Raz Segal (Hebrew: רז סגל) is an Israeli historian residing in the United States who directs the Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies program at Stockton University
In the linked above article, he walks through the definition of genocide, and the actions taken. It fits the definition.
Average person says it’s a genocide: “It’s not a genocide! What do you know?”
Literal expert in genocide, who’s also Jewish, says it’s a genocide and gives details why: “Of course it looks like a genocide to them! They’re always looking for genocides!”
An expert in the field has spent a lifetime studying, writing, debating, and thinking about the field. We can survey the course catalog at Stockton on Genocide studies to get a first taste in what a expert would be able to contribute.
These specifically stand out as focuses relevant to our conversation today ‘Witness to Genocide, Genocide War Crimes and Law, War Nationalism and Genocide, Ordinary Evil’… tell me what is your philosophy on Ordinary Evil?
You gave such a thoughtful well crafted response to a person who is clearly being a troll. But thank you for that, at least you provide good reading materials.
I try not to think of them as trolls, more like explain it like I’m five users. Imagine most of the internet is basically sugar hyped toddlers with the attention span of goldfish, and a rough grasp of the English language.
Explain it like I’m 5, is probably still too high a bar. :)
You can think about them whatever you like, doesn’t make them any less trolls. Also they want to get a reaction out of you, and all you are doing is feeding that.
Are you a literalist where all the people fitting the demographic must be killed to the last person in order for it to be literal genocide? Because right now your argument is “Nuh uh! No it isn’t!” with zero backup in the face of historical evidence and the words of an expert. Even in America we committed a genocide of our natives, yet some of them live, some of them were made to move elsewhere, and not all of them were killed off.
It’s abundantly clear you willfully refuse to understand what “genocide” is.
Does studying the occurrences and causes of genocide make you unable to correctly identify them? I would think it to be the opposite, them being able to better identify and understand current genocides or events and actions that might lead to one.
Genocide is a rather simple word. It’s a contraction of geno (race) with cide (murder/killing). Anyone telling you they’ve needed to study the meaning of the word for more than 2 minutes is either a moron or a liar
You have spent more then 2 minutes discussing genocide here with us today, have you not used more then 2 minutes of thought in all your posts?
Writing a book on genocide would take more then 2 minutes.
Writing a catalog of all known genocides would take more then 2 minutes.
Writing up the definition of genocide would take more then 2 minutes, getting two people to agree on a definition would take FOREVER. Getting 152 countries to agree on the definition of genocide would take years…
Taking a complex issue, and being reductive to the point of absurdity isn’t being helpful.
On the contrary, I believe trying to expand a definition to the point of absurdity isn’t helpful.
The idea behind the term genocide is clear and simple: the intent to destroy an ethnicity.
People are trying to call Israels intent to disperse the ethnic Arabs from Palestine a genocide (to add more weight to the crime), when even the UN definition is clear this is not included.
So tomorrow if I come armed and evict you from your home, along with your family that would be okay, because there are other places where you can go and live? Is this what you are trying to tell us?
Let’s be charitable. That’s not what they’re saying.
They’re saying it doesn’t fit the murder everybody definition of genocide, which is a fair position. However, Genocide is more broadly defined by the UN, and ethnically cleansing a region, is a part of an overall genocide.
I suggest not copying Israel’s stupid definitions for anything
Genocide: murdering everyone of a certain ethnicity
Ethnic cleansing: removing everyone of a certain ethnicity from an area
Of course both can go hand in hand. Threatening murder, often by setting some prolific examples, is a way to convince people to leave.
There’s a difference between WW2 nazi’s checking the Spanish border making sure jews trying to escape are sent back to the extermination camps, and zionist settlers cutting down orchards and shooting a few farmers to scare them off.
What’s happening in the West Bank is extremely deplorable but it’s no different from what’s happening in, for example, Western Sahara or Nagorno Kharabag
I’m sorry you have a fight with the English language, but this term is well defined. It is defined in a legal sense, by both people who have suffered from genocide, and people who want to prevent genocide. Including the government of Israel which is committing a genocide, by their own definition, against the people of Palestine.
