What does this picture say to you? Zoe Goorman made it for an action held outside Marin County’s Dining for Democrats Gala in Corte Madera, California, last Saturday night. And it represents the kind of actions going on at a local level all across the country by citizens fed up with their municipalities tax dollars being funneled to support Israel’s inhumane occupation of Palestine.
How’d she get the idea? Organizer Esther Riley read about the upcoming VIP gala in the local fish wrap and sent out an action alert last week.
The Democratic Party says it’s for human rights, so why do our elected officials help to suppress Palestinian rights? Why do Democrats keep funding Israel’s wars and the occupation instead of using economic leverage to get Israel to grant equality to everyone under its control? Why do Democrats send military aid to Israel while cutting our own military budget? Why did [Northern California Congressman] Jared Huffman vote to put us in debt for another $225 million to give Israel spare parts for Iron Dome when there were millions of unexpended dollars in the Iron Dome account and when another $351 million was slated to be put into that account on October 1? And why give money to save Jewish lives but not Palestinian lives? Why is [state assemblyman] Marc Levine willing to suppress free speech on California campuses for the sake of “campus climate”?–do the feelings of Zionists over here matter more than the feelings of Palestinians living under occupation and military assault? Why is Israel the elephant in the room that no one can talk about?
Good questions! Goorman spent all Saturday afternoon making this incredible sign and met up with other local activist who responded to the call. But Goorman says she didn’t think people “got it”. What do you think? I get it! I love her elephant. She sent out an email to some friends asking what words could be added to her sign to make it clearer, but I don’t think it needs anything else. Here’s an idea Esther Riley sent to me this morning:
A variation of the poster that Zoe did could be a back view of an elephant inside the voting room of Congress with the word “Israel” written on its rear end. The elephant could be drawn with it trunk up so that it would not be mistaken for another animal and perhaps less mistaken as the symbol of the GOP, which is usually a side view.
I don’t think it matters that the elephant also represents Republicans. The elephant in the room in American politics– the elephant so many people don’t mention or criticize for fear of being labeled anti Semitic– that’s Israel. I hope Goorman’s sign catches on. The next time you attend a local event in your town, don’t just talk about the elephant in the room, make it a symbol.
(Hat tip Karen Platt)
Israel is surely a large elephant in any USA governmental room. But it is not in there alone.Major corporations and wealthy individuals (Kochs for instance) are in there too.
Obama is talking up CLIMATE CHANGE but also talking up ENERGY INDEPENDENCE (meaning: support for oil/gas/coal use in the USA).
I guess I am surprised to hear him talk up climate change. But the increased use of oil/gas (fracking) is no surprise. America is Corporate State in all but name.
Israel is a big player, but not the only player.
i just got an email from a vip who does not comment here. he wrote “she could add an 800-lb gorilla holding the elephant’s trunk!”
i think this idea could spread very very easily. hey!
Q: How do you stop an elephant from charging?
A: Take away its credit card!
I couldn’t figure out the point of the elephant. All I could think was that it was associating Israel with the GOP. Great picture but I think the “elephant in the room” metaphor won’t come across to most of us
lame-ies. It needs a caption or something to better make the connection, like one person saying “Shhh, don’t say anything” to another who is gawking at the elephant with her mouth open. I like the message though. I-P really is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about, particularly Congress, not to mention the media, the corporate world, the academic world, etc.
Another approach might be a cartoon with the caption, “Honey, we need to talk”. I’ll leave the artwork and labeling to those with some talent.
I think the calm, neutrality of this approach could be much more effective than the more strident methods currently used. Instead of “Israel is an apartheid state”, etc., which tend to be big turn-offs to most who have a knee-jerk reaction in favor of Israel, the message becomes, “we need to have a serious discussion about this very important issue that is affecting all of us, not to mention the Palestinians and Israelis.
It could be structured in the form of “10 questions for discussion” which would be neutrally phrased. This would allow the discussion or debate to be refocused on the key, critical issues, not the straw men that Israel and the lobby are so effective at promoting. Instead of “Israel has a right to defend itself”, the issue becomes, “Do oppressed people living under illegal military occupation have a right to resist their occupiers and fight for their freedom?”
I think one of the keys to changing people’s minds on the I-P issue is to tone down the rhetoric. Zoe’s pachyderm is a great start.
I think it needs a caption on the bottom for those who won’t get it, and it should be plain-speaking: