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16 January 2004: "Ghoul: a legendary evil being that robs graves and feeds on corpses"

Well, since everyone's talking about this entry on Little Green Footballs and the accompanying cartoon anyway, I may as well chime in. The short version is that I find the cartoon nothing short of revolting. Schadenfreude is one thing, but finding amusement in someone's death merely because that person's political viewpoint differs from one's own is just sadistic. Rachel Corrie died a slow and painful death involving breaks in the ribs, spinal cord and shoulder blades, as well as tear wounds in her right lung. Instead, the cartoonists, Messrs. Cox & Forkum, have chosen to portray her as Wile E. Coyote. Hah, look, it's funny, see? She's not really dead; after she's dusted herself off she'll be ready to send off for another Acme product and try to stop that IDF bulldozer again!

Yeah, hilarious. Except that Rachel Corrie wasn't a cartoon character.

Let's get this clear: I have nothing but contempt for the ISM (as an organisation) and its leadership. I think I've made that pretty clear in previous posts. The ISM's claim to seek "peace" while affirming the Palestinians' "right to armed struggle" is hypocritical. But that doesn't mean we should tar everyone associated with the organisation with the same brush. Recently, I expounded on the role of the International Brigades during the Spanish civil war, and I think there are some valid parallels to be drawn with the ISM.

Regarding the International Brigades, I noted they were composed of volunteers who were well-intentioned, determined to make a contribution, however modest, towards making the world a better place. Unfortunately, in doing so, they signed on with an organisation whose leadership was more interested in making political capital for their own benefit over the backs of the volunteers, and were not above squandering the lives of these volunteers by throwing them into action with inadequate training and equipment, though with a generous dose of indoctrination, to achieve these aims. And so, I believe, it is with the ISM. I wouldn't be surprised if any number of ISM volunteers did not fully support the organisation's stated position, but since the organisation is one of the few that can provide them with an opportunity to get into the Territories and start making a difference, the volunteers are willing to make a few compromises in order to pursue their desire to do something rather than sitting in the student union moaning about how awful it all is. Of course, once in the Territories, the availability of information is severely restricted; with limited access to newspapers or the internet, principal sources of information are the local populace (possibly via an intermediary) and the ISM itself. This is likely to result in a somewhat skewed perception on the volunteers' part, which in turn results in their being misguided in more ways than one.

All sorts of accusations are being slung at Rachel Corrie post-mortem; one "Shiplord Kirel" in the LGF comments section obliquely refers to her as a "murderous status-seeker and terror slut," while over in the comments section at au currant, Nigel Holland accuses her of "delight[ing] in other peoples deaths." Well, I seem to have missed the reports of Rachel Corrie murdering anyone, and given that very few people had heard of her before she was killed, I find the claim of "status seeker" a remarkable one as well. Most "status seekers" don't try to do so by dying, since that makes enjoying the fruits of that status rather problematical. Moreover, I can only conclude that Nigel Holland must be a skilled medium and psychologist to understand the mind of a dead person with such certainty. And given that delighting in the deaths of others is clearly wrong, it should be clear that anyone professing to possess "moral clarity" should have nothing but condemnation (no "ifs" or "buts") for Messrs. Cox and Forkum and the denizens of such blogs as Little Green Footballs and Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler.

For my part, there's little I can say with any degree of certainty about Rachel Corrie. From what I've read about her, I would conclude that she was misguided but acted out of good intentions. But she did have the fortitude to go and live rough in the Gaza Strip, and the physical courage to stand firm repeatedly in the face of small arms fire and a 54-ton bulldozer. And I think that deserves at least a modicum of respect.

(Hat tips to Jackie D, Farm Accident Digest and Harry's Place.)

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