If you want to argue that English should be different, Wikipedia talks, and wikitionary talk pages are good places to do it. You could also reach out to your local State department, and petition them to get the definition of genocide changed.
We here on Lemmy cannot resolve your dispute with the English language, sorry
Genocide: murdering everyone of a certain ethnicity
Nope, “Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people in whole or in part”, which is the case with Israel.
Ethnic cleansing: removing everyone of a certain ethnicity from an area
Nope, nothing says you have to displace everyone, just that you attempt it and have shown on numerous occasions that you intend to do it (which is the case with Israel)
You can say whatever you want, but making up new definitions (or maybe “oversimplified” definitions) of a thing is not a good way to have a discussion.
Go apply to the UN. They have some vacancies now that Israel bombed so many UN workers in their home. I’m sure they will appreciate all your thoughtful commentary!
No need for the ableist slur. There are much better, creative, and entertaining ways to insult people who act in bad faith and have the self-awareness of a modern LLM.
is forcing people to go anywhere else actually “ethnically cleansing” though? to me, that terminology is best described as rounding everyone of a certain ethnic background up, shooting them all, burying the bodies, and then moving on to the next group.
If you want an area of land with a single ethnicity, to clean the area so it is pure for that ethnicity, that is a form of ethnic cleansing.
If you take a city and say all people who are not genetically x, or believe in religion y, must leave. That is a form of ethnic cleansing, you are cleaning the area for a specific ethnicity.
The cleansing doesn’t have to involve death, could just involve displacement, or even The ability to have children.
Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, and religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making a region ethnically homogeneous.
eh… using a definition that broad would mean that most asian countries are guilty of ethnic cleansing. a lot of african countries would qualify too, as would many european nations (other than, you know, germany).
The word has a very clear meaning. I’m sorry you don’t like that definition, but the reason we have dictionaries is so that we can agree on definitions.
How would you describe ethnically purifying an area?
Yes, ethnic cleansing is very common in human history… You’re right. Lots of countries are guilty of it. Doesn’t make it any less bad just common
if it’s so common that literally every country in recorded history is guilty of it (and they are if the accepted definition is so broad) then it’s just another part of governance - unworthy of discussion even.
Ethnic cleansing is unworthy of discussion, because every country has participated in it in some point in their history?
So from that standpoint, you’re happy to get ethnically cleansed, right? It shouldn’t be worth discussion, if a government agent wants to hand over your area to a different ethnicity. You wouldn’t have anything to say about that right? Your family would be cool with it too right?
And if the people who have been ethnically cleansed, try to ethnically cleanse their oppressors, that’s not newsworthy either right? So there shouldn’t have been any news reporting of hamas’s ethnic cleansing attempts? Right? It’s not newsworthy, why are we even talking about it…
Countries also execute people, we still talk about murder.
Slavery has been an institution in almost all if not all contries at some point. That doesn’t make it any less horrible, that other atrocities are also common doesn’t make them less atrocious either.
most asian countries are guilty of ethnic cleansing
Yes, they are/have been. Almost all countries have committed horrible atrocities in the past or present. That doesn’t make this not ethnic cleansing or not atrocious.
you’re right. I’m not. you gotta buck the trend, for novelty’s sake if nothing else - it keeps the squares on their toes. I find it sad that you got downvoted (not not voting means anything on this platform) for disagreeing with the herd mentality, so I didja a solid and poked the updoot button.
was a fun discussion, for a little while. it seems to have devolved into the insulting phase now. always does. it’s like… we (humanity) just cant rise above our base impulses. if someone refuses to listen, they start getting insulted - like, subconsciously some people just cant accept that their opinion is literally meaningless. it’s just… weird.
Israel wants to relocate a ethnic people. Certain group like to call that genocide because it sounds worse. Genocide actually means killing off a ethnic group. Population transfer is what Israel wants to do.
Yes, but their intentions are a forced migration or population transfer. Saying cleaning or genocide means the wholesale murder of the population. So you’re using loaded language which is weakening your argument.
Israel has made it clear they no longer welcome Palestinians along their border. They have been working with neighbors to accept them and essentially the two state option is no longer an option. That isn’t ethnic cleansing or genocide, that is a population transfer.
