I'm someone who uses words enough to have an idea of what she meant...or so I thought.
Today, I shared a table with the Senior Editor of the Jerusalem Post who is a Jew whom recently migrated from Massachusetts. As Senior Editor of arguably the most influential Zionist Newspaper in the Holy Land, she is creating a future reality for my Palestinian friend and her family by the words she uses.
Here's how:
1. When referring to herself and her people, rather than using the word "Jew" or "Jewish", she used the word "Israeli". When referring to Palestinians, she used the word "Arabs". The use of these identifiers caused my radar to go up but it caused my friend, the only Palestinian in the room, to drop her head. Why? Because my Palestinian friend is Israeli too. When a powerful Jew, whose words ripple globally, excludes Palestinians from Israeli identity, it gives the global community permission to exclude Palestinians as well. Israeli as "Jew-only" is propaganda that alters psychological reality. Further, by referring to Palestinians as "Arabs" is to lump this people group in with an amorphous group of people with no identity, no place, and no rights.
2. The focus of the Editor's journalism is to report on the development of Jewish Settlements. Settlements are Jewish neighborhoods that are intentionally springing up in Palestinian territory with specific goals in mind: to steal land and to further displace Palestinians. Rather than referring to this as land stealing and displacement, the Editor referred to the transitioning of "Arabs" to specific, non-ideal portions of land that do not include major Jewish religious places. Her language dehumanized the Palestinians into objects that can be moved around like one would rearrange living room furniture. To visualize the land stealing and Palestinian displacement, see the image below.
3. Frequently, her references to "Arabs" were accompanied with quotes of suicide bombings, danger, and Jewish national fear. In so doing, it became clear that she saw the "Arab" as an enemy and as a disease that must be cut from the "body". Through the use of language, she is creating a reality for Palestinians and for the Global Community: when the Senior Editor of the Jerusalem Post refers to Arabs with enemy/disease language, it alters the perspective of the Global Community such that we begin see them as the "enemy/disease" as well. Further, it creates an ideal reality for the Jewish Community as, with Palestinians seen globally as "enemy" the Jews become seen as wise and generous in the "gifting" of parcels of the land that is "rightfully theirs."
When the conversation was over, I asked my Palestinian friend what she thought of that. She took a deep breath and simply repeated her quote from yesterday: "Language Creates Reality."
9 comments:
Wow. . . . So much to process and think about with this story.
Very interesting. "Language creates Reality" reminds me of Psalm 33:6, "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,and by the breath of His mouth all their host."
The immigration debate in our country is similar in it's use of dehumanizing, disenfranchising language such as "illegals."
Noted the frequent use of the phrase "Palestinian friend" in your writing. This is creating reality of a better kind.
What has been different in your initial interactions with the Palestinian friend and the Senior Editor that have led to one becoming a friend relationship and the other seemingly not so much?
Bando,
Thanks for taking this to our contemporary context. You're absolutely right. The horrible language that we have used has infected me like a virus. All too easily, I question the legitimacy of other groups' existence in my "land" based on the narrative that we have spun. On the same note, I imagine that we lump other cultures and communities into amorphous, identity-less groups in dehumanizing ways. We need to think carefully about this. Remember, language creating reality is how the holocaust began.
If I were to name one difference, it would be that when I'm in dialogue with my Palestinian friend, I look her in the eyes and ask questions. I seek to understand from her perspective. The Senior Editor chose to look anywhere but her eyes and did little more than to tell my friend what my friend thought.
Bando,
Just re-read your question. Not sure that I answered it fully the first time.
Friendship has been initiated more naturally with my Palestinian friend as I've chosen to place myself next to her, to ask questions, to hear her experience, to find myself wading into her narrative. The pursuit of friendship has been a mutual experience as she has reciprocated questions. Curiosity, Initiative, and Time are slowly paving the way to friendship.
The Senior Editor was asked to come and "present" rather than to "dialogue." Thus, she had to posture, disseminate information, be the expert, and defend her work. I don't critique her for this at all as, again, this is what she was invited to do. I'd love a cup of coffee with her so that we could wade into each other's narratives. There was no time for Curiosity or Initiative. Seems like friendship needs all three.
Keep reading, Bando, and asking questions. This is very helpful!
I think Ben hit the nail on the head with his reference to Psalm 33:6. Instead of acknowledging the Truth, the Word that spoke all creation into existence, we try to be as gods by making things conform to our way of thinking and our will by the words we speak. Where political (based on the interests of one or more groups of people) power is concentrated, as in Stalin, even "objective" history gets rewritten for the purpose of creating/recreating reality to the people...so the people will then act according to our word of the moment. As Christians we are to be counterculture to this inevitable use of words in the world. We are not to let the world squeeze us into its mold. Instead, we are to speak and be of the Truth.
Jesus is the Word, the divine Logos. Through the incarnation, God spoke to all mankind by "speaking" himself into the world. As Christians, the word means "little Christ"'s, we are to be incarnations of Jesus Christ - "little Logos"'s, spoken out into the whole world. As God's word does not return to him empty - we are to go out and bear much fruit of the Spirit. We are not particularly spoken forth to shape the reality of the world, the reality of political kingdoms. We are in the world, but our lives are always to testify to the truth of an unseen, yet greater reality --- the kingdom of God.
"Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Then Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world – to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:36-37.
Is it as simple as that Jer. As we die to ourselves and live for God and others, we have conversations and friendships in the world. Out of love for our friends, we testify truth to those who willingly listen to truth. Otherwise, we keeping befriending them and hope.
Just for argument's sake, I would like to take the position that reality creates language. The kingdom of God is an invisible reality that keeps breaking into the reality of our material world, but it exists independent of our material world. To the extent that we are in the world, but of the kingdom of God, that will affect our actions in the material world, including our language. To the extent that our eye is healthy, single (perceiving and therefore acting upon the greater reality of the kingdom of God) our bodies will be full of light and our language will reflect this. directly changing language will help to change reality. But healing diseased eyes will have a more profound effect.
Speaking of language makes me think of "love languages," such as words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, and acts of service. If we were to speak thus to others who are different from us and against our cultural ways, the words we use toward them and about them would very likely change.
Words of affirmation: "Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse."
Acts of service: “If you encounter your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return it to him."
Gifts: "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,"
Quality time: "For since I am free from all I can make myself a slave to all, in order to gain even more people. To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) to gain those under the law. To those free from the law I became like one free from the law (though I am not free from God’s law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from the law. To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some."
Here's a good book on compassionate communication:
"Nonviolent Communication" by Marshall B Rosenberg.
I think that the only hope for real peace is for both sides to be reconciled to Jesus. A good illustration of this kind of reconciliation is found in the story of Peter and Cornelius. As with Jews and Palestinians today, there was great enmity between Jews and Romans in New Testament times. Jer, notice the change in language.
This is what Peter said to Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, and his household:
"You know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile, yet God has shown me that I should call no person defiled or ritually unclean'...'I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is welcomed before him. "
It is the one Spirit that creates unity and peace in the one body:
Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, as he used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ Therefore if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder God?” When they heard this, they ceased their objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance that leads to life even to the Gentiles.”
Jer, we need to use a language that is free of political agenda. We need to use language that shows no favoritism, because God shows no favoritism in dealing with people. We need to use a language that shows no favoritism to the rich or to the poor; to the powerful and influential or to the powerless; to the beautiful or to the plain; to the young or to the old; to the Jew or to the Palestinian.
Post a Comment