Driving down University Avenue about a week ago, I saw three typical Gainesville hippies waving a banner comparing Gaza to the Warsaw ghetto of Nazi-occupied Poland.
Seriously?
It is sad to see the Gaza conflict spread to the UF campus. It is even sadder to see blatant ignorance on both sides, ranging from Facebook statuses and casual conversations at the Hub to erroneous street demonstrations.
Wherever I go, it pains me to see not actual hatred but lack of understanding.
As an Israeli, I've had to reluctantly argue my way through the past two weeks, mostly in vain. The great intellectual community of Titletown is deader than Vanilla Ice's rapping career.
I was inclined to write a letter consisting of facts, history and analysis of the situation in Israel, but it is obvious that these entreaties of reason will most likely fall on already-decided deaf ears.
So, my dear Gainesville pseudo-intellectuals, next time you think it is "hip" to talk about Palestinian suffering at a house party or debate the merits of Soviet-era communism, do us all a favor and don't.
Instead, do yourself one by actually reading beyond TV headlines and body counts.
Did you know there's an ongoing civil war in Sri Lanka? What about Asian human trafficking? And who here still remembers Darfur?
The founders of this country, ironically, lost their lives so we could have freedom of information. I hope everyone takes a step back and realizes that knowledge and understanding, not blame, are the key.