Now had both sides worked together and forged a diplomatic relationship the two state option would have been successful, but that didn’t occur. Both sides were continually hostile to one another. Now the Palestinian people are going to be relocated and will once again be stateless.
well, you wont. but sure, for the sake of argument, lets say you did. let’s further assume that I am not ensconced in my comfortable house in a first world nation just like you, but instead eke out a miserable existence watching goats eat scrub. yes, i would move and be grateful to finally have an excuse to do so.
so, just to reiterate: moving from one place to another isnt genocide. imagine that!
People are not grateful for being displaced. Especially when you don’t have any economic prospects in the place you’re displaced to.
I don’t know what your least favorite country in the world is, but for the sake of argument let’s say it’s Yemen. If I forced you to leave under threat of death, to move to Yemen, without your social network, without your wealth, without knowledge of the local language, without a special skill set, without anything except one pair of clothes. You would not be ecstatic about that, you would not be grateful.
I would hazard a guess that most people do not like being forced to do anything, even if it’s in their best interest
shepherds already have extremely limited economic prospects. it’s not like they’re skilled artisans, constructing unique crafts that can only be manufactured using materials that can only be sourced from that one geographic location. no, they oversee domesticated herd-beasts that dont have any natural predators in their habitat and feed themselves on whatever plants grow wherever they happen to be - lichen, thorn bushes, dried straw, etc.
it’s only a occupation by definition, but a pet rock could be just as good of a shepherd - it takes about as much “skill” to do. outside of the inner desert regions & cities, a shepherd can exist, if not thrive - ie: they can do the same thing wherever they go. herding communities are usually insular in nature - they dont need to know the local language. their source of food, their entire reason for being, those are animals and they feed themselves - the animals are usually their currency as well.
maybe a change of scenery is exactly what they need - they may even be thankful for it in the months and years to come.
I tended some goats a few times as a favor to a neighbor - well, made sure they didnt get out of their fenced off area of 3 acres. honestly found it to be very dull and uninspiring. perhaps I was doing it wrong? maybe there’s a way to spice it up? do you dress up in a wolf costume to keep things lively? toss lit fireworks at the sheeples?
do tell, I’m sure the stories you’ve got will be absolutely riveting!
I see you’ve changed the goal post from being grateful immediately, to being thankful in the future.
Just because you don’t respect somebody’s occupation, doesn’t mean they don’t value their own occupation. Independence has huge psychological benefits for people.
Not to mention refugees, are moved to places that already have economies, and land use, so there’s not going to be open land for shepherd to feed a flock on. They’re going to be competing with the locals.
Because if we don’t argue, then the misanthropes get to have the final word. And then other normal people will look at the discussions, and think the misanthropes and the hateful people are in the majority.
We have to participate so that our voices are heard, so that our peers, and are online peers, can see that they they are not alone.
We can’t allow the normalization of hate and violence to destroy society, and that means we have to participate
you’re totally correctamundo about my complete and total lack of respect for their occupation - I reiterate, a garden gnome would be just as effective at herding animals as a shepherd. is being forced to do the same thing that your father did because he did the same thing his father did actually independence? it seems to me that’s flawed thinking. the world is constantly in flux - a rigid, uncompromising, unyielding nature isnt going to get you very far. that’s even more true when you’re going to get to experience new vistas.
changed the goal post? should we be as unyielding as you’re insinuating that the shepherds are, or should be? should they be ungrateful in the now and regretful in the future? does it even matter? will they have to compete, strive, suffer? of course they will! suffering is part of the human condition - it has ever been thus.
Your nihilist philosophy aside… We all live in a world, and we all have different life experiences, if you find yourself saying a different life experience isn’t worth living, that must be applied to you as well.
As long as people aren’t interfering with each other, they should be allowed to live however they like… Be it goat herding, or being a professional sophist troll online
you know, I’ve thought about that a lot - it’s the great philosophical question of our age: does anything that we do actually matter? are we, as individuals, just so insignificant that our actions (whatever they may be) are meaningless? how do we, individually, impact the world? how do we strike our brand onto the graven slate of existence, proving that we’re here, we matter, we existed?! perhaps by exchanging barbs online.
thank you for the compliment - I too thought that my logical argument, nay, position was indeed crafty in nature.
