Not what was expected

Letters

Editor: Last week, Deborah Campbell gave a talk at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCC) entitled Popular Media and Counter Culture.

What we had hoped for – and perhaps this was too much to expect in these dark times – was a message of peace. What we got was a narrative that focused largely on the sufferings of the Palestinian people and the role of the Israeli military in creating and prolonging this suffering. And while many of the facts she presented are undeniably true, I felt that her approach to the material was decidedly judgmental and critical of Israel. Little light was shed on the prospects of peace.

She characterized the mainstream media's axiom of "If it bleeds it leads" and illustrated how emotionally charged words like "curfew" and "checkpoint" are the adhesive for piecing together simplified stories for television news coverage. Then, for the rest of the talk, we heard a great deal about curfews and checkpoints and how, in her personal experiences, the Arab population bleeds under occupation of the Israelis.

We had asked Deborah to talk about organizations seeking alternatives to the current paradigm of punishment and retribution, and to focus on grassroots movements working to support peace and reconciliation in communities. And, to be fair, she did devote some of her talk to recognizing groups like Rabbis for Human Rights, B'tselem and Ta'ayush that are documenting and educating the public about human rights violations in the occupied territories. These organizations perform a valuable role in promoting "harm reduction" in places of conflict, but are ultimately political organizations seeking to change government policy.

The Peace Walker Society is a nonpolitical organization that aims to further the dialogue on concepts of peace and coexistence. In dialogue, we open the door to allow people to speak freely and be heard. And although we may not always agree with what is being said, the important thing is that the dialogue takes place.

Next Thursday, the director of the Compassionate Listening Project, Andrea Cohen, will be at the JCC to talk about her film Children of Abraham. Compassionate listening is a practice that contributes to healing for those who have been hurt and helps foster peaceful relations between people with deep disagreements. Visit their Web site at www.mideastdiplomacy.org.

Thanks to Deborah Campbell for her talk, in that it raised the level of awareness of the complexity of the situation in Israel and the occupied territories. Peace.

Alan Woodland
Peace Walker Society

^TOP