Orna Coussin from Haaretz noticed too, and delves into the phenomenon in far greater detail.

Gender politics aside: this scratches the surface of something very troubling. Since I moved here going on 7 years ago, I've regularly been brought back to the point of questioning if there is a problem in voluntarily chosing to re-locate within a society where there remains such an obvious socio-political emphasis on the culture of militarism. And where those who do not or cannot ultimately subscribe to the social dominance of the said culture of miltarism risk being isolated, ridiculed or silenced, even labelled as non-patriots or traitors. Is this a characteristic for a healthy society to aspire towards, to such a great degree? This question has arisen more times thank I would have liked until now- and this new war is providing a new, undeniably unsettling, perspective.

- Hoping everyone stays safe.