Oh now I see, you truly believe those people are subhuman and their lives don’t matter. Glad that you have finally shown your true nature, so that I can simply block you, and have my feed not stained with people like you!
per they article they’re being forced to leave & go anywhere else. that’s not genocide.
a textbook case of genocide - Raz Segal - JewishCurrents
I’m no genocideoligist, but Raz Segal is.
Raz Segal (Hebrew: רז סגל) is an Israeli historian residing in the United States who directs the Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies program at Stockton University
In the linked above article, he walks through the definition of genocide, and the actions taken. It fits the definition.
When you’re a genocideologist everything looks like genocide.
It’s inherent to his genocideology
Average person says it’s a genocide: “It’s not a genocide! What do you know?”
Literal expert in genocide, who’s also Jewish, says it’s a genocide and gives details why: “Of course it looks like a genocide to them! They’re always looking for genocides!”
What do you imagine an ‘expert in genocide’ knows more about genocide than you do?
An expert in the field has spent a lifetime studying, writing, debating, and thinking about the field. We can survey the course catalog at Stockton on Genocide studies to get a first taste in what a expert would be able to contribute.
These specifically stand out as focuses relevant to our conversation today ‘Witness to Genocide, Genocide War Crimes and Law, War Nationalism and Genocide, Ordinary Evil’… tell me what is your philosophy on Ordinary Evil?
https://www.stockton.edu/general-studies/holocaust-and-genocide-studies.html
Raz Segal appears to have done lots of research of the societal bystander effect, where a genocide can happen without anyone getting involved…
One of his lectures, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJH4NDfINE8
he is well spoken, his lecture took more then 2 minutes…
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://www.piped.video/watch?v=EJH4NDfINE8
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
You gave such a thoughtful well crafted response to a person who is clearly being a troll. But thank you for that, at least you provide good reading materials.
I try not to think of them as trolls, more like explain it like I’m five users. Imagine most of the internet is basically sugar hyped toddlers with the attention span of goldfish, and a rough grasp of the English language.
Explain it like I’m 5, is probably still too high a bar. :)
You can think about them whatever you like, doesn’t make them any less trolls. Also they want to get a reaction out of you, and all you are doing is feeding that.
That’s a long list, but is there anything in there on genocide you couldn’t figure out yourself?
All of it, the context, the implications, the patterns…
I am not as intelligent and intuitive as you, I have to do research practice, and communicate before I can compete with an expert in a field.
That’s a long list, but is there anything in there you didn’t figure out yourself?
I’m clearly not as gifted and as well read as you, I have to do research before I know a subject.
Are you a literalist where all the people fitting the demographic must be killed to the last person in order for it to be literal genocide? Because right now your argument is “Nuh uh! No it isn’t!” with zero backup in the face of historical evidence and the words of an expert. Even in America we committed a genocide of our natives, yet some of them live, some of them were made to move elsewhere, and not all of them were killed off.
It’s abundantly clear you willfully refuse to understand what “genocide” is.
Well the ‘cide’ part refers to ‘killing’
How would you differentiate between ‘forcefully made to move’ and ‘killed’ if you can’t imagine using different words for them?
They have different phrases
Ethnic Cleansing - Clearing a ethnicity from a area
Genocide - The pogrom being persecuted in Gaza now.
Ethnic Cleansing is part of a overall Genocide.
You really should read the article, it clarifies things greatly. https://jewishcurrents.org/a-textbook-case-of-genocide.
Stubborn one, aren’t ya.
Does studying the occurrences and causes of genocide make you unable to correctly identify them? I would think it to be the opposite, them being able to better identify and understand current genocides or events and actions that might lead to one.
Genocide is a rather simple word. It’s a contraction of geno (race) with cide (murder/killing). Anyone telling you they’ve needed to study the meaning of the word for more than 2 minutes is either a moron or a liar
You have spent more then 2 minutes discussing genocide here with us today, have you not used more then 2 minutes of thought in all your posts?
