“the notion that young people might be sincerely outraged by the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Gaza” this is an important point. there’s this idea that they’re just being performative or latching onto a fad. and it’s like no, they’re actually fucking devastated?
It’s a position that assumes everyone is as cynical, self-interested, and indifferent to Palestinian life as the speaker is.
They did the same protests in the 80's against Apartheid in South Africa, and in the 60's against Vietnam. Young people are often the only ones willing to put their lives on the line to protect others safety.
they do not care about anyone but themselves, so the idea of anyone else caring, expressing solidarity is alien and ridiculous, to be dismissed out of hand. They reject that human aspect
These are smart educated young people and understand the stakes for the future better than their parents' generation and have more to lose from its consequences
It’s insane. Of course they are devastated that their gov is aiding Israel’s genocidal policies
If you want to protest actual supporters of Netanyahu and his war, that's all right with me. Harassing people who have only the most tangential connection to Israel only serves to entrench the opposition.
"OH come now. If I couldnt give a shit about the slaughter of millions of innocent people, what makes you think anyone else does either?""OH come now. If I couldnt give a shit about the slaughter of millions of innocent people, what makes you think anyone else does either?"
The fact that "virtue signaling" and "white knighting" have been favorite phrases of the alt right ever since Gamergate says everything about their view of human nature. Anyone who displays the most basic human decency must be running some kind of grift.
It's kinda like the Rapid Onset Gender Disphoria shit. Young people aren't intelligent enough to know themselves or care about the world, they must be brainwashed and following fads.
Not to mention that “being performative” is a legitimate protest tactic and can also be a way of grappling with one’s emotional and political situation. Delegitimizing all things “performative” is a Trojan horse to delegitimizing whatever one dislikes as “performative.”