Dear Brothers and Sisters:
As the only sociologist to my knowledge
on these lists who has visited the West Bank
this year and traveled throughout Israel, I
can assure you that based on my direct
observations, and through in-depth interviews
conducted among members of Mossad and Hamas,
this place is an epicenter of unbearable pain
on both sides of the conflict. Yes, everyone
commenting on these lists has their own subjective
orientation and opinion toward one side or the
another, but please keep in mind that participants
on both sides of this conflict are exhausted.
They are coerced by their own brothers and
sisters to sustain the tremendous antagonism
necessary to keep these hatreds alive. Just
think what effort goes into socializing new
generations in hatred. This is crafted every
day by everyone on everyside. We as sociologists
should keep these realities in mind before
registering subjective inflamatory comments
publicly supporting any side. Ex post facto
sociological musings deconstructing particular
slices of the past can hardly bring us to the peaceful
constructivism necessary for a more desirable future.
The violence, the electronic fenses, the childrens'
rock ammunition collections, and the indignancy driven
by rights-driven social scientific discourses will only
fuel the conflict. We can optimize sociology's potential
contributions to humanity not be regurgitating the obvious
truths justifying wounded hearts on both opposing sides,
but by creatively designing constructive dialogue, policies,
and projects benefiting all involved. Are there theories and
models and constructs that might enable us to do that ?
If not, let's conceptualize them together, right here,
right now. Despite the fact that I too worry about my friends
and family on both sides of this fictitious ideological divide
exacerbated by the lucrative interests of those in the business
of weapons and surveillance proliferation. We as sociologists
have nothing to gain and everything to lose by bolstering
these hate discourses. There are many non-social scientific
listserves where this discourse is welcomed with open arms.
I feel such commentary is inconsistent with our sociological
potential.
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Lisiunia | Lisa | A. Romanienko
Wroclaw University | Institute of Sociology
Koszarowa 3 | Wroclaw, Poland 51-149
48 :: 508 953 123 mobile
http://lisaromanienko.tripod.com
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