MetaChat - Relatives, facebook and the arab israeli conflict

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04 January 2009

Relatives, facebook and the arab israeli conflict So I am a big ol' Palestine activist, have been since I was about 16. I'm Jewish and I've got relatives in Israel, big Zionists all, some of whom have friended me on facebook.→[More:]

Now I am getting emails from them that don't ask how I am or anything, just cut and paste propaganda. I respond, very politely, tell them I hope I haven't offended them, and ask how they are or whatever.

They don't want to answer with how they are. Which is sad, because I'd like to know how they are. They seem to see me as a convenient object to yell at. Which makes me want to de-friend them on facebook, because all they have seen that might offend them re status updates, posts etc related to work re. Gaza or whatever I am doing here in Scotland, and it's not directed at them.

Maybe I should just de-friend all my relatives on facebook and explain why. It's not that I see them that often or anything, I realy enjoyed hearing updates about their babies and wishing them a happy new year and stuff.. whatever.

In another news I am pretty deeply depressed, even though I've got a new job starting up if they ever give me a start date, and my sister is coming.. It's just that I am sick to hell of feeling completely out of touch with everyone. I think I am a bit deaf and maybe need some hearing aids. also I felt quite lousy at a gaza fundraiser today, tens of thousands of pounds were raised and I couldn't even give fifty.

I also think I am weird and can't keep close friends, and one resoltuion I have is to accept this. Like I have one friend going back overseas for a year, she was home for three weeks and I saw her once for an hour. Gonna drop her off a travel journal in her office tomorrow. Just know, people, that when I smile and say it's OK that I don't see you it's not realy ok at all, I miss you. I just feel like I am in a prison of social obligations and can't say that it sucks not to see you, that just makes me weirder.

I will be 80 years old and alone and friendless, filling life with cats and hobbies and no trouble to nobody.

All of these I and me words.. Believe also that I am thinking of you and sympathise with all going on in your lives. I am especially glad that hadjiboy is back.

post by: By the Grace of God at: 18:56 | 8 comments

You need some whuffles.

posted by bunnyfire 04 January | 19:40

thanx bunnyfire! also, yes I am working on solutions to all these things, just feeling grumpy folks..

posted by By the Grace of God 04 January | 20:27

I'm sorry for your heartache and that your family isn't viewing you as a human being. That's pretty lame.

And I wanted to share that I'm in a similar Facebook situation. I use Facebook only for seeing what my old classmates are up to, and since school was yeshiva, a lot of them are up to some crazy right-wing aliyah-making Palin-loving stuff. For me though, it's a good reminder of my past and how lucky I feel to be away from that.

posted by birdie 04 January | 20:37

Now I am getting emails from them that don't ask how I am or anything, just cut and paste propaganda. I respond, very politely, tell them I hope I haven't offended them, and ask how they are or whatever.

They don't want to answer with how they are. Which is sad, because I'd like to know how they are. They seem to see me as a convenient object to yell at. Which makes me want to de-friend them on facebook, because all they have seen that might offend them re status updates, posts etc related to work re. Gaza or whatever I am doing here in Scotland, and it's not directed at them.

I think you've got the beginnings of a good e-mail there. Maybe if you rewrote some of those sentences in the second person?

It's worth a try. Give them a chance to relate to you as a person and agree to disagree on some issues. And if they're not up for it . . . well, you'll know what to do.

posted by jason's_planet 04 January | 20:54

In another news I am pretty deeply depressed, even though I've got a new job starting up if they ever give me a start date, and my sister is coming..

As the saying goes (at least the one I made up years ago and hope will catch on 'cause it's true): If you have a reason, you're sad. If you don't, you're depressed. Part of the bitch of depression is beating yourself up because you don't believe you have a right to feel that way. Depression doesn't need external reasons--that's not the nature of the beast. If you can at least take that pressure off yourself (and it's hard, especially if you're already there) it helps a bit. I hope you're getting good help for it, because at that level it's really not something you can fight on your own. That's not a character flaw, it's a fact of the illness.

Big whuffles to you, and wishing you strength and support.

posted by elizard 04 January | 22:00

Whuffles BTGOG. Serious Whuffles.

posted by Luminous Phenomena 05 January | 04:24

BTGOG, and I totally understand feeling sad where you are at and waiting for job-start date right now. How frustrating. Whuffles! Regarding hearing: any ear wax buildup? I suddenly lost hearing on left ear after a concert and couldn't figure out why, I worried I had damaged my ears beyond repair. Nothing was on my q-tips when cleaning them but there was a block of wax in there that blocked sound which I could not reach. Nurse took it out with a power-flush rinse a few weeks later, which was extra fun because you get all dizzy afterward and suddenly hearing again is a bit weird

posted by dabitch 05 January | 04:34

This is why I don't do Facebook. My life is in too many boxes for the different boxes of people to be in the same place. Perhaps this illustrates that I am not properly integrated or somesuch, but that's the way it is.

That sux, BTGOG.

posted by rainbaby 05 January | 09:05

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