This catchy blog title may seem dark, but its only to bring awareness to the agonizing horrors in other parts of the world, while having a focus in Israel/Palestine. Since I go on about my own suffering in other blogs of mine, it wouldn't feel right not mentioning the millions of others that are suffering way worse than I am on this planet.
Unfortunately, humans have been killing each other since the beginning of their existence. It's said that warfare started in the Neothilic Age, but the first war to be recorded was in 2700 BCE. Hopefully this helps anyone who thinks life is more monstrous now. You see, we've always been horrible! Isn't that reassuring?
However, that's not an excuse to continue this harm today. With our expansion of knowledge, it is our responsibility to increase accountability starting now and every day in the future towards people in leadership positions. So please, remain hurt by the news, it means you are a good person with basic empathy - keep up the good work.
Current Conflicts (Genocides/Wars)
I referred to CrisisGroup.org and their list of conflicts to be aware of in 2024 for this blog post in case you'd like to read more in-depth details. I resulted to using that site and a few others in particular because when I kept googling current "genocides" - no news about Gaza or Palestine came up, so I didn't feel those were trustworthy sites with their choice of language (even though it is being called a war by some mainstream news and by Netanyahu, the actions going on define a genocide, therefore it should be called what it is so it doesn't undercut reality).
Funny enough, when I searched for current "wars", finally there was some talk about it. The humor is that they are not recognizing this as a genocide and still calling it a war.
Even though the U.S. Government says this is not a genocide and is solely a war out of defense, the actions happening are very contradicting (like how we supply weapons that kill thousands of men, women, and children but say it's only for terrorists). Since there is video proof of thousands of innocent civilians being tortured and blown to pieces, we know this as an established fact. But we can also refer to the link that has foreign countries deeming it a genocide also.
If news, politicians, or other media content are insisting Israel is still defending itself, they are lying/gaslighting thanks to the brave journalists in Gaza showing us what's really happening.
If you are wondering why you haven't heard much news of this event or you've heard one sided news, it is possible your algorithm avoids it since it purposely makes you uncomfortable (which means less engagement, resulting in less time to view an ad, costing that site some possible income). I wanted to mention this as a marketing manager that has to deal with Search Engine Optimization and Ad Auctions.
More Suffering In The World Happening That I'll Help Spread Awareness On So I Don't Feel As Guilty When Discussing My Own Problems:
Countries facing extreme hardships due to oppressors who are heavily armed compared to citizens include Gaza (Israel committing genocide against Palestine), Democratic Republic of Congo (cobalt scandal), Ukraine (Russian invasion) to name "mainstream" conflicts. The Geneva Academy includes all of those active conflicts here. Please take a look at their hard work on informing people here so I'm not just repeating it.
The photo above is found in the link I provided (this photo is directly from their website). I like the graphics; this is a good visual to help comprehend the quantity of attacks.
The fact that all of these conflicts are happening, is truly devastating. Human beings that view this is a good thing may not have the emotional intelligence to be a truly good leader/public servant. Whether an individual has this point of view due to their own bias or because they just repeat what their peers say, it's never fair or moral to starve and kill a population of innocent people. Yes, innocent - the adults and children dying in Palestine are peaceful and were simply existing. It doesn't matter their religion or region. They were attacked while living their lives' peacefully. The thousands of deaths happening from Israel's bombings are happening to regular people, not terrorists.)
I try to think in multiple perspectives to fully understand an issue. From there, I make those collective thoughts into simple layers to breakdown the reality of the situation in real-time. Not what was in the past or the potential we can have in the future from a war; but who is being affected currently. With the lives, infrastructure, and ecosystems damaged from mankind's emotions, it's not fair to say there is ever a better benefit of a war. (I'm directly referring to those that start the wars - like how Hitler began attacking regions for power/patriotism. Clearly, I'm glad other countries fought against his hate crimes.)
Leaders initiating and in charge of the violent conflicts will naturally be more focused on the politics of the issue versus the individuals being harmed in the process. That's where we, the working class, typically worry about. Many feel sorrow and anxiety for our loved ones when people harmed in the war we have to be involved in.
Clearly, some leaders do not care about this harm which is why it is happening still and has been happening for thousands of years. Even if we ignore America's imperial past, it is important to remove these kinds of people from power now and for the future. We are so advanced these days as human beings; a lot of violent conflicts would be reduced with corrupt and unempathetic individuals not being in positions of power.
