RationalSnowflake

Yesterday I was told by one of my sister's Facebook friends that it's too bad I didn't die in Auschwitz. He commented this in response to my comment on her post about getting rocks thrown at her by Arab children on her way to school. I sympathized with her, and also offered the perspective of the children, who live in oppression and are often mistreated and discriminated against by various Israeli organizations and institutions. These children grow up experiencing Israel as the enemy, so it's understandable that they will want to do anything in their power to fight against Israel and Israelis. I find myself getting into heated arguments with my friends and family in Israel about Israeli practices toward Palestinians. They see me as a traitor, as someone who wants Israel to be destroyed, and as someone who values the lives of the enemy (Palestinians/Arabs) more than the lives of Jews. I also often get into arguments with Americans, who believe I support the "m

They warned us not to make promises we couldn't keep, and I was very careful with my wording. Still, as I tried to coax Tony* to go get a late pass from room 160, I worried about how he was interpreting what I was saying. "Hey Tony, how's it going? How come you're not in class?" "I'll tell you the truth. I was on my way to class, but my jacket got stuck in my locker, so I was late, and the teacher wouldn't let me in without a late pass." "That sucks. So you're on your way to 160 to get a late pass?" He hesitated. "No, I don't want to get suspended" "Why would you get suspended for being late?" "Well... I wasn't in my other classes today..." "Okay... but you're still getting marked absent right now... so you can still get suspended, and you're making it worse by not going to class." He shrugged. My logic, which seemed pretty flawless to me, didn't phase him. "