Ms Informed Newsletter | Deborah Feldman, Manufactured Consent, and Anti-Semitism in Germany
How is mass media complicit and manipulative in making us spectators, not participants, of democracy? Tune in to stay smart, the easy way.
Shownotes
Deborah Feldman on Markus Lanz
Sarah Shulman in NY Mag’s The Intelligencer on Manufactured Consent and Israel-Palestine
Documentary: Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
The Book Manufacturing Consent on Goodreads
Deutschlandfunk Kultur Podcast: Israelkritik: Wie berichten deutsche Medien?
Coda on The Crackdown of pro-Palestinian gatherings in Germany (excellent)
YouTube video of John Oliver explaining Israel-Palestine like no one else can (also excellent)
What is the Belfour declaration
Al Jazeera on Germany cracking down on pro Palestine protests
Reuters on Germany being accused on silencing pro Palestine voices
Washington Post on European bans on pro Palestine protests
This week’s distraction
This week’s distraction is the situation in Gaza, and a template for what you can do to help!
Write to your representatives in Berlin and ask them to stop the suffering and murder of civilians:
Step one: Use this website to find your area and your representatives!
Step two: Copy the blow text into an email and send it off!
Sehr geehrte Frau/Herr [Politician's Last Name],
ich wende mich heute an Sie in Ihrer Funktion als Mitglied des Berliner Parlaments. Ich bin zutiefst schockiert und empört über die jüngsten Ereignisse im Gazastreifen. Als meine Vertreterin/mein Vertreter appelliere ich an Sie, sich gegen das Massaker an unschuldigen Menschen zu positionieren.
Was die israelische Armee und Regierung derzeit verüben, ist inakzeptabel. Wir haben die Pflicht, alle menschlichen Leben zu schützen.
Ich fordere Sie nachdrücklich auf, Maßnahmen gegen diese Gräueltaten zu ergreifen. Sie wurden gewählt, um die Interessen derjenigen zu vertreten, die in Ihrem Wahlkreis leben. Als eine von ihnen fordere ich Sie auf, aktiv zu werden und die deutsche Regierung umgehend dazu zu bringen, die Finanzierung der Bombardierung unschuldiger Frauen und Kinder im Gazastreifen einzustellen.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
[Your name]
This week Madhvi wrote
This week Madhvi wrote about Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, and how she’s celebrating as a feminist for Salon Magazine. Give it a read, and let me know your thoughts!
This week Rina read
This week Rina started reading “What you are looking for is in the library” I am now only reading Japanese books about books. If the story also includes a cat, even better! This novel is so charming and I will be quitting my job to go work in library. Its like a cosy cup of tea on a cold day.
This week’s inspiration
This weeks inspiration is the cultural organisation Oyoun in Neukolln. It does great art exhibitions, events, poetry slams, you name it — and it was one of the few Berlin organisations that tried to present a fair approach to the Israel - Palestine conflict. The result? It’s funding has been threatened to be cut by the Berlin government.
Please, please, take a second to sign this open letter to help save it!
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