[HCCN] another perspective about language

[Judith Robbins]

http://electronicintifada.net/

A massacre is not a massacre
Ghassan Hage, The Electronic Intifada, 3 June 2010

I don't write poems but, in any case, poems are not poems.

Long ago, I was made to understand that Palestine was not Palestine;
I was also informed that Palestinians were not Palestinians;
They also explained to me that ethnic cleansing was not ethnic  
cleansing.
And when naive old me saw freedom fighters they patiently showed me  
that they were not freedom fighters, and that resistance was not  
resistance.
And when, stupidly, I noticed arrogance, oppression and humiliation  
they benevolently enlightened me so I can see that arrogance was not  
arrogance, oppression was not oppression, and humiliation was not  
humiliation.

I saw misery, racism, inhumanity and a concentration camp.
But they told me that they were experts in misery, racism, inhumanity  
and concentration camps and I have to take their word for it: this  
was not misery, racism, inhumanity and a concentration camp.
Over the years they've taught me so many things: invasion was not  
invasion, occupation was not occupation, colonialism was not  
colonialism and apartheid was not apartheid.

They opened my simple mind to even more complex truths that my poor  
brain could not on its own compute like: "having nuclear weapons" was  
not "having nuclear weapons," "not having weapons of mass  
destruction" was "having weapons of mass destruction."

And, democracy (in the Gaza Strip) was not democracy.
Having second class citizens (in Israel) was democracy.
So you'll excuse me if I am not surprised to learn today that there  
were more things that I thought were evident that are not: peace  
activists are not peace activists, piracy is not piracy, the massacre  
of unarmed people is not the massacre of unarmed people.

I have such a limited brain and my ignorance is unlimited.
And they're so fucking intelligent. Really.

Ghassan Hage is professor of anthropology and social theory at the  
University of Melbourne.

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