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US airman dies after setting himself on fire outside Israeli embassy (www.channelnewsasia.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml
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[–] 22 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I'd like to know why anyone would downvote this. Do you support genocide?

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  • [–] 51 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Maybe people are understandably uncomfortable with self immolation? Nobody has ever liked an effective activist in their time. The civil rights protesters in USA had a <25% approval rate in the 60s.

    I think this person did what he thought was right, and I will remember him for that. And peace can't come soon enough.

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  • [+] 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)
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  • [–] 24 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    It takes courage and convictions to do this kind of protest. There's no need to reduce it to just a suicide. It was a courageous and highly honorable act. I've got nothing but respect.

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  • [+] -23 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (4 children)
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  • [–] 26 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    That my friends, is a cowardly and selfish act.

    Forcing people to stay alive against their will while they suffer in one way or another because you can't deal with missing them is cowardly and selfish.

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  • [–] 26 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Bullshit. You are insulting everyone who's had a legitimate reason to commit suicide and their loved ones by proxy. Get this puritanical nonsense out of here. I've known multiple people who've committed suicide, and while it hurts to lose them, they've all had valid reasons, and it's really tasteless for me to dismiss that or guilt trip people who want to check out.

    And in this case, it's objectively one of the most selfless acts imaginable.

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  • [+] -16 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)
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  • [–] 18 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    It was a protest against our nation's complicity in genocide. This was objectively one of the most selfless acts and meaningful sacrifices imaginable. I have nothing but the utmost respect.

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  • [+] -19 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)
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  • [–] 18 points 2 years ago

    He was serving a military which was helping Israel to commit this genocide. Even removed from that, Americans are working and paying taxes which are being sent to fund Israel's campaign to achieve genocide. It doesn't matter whether he was pulling triggers himself, he knew that he was indirectly supporting the cause that he was so staunchly opposed to. I have too much to lose by standing (or dying) with him, so I don't. I'm too cowardly to do what he did. I fucking despise that we are supporting Israel, but I can't throw it all away in protest like he did. I'm not strong enough, and my family isn't strong enough without me. Or maybe they are and I'm too selfish to self terminate for this cause.

    Because if what he did, we are talking about it. We are all wondering how many more airmen this will cost. Just because we aren't putting our people on the ground to catch those bullets in person doesn't mean there isn't a cost. If we didn't support that genocide, Aaron Bushnell would be home with his family tonight. You can blame him all you want, but I don't think he was looking for a reason to abandon his family, I think he was disgusted by what he swore an oath to. We're supposed to defend the weak, house the exposed, feed the hungry, wash the unclean, etc. Instead, we're helping Israel to bomb schools and hospitals after telling people that those places are safe from their hellfire. History textbooks will reveal that we were standing idly by while our government funded this, downplayed this, and vetoed every attempt to pause this. There is no legitimate excuse to have allowed this to continue. I fucking hate my country for this. I'm ashamed to be an American, just as much today as I was during trump's presidency. But I still want to take a moment to remind everybody that trump would've 100% made this even worse. I'm not saying to not vote for Biden. I'm saying please, for the love of God, vote in local elections, vote in primaries, and get us somebody better than this fucking shithead neolib next time, but in the meantime help him to beat the autocratic fascist because Biden is way better even though he still fucking sucks.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    I think we can have compassion for people who commit suicide because of suffering and are young, but not think it's a good or ideal thing. I think the protest here or euthanasia because you're old/sick is a different thing.

    For everyone (for me) condoning suicide too much -- I always think about it like this:

    We were dead for billions of years and we will be dead for billions of years. This little sub 100 year run we all have is just a flash in the pan and even if you're not having a good time at all and think you can't ever have a good time, surely just sticking it out for the novelty if nothing else is better in most cases of suffering than checking out too early. We'll all be back there soon enough.

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  • [+] -7 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Telling people that someone who burn himself is a role model is poor taste even if you respect the cause.

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  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    How so? I'm expressing my respect and gratitude in the best way I know how.

    This is tiresome and pointless pearl clutching.

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  • [+] -9 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I think the "pearls being clutched" are that you have a great general point but are suggesting something strange. A role model is someone you want people to imitate. We want people to get his message, not to just do the same thing.

    Sacrifices like this should always be super rare. If he's inspiring others to action, then it should be mass protests (at least), not more immolations.

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  • [–] 17 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    A role model is someone you want people to imitate

    Yes

    Sacrifices like this should always be super rare. If he's inspiring others to action, then it should be mass protests (at least), not more immolations.

    Imagine gatekeeping protests.

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  • [+] -7 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    What do you mean - do you think more people should set themselves on fire?

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I'd never presume to be so haughty as to prescribe to another person a form of protest, nor to disparage a meaningful and impactful act like this.

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