Writing a book on genocide would take more then 2 minutes. Writing a catalog of all known genocides would take more then 2 minutes. Writing up the definition of genocide would take more then 2 minutes, getting two people to agree on a definition would take FOREVER. Getting 152 countries to agree on the definition of genocide would take years…
Taking a complex issue, and being reductive to the point of absurdity isn’t being helpful.
On the contrary, I believe trying to expand a definition to the point of absurdity isn’t helpful.
The idea behind the term genocide is clear and simple: the intent to destroy an ethnicity.
People are trying to call Israels intent to disperse the ethnic Arabs from Palestine a genocide (to add more weight to the crime), when even the UN definition is clear this is not included.
https://jewishcurrents.org/a-textbook-case-of-genocide
…
Do you consider the Nakba as genocide?
So tomorrow if I come armed and evict you from your home, along with your family that would be okay, because there are other places where you can go and live? Is this what you are trying to tell us?
Let’s be charitable. That’s not what they’re saying.
They’re saying it doesn’t fit the murder everybody definition of genocide, which is a fair position. However, Genocide is more broadly defined by the UN, and ethnically cleansing a region, is a part of an overall genocide.
Update: I should not have been charitable…
Well that’s the UN’s fault for wording ethnic cleansing as a form of genocide, which in reality it can be a part of.
But in the real world it’s just liars first lobbying to broaden a written definition to later abuse it.
What language would you use to describe removing an ethnicity from an area, so that it may be ethnically pure for a different ethnicity?
Ethnic purification?
Get ready for it…
Drumroll
“Ethnic Cleansing”
Applause
I misunderstood your previous argument.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parties_to_the_Genocide_Convention
The people who wrote and vote for the UN convention against genocide, includes Israel.
So we’re measuring them by their own metric, using their own legislation, which they wrote and voted for. Seems fair.
I suggest not copying Israel’s stupid definitions for anything
Genocide: murdering everyone of a certain ethnicity
Ethnic cleansing: removing everyone of a certain ethnicity from an area
Of course both can go hand in hand. Threatening murder, often by setting some prolific examples, is a way to convince people to leave.
There’s a difference between WW2 nazi’s checking the Spanish border making sure jews trying to escape are sent back to the extermination camps, and zionist settlers cutting down orchards and shooting a few farmers to scare them off.
What’s happening in the West Bank is extremely deplorable but it’s no different from what’s happening in, for example, Western Sahara or Nagorno Kharabag
Wikipedia Wikipedia 2 UN Human rights watch Wiktionary
I’m sorry you have a fight with the English language, but this term is well defined. It is defined in a legal sense, by both people who have suffered from genocide, and people who want to prevent genocide. Including the government of Israel which is committing a genocide, by their own definition, against the people of Palestine.
If you want to argue that English should be different, Wikipedia talks, and wikitionary talk pages are good places to do it. You could also reach out to your local State department, and petition them to get the definition of genocide changed.
We here on Lemmy cannot resolve your dispute with the English language, sorry
Nope, “Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people in whole or in part”, which is the case with Israel.
Nope, nothing says you have to displace everyone, just that you attempt it and have shown on numerous occasions that you intend to do it (which is the case with Israel)
You can say whatever you want, but making up new definitions (or maybe “oversimplified” definitions) of a thing is not a good way to have a discussion.
Go apply to the UN. They have some vacancies now that Israel bombed so many UN workers in their home. I’m sure they will appreciate all your thoughtful commentary!
Are you a fucking retard?
No need for the ableist slur. There are much better, creative, and entertaining ways to insult people who act in bad faith and have the self-awareness of a modern LLM.
is forcing people to go anywhere else actually “ethnically cleansing” though? to me, that terminology is best described as rounding everyone of a certain ethnic background up, shooting them all, burying the bodies, and then moving on to the next group.
this isnt that.
If you want an area of land with a single ethnicity, to clean the area so it is pure for that ethnicity, that is a form of ethnic cleansing.
If you take a city and say all people who are not genetically x, or believe in religion y, must leave. That is a form of ethnic cleansing, you are cleaning the area for a specific ethnicity.
The cleansing doesn’t have to involve death, could just involve displacement, or even The ability to have children.
Ethnic cleansing wikipedia
Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, and religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making a region ethnically homogeneous.
eh… using a definition that broad would mean that most asian countries are guilty of ethnic cleansing. a lot of african countries would qualify too, as would many european nations (other than, you know, germany).
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/ethnic_cleansing
The word has a very clear meaning. I’m sorry you don’t like that definition, but the reason we have dictionaries is so that we can agree on definitions.
How would you describe ethnically purifying an area?
Yes, ethnic cleansing is very common in human history… You’re right. Lots of countries are guilty of it. Doesn’t make it any less bad just common
if it’s so common that literally every country in recorded history is guilty of it (and they are if the accepted definition is so broad) then it’s just another part of governance - unworthy of discussion even.
Ethnic cleansing is unworthy of discussion, because every country has participated in it in some point in their history?
So from that standpoint, you’re happy to get ethnically cleansed, right? It shouldn’t be worth discussion, if a government agent wants to hand over your area to a different ethnicity. You wouldn’t have anything to say about that right? Your family would be cool with it too right?
And if the people who have been ethnically cleansed, try to ethnically cleanse their oppressors, that’s not newsworthy either right? So there shouldn’t have been any news reporting of hamas’s ethnic cleansing attempts? Right? It’s not newsworthy, why are we even talking about it…
Countries also execute people, we still talk about murder.
Slavery has been an institution in almost all if not all contries at some point. That doesn’t make it any less horrible, that other atrocities are also common doesn’t make them less atrocious either.
Yes, they are/have been. Almost all countries have committed horrible atrocities in the past or present. That doesn’t make this not ethnic cleansing or not atrocious.
See, you’re not playing the game by the rules certain groups are playing.
you’re right. I’m not. you gotta buck the trend, for novelty’s sake if nothing else - it keeps the squares on their toes. I find it sad that you got downvoted (not not voting means anything on this platform) for disagreeing with the herd mentality, so I didja a solid and poked the updoot button.
was a fun discussion, for a little while. it seems to have devolved into the insulting phase now. always does. it’s like… we (humanity) just cant rise above our base impulses. if someone refuses to listen, they start getting insulted - like, subconsciously some people just cant accept that their opinion is literally meaningless. it’s just… weird.
anyway, toodles!
Israel wants to relocate a ethnic people. Certain group like to call that genocide because it sounds worse. Genocide actually means killing off a ethnic group. Population transfer is what Israel wants to do.
Latin: genos (race or tribe) and cide (killing).
So about that…
Wikipedia Wikipedia 2 UN Human rights watch Wiktionary
Population transfer is not equal to ethic or tribal killing. Someone at the UN needs to learn latin.
Ethnic cleansing is a component of genocide.
I think the politicians and diplomats who got together in 1948 were cognizant of that.
Consider
You ethnically cleanse a population, they resist, fighting breaks out. The ethnic cleansing moves into a pogrom, repeat… Genocide.
Yes, but their intentions are a forced migration or population transfer. Saying cleaning or genocide means the wholesale murder of the population. So you’re using loaded language which is weakening your argument.
Israel has made it clear they no longer welcome Palestinians along their border. They have been working with neighbors to accept them and essentially the two state option is no longer an option. That isn’t ethnic cleansing or genocide, that is a population transfer.
Now had both sides worked together and forged a diplomatic relationship the two state option would have been successful, but that didn’t occur. Both sides were continually hostile to one another. Now the Palestinian people are going to be relocated and will once again be stateless.
deleted by creator
No, I am not, in this particular context I was speaking strictly about this particular occurrence of unprovoked violence.
well, you wont. but sure, for the sake of argument, lets say you did. let’s further assume that I am not ensconced in my comfortable house in a first world nation just like you, but instead eke out a miserable existence watching goats eat scrub. yes, i would move and be grateful to finally have an excuse to do so.
so, just to reiterate: moving from one place to another isnt genocide. imagine that!
People are not grateful for being displaced. Especially when you don’t have any economic prospects in the place you’re displaced to.