When it's broken down to that level, I find it unforgiving to justify any abusive actions whether its due to religion, politics, profit, patriotism, strong emotions, or ego. But what do you think? Is a good leader someone who is violent or does that mean they can't manage emotions and communicate well?
To me, a good leader will do anything in their power to reach the best possible solution for everyone involved. As long as we can continue to educate and let younger generations prosper, I believe they will show up to be those great leaders that bring a better managed society, worldwide!
Reading Between The Headlines With The Palestine and Israel Situation
Is Gaza A Modern Day Holocaust?
The Holocaust from World War II and the current events happening in Palestine are both genocides, however, the two are very different from one another. If you see a headline or social media post of someone comparing the Holocaust to Gaza, the context is most likely referring to propaganda and the fact that it's another hate-driven tragedy. To put it shortly, the events of Gaza should not be compared to the Holocaust as they are both awful in their own ways. Both of them are using propaganda, which remains a crucial tactic needed to help commit political agendas, especially violent ones.
What About The Other Genocides and Wars?
As a creative storyteller and mediocre comedian, I never got into writing nonfiction/journalism. However, I still consume factual content that has current events and conflicts happening. I tried to stick to Gaza for simplification but here are a few important things to note about the other suffering happening outside of the USA.
Myanmar, Sudan & South Sudan, Iraq, Central African Republic, China, Syria, and Yemen. You can read more details about each of the countries here!
In DRC mines, people are working in slave like conditions to mine cobalt for batteries, iPhones, Tesla batteries and other electric cars. Read more here!
This website source lists details about many armed conflicts happening while stating there is currently 32 countries at war. They also provide a list of casualties per country.
These countries specifically cross into genocide defining territory as they are trying to kill a particular race of people (this article goes into brief details about the country's conflict)
Considered having Civil Wars in their countries are Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Libya, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Colombia, and Mali.
As informed citizens, I don't think it means we have to be experts or remember all of these details forever. But we need a bit of knowledge to keep a healthy bit of skepticism in our minds - not too much or too little skepticism though.
This brief knowledge will be beneficial when future leaders discuss foreign politics, we can understand their true initiatives because we already have some pieces of that historic puzzle in our mind.
As The Months Go By
The Palestine and Israel conflict is a situation that is extremely eye-opening on how the world really operates. The practical refusal from Israel to cease fire while witnessing other first-world countries not able to save more innocent lives is hard to watch (especially living in the USA where they are quite literally supplying many of the weapons that are destroying so much). There are objective truths we should mark and here are a few:
The USA isn't the only one supplying weapons
Israel has destroyed buildings and lives with war weapons and taken over their land (after bombing safe areas they told Palestinians to go to)
The political climate of the world needs reassessed - the majority of humans are too aware of history to allow this to continue, and we can do better (including help end the multiple other genocides happening around the globe).
As a citizen with no power, it's crazy to see the U.N. not able to get a country to ceasefire simply because a few other countries vote against it - but I get political world powers are convoluted with money and motives....and militias...which is why they can't do much more.

I am hopeful for younger generations to understand that real, empathetic, and logical world leaders are the only way to end the mass suffering. Of course, this kind of progress will take a long time with strategic effort, but baby steps are still a success.
Let's Mark What We've Seen Here, For Historical Purposes
As someone with a bachelor's degree in social sciences, I've studied a lot about mass media and society over the past and contemporarily. Now that I'm just an observer applying what I've learned (while also changing my opinion when better information is presented), everything I witness on social media and walking around my town is that the majority of individuals who side with Israel typically don't have the knowledge of what's really happening. Feel free to send them this blog to see if they were able to learn more and shift any opinions (My college studies, however, tell me that this won't happen - as people do not like changing opinions and will still refuse, even when better data is presented).
If they do still side with Israel, they may lack the empathy or perspective of the conflict to care enough to be on the moral side (yes, siding with innocent civilian lives is the better and moral choice here - religion and race do not matter for this answer). The conflict dates back late 19th century with the rise of Zionism in Europe and the arrival of Jewish settlers to Ottoman Palestine. The Arab population opposed Zionism fearing displacement and territorial disputes.
