[happy character pointing at a painting of a french resistance fighter holding a molotov cocktail] Freedom fighters! Those people were heroes for fighting against oppression
[angry character shoving their smartphone in our face with a picture of a palestinian holding a rock] Evil terrorists! Those people are monsters for fighting against oppression
I once had someone attack me on Mastodon for the Palestine flag in my profile (next to the Ukraine one), telling me that “those people” would happily kill me too for being trans and whatnot. So I was obviously an indoctrinated idiot.
I still cringe about that selfish ignorance. As if a constant state of war and terror would enable anyone to be more open and progressive. As if a society that successfully eradicates another one would be like that either. It’s so phenomenally short-sighted.
At which point does our educational (and healthcare -> therapy) system fail to teach the simple fact that the only way to lasting peace and prosperity is to ensure safety, rights and wellbeing of even those who we may not like or who may not like us? Obviously a lot of people in this world would like to see me dead or incarcerated. But that wouldn’t change if I could suppress them, on the contrary.
We clearly still have a very long road ahead of us (if we survive as a species without destroying the planet first) to true enlightenment and peace.
One myth which rarely goes challenged is that there is a death penalty on trans or gay people in Palestine. They have a jail sentence for “public indencency” or the likes but even Hamas has never killed anyone for being gay.
This is not to say they are pro LGBT minded, just that they would not kill you.