I don’t know what your least favorite country in the world is, but for the sake of argument let’s say it’s Yemen. If I forced you to leave under threat of death, to move to Yemen, without your social network, without your wealth, without knowledge of the local language, without a special skill set, without anything except one pair of clothes. You would not be ecstatic about that, you would not be grateful.
I would hazard a guess that most people do not like being forced to do anything, even if it’s in their best interest
shepherds already have extremely limited economic prospects. it’s not like they’re skilled artisans, constructing unique crafts that can only be manufactured using materials that can only be sourced from that one geographic location. no, they oversee domesticated herd-beasts that dont have any natural predators in their habitat and feed themselves on whatever plants grow wherever they happen to be - lichen, thorn bushes, dried straw, etc.
it’s only a occupation by definition, but a pet rock could be just as good of a shepherd - it takes about as much “skill” to do. outside of the inner desert regions & cities, a shepherd can exist, if not thrive - ie: they can do the same thing wherever they go. herding communities are usually insular in nature - they dont need to know the local language. their source of food, their entire reason for being, those are animals and they feed themselves - the animals are usually their currency as well.
maybe a change of scenery is exactly what they need - they may even be thankful for it in the months and years to come.
As someone who herds sheep for a living, I’m going to guess you’ve never herded sheep in your life lol.
I tended some goats a few times as a favor to a neighbor - well, made sure they didnt get out of their fenced off area of 3 acres. honestly found it to be very dull and uninspiring. perhaps I was doing it wrong? maybe there’s a way to spice it up? do you dress up in a wolf costume to keep things lively? toss lit fireworks at the sheeples?
do tell, I’m sure the stories you’ve got will be absolutely riveting!
I see you’ve changed the goal post from being grateful immediately, to being thankful in the future.
Just because you don’t respect somebody’s occupation, doesn’t mean they don’t value their own occupation. Independence has huge psychological benefits for people.
Not to mention refugees, are moved to places that already have economies, and land use, so there’s not going to be open land for shepherd to feed a flock on. They’re going to be competing with the locals.
I really don’t know why you are wasting your time arguing with people like him, he won’t see reason no matter how hard you try.
Because if we don’t argue, then the misanthropes get to have the final word. And then other normal people will look at the discussions, and think the misanthropes and the hateful people are in the majority.
We have to participate so that our voices are heard, so that our peers, and are online peers, can see that they they are not alone.
We can’t allow the normalization of hate and violence to destroy society, and that means we have to participate
agreeing with your ideology is never going to happen. believing in lies just doesnt jive with “seeing reason” for me.
Oh, so you’re blind!
you’re totally correctamundo about my complete and total lack of respect for their occupation - I reiterate, a garden gnome would be just as effective at herding animals as a shepherd. is being forced to do the same thing that your father did because he did the same thing his father did actually independence? it seems to me that’s flawed thinking. the world is constantly in flux - a rigid, uncompromising, unyielding nature isnt going to get you very far. that’s even more true when you’re going to get to experience new vistas.
changed the goal post? should we be as unyielding as you’re insinuating that the shepherds are, or should be? should they be ungrateful in the now and regretful in the future? does it even matter? will they have to compete, strive, suffer? of course they will! suffering is part of the human condition - it has ever been thus.
Your nihilist philosophy aside… We all live in a world, and we all have different life experiences, if you find yourself saying a different life experience isn’t worth living, that must be applied to you as well.
As long as people aren’t interfering with each other, they should be allowed to live however they like… Be it goat herding, or being a professional sophist troll online
you know, I’ve thought about that a lot - it’s the great philosophical question of our age: does anything that we do actually matter? are we, as individuals, just so insignificant that our actions (whatever they may be) are meaningless? how do we, individually, impact the world? how do we strike our brand onto the graven slate of existence, proving that we’re here, we matter, we existed?! perhaps by exchanging barbs online.
thank you for the compliment - I too thought that my logical argument, nay, position was indeed crafty in nature.
Oh now I see, you truly believe those people are subhuman and their lives don’t matter. Glad that you have finally shown your true nature, so that I can simply block you, and have my feed not stained with people like you!
Removed by mod
Displacement is part of genocide.