Many college campuses have been mentioned in the news for students and staff holding "Pro-Palestine" protests. I've shared many stories on my Instagram about the discrepancy of police doing nothing for rowdy Pro-Israel protestors while being intolerant of peaceful Pro-Palestine protestors. I used to correlate that the majority of the police force is from the conservative party, meaning more with far-right views, so maybe the cops were getting too emotional about this certain issue, and it triggered them to get forceful first. But then there were leaked texts of oligarchs pushing for police to arrest Pro-Palestine individuals. So, who really knows, it's probably a mix of that mentioned plus a few more reasons behind closed doors.
This is another example about the gap of integrity and good leadership the current leaders in power have (Sheriffs, Judges, Senators, Presidents) and we will need to fix this moving forward. Pay attention to the local leaders in your area and confront them when they are not acting as they should (as in not acting moral, fair, logical).
About a month ago, I watched a video of professors speaking up for what is right along with their students. I really commend their tenacity for the pursuit of fair rights and basic freedom of speech.
I also commend all of the workers in the large range of government positions who resigned because they could not morally stay - whether it was recently or ever. It takes a lot of bravery to do what is right sometimes, but it says a lot about their character. And rest in peace to those individuals who felt that pain and suffering on such a personal level they took it to extreme levels of standing up for others - no I am not recommending these methods. As a fiction writer, I know what leading characteristics are found in a heroic protagonist, so I am sensitive to appreciating them in real people.
Also, a thank you to everyone else standing up for what is right when it comes to topics around genocide and injustices. It's risky and brave, but that's a characteristic to be proud of. The active participation and social posts do matter! Even checking people in small conversation to have more thought and empathy behind their words is forward progress. What I've learned from a few different professors is that we are heavily desensitized, and we need a little extra cognitive dissonance to detach ourselves from this exhausting cycle we try to normalize in society.
Thank you to all of linked sources (and their bloggers, journalists, writers, etc.) who put time into finding and reporting this news instead of gatekeeping it for people to not know. I aim to be a source that brings awareness to good articles/sources/influencers while praising unbiased/honest media and news. This is because fake news, falsifying information, and propaganda are very heavy these days and in American culture. I promise I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I've always wondered what I would do if I were living in the past that I had to study back in high school. Unfortunately, the climate (environmental and political climate that is) are not in the best state, which is why I have to use my small voice to show I am on the side that wants logic and peace, not profit and war dressed in propaganda.
Cyber Warfare
There is no doubt the cyber war isn't just Google giving Israel Ai tools for helping their destruction of Palestine, but propaganda that's pushed in front of America's media content.
A kind person was wonderful enough to mention the big part Cyber Warfare plays in current strategies and here is the article for it if you'd like to take a more detailed look from someone in Cyber Security.
The cyber propaganda attacks include promoting the message of war needing to happen in between our videos on social media. Since 2024 consisted of a lot of gaslighting about the genocide happening from our own government, this cyber intrusion is either something they are aware of already or probably helped influence due to it swaying opinions in their favor - similar to how Trump had Russia help influence American media to vote for him.
In Conclusion;
We can both be appreciative of the effort everyone has done for Palestine on a small and big scale around the world whilst being very upset that the tragedy has not been resolved sooner.
To keep things focused and less confusing, I pointed out Gaza the most. There are many other places in the world actively having a war, genocide, or civil war.
If you are an average American who grew up in the early 2000's public school system like me, America's foreign affairs, and horrible internal affairs, most likely were not taught or talked about. The academic focus would always be the few times we were heroes/successful in war. I recall The Trail of Tears being mentioned once in 8th grade. The evil side of American history was never delved into, just grazed over sometimes. It's important that we are made aware and know our history and other's history; they are key clues as to why society functions the way it does today.
It's okay to feel guilty, sad, and angry while reading history or current news. It means you are grasping what you are being told (as long as it is the truth - make sure you are learning from an unbiased source). We must use that new-knowledge-rage as fuel to talk about the past behavior of humans and brainstorm ways of preventing it from repeating.
Why Is Knowing About This Important?
I think it's important certain topics are addressed even if it's not the normal content I put out.
This blog is not about changing a person's point of view, but more of a congratulations to those who can observe problems more deeply and learn other points of views by being empathetic and understanding.
As a toddler mom, I feel some pride for everyone who has participated or helped in some way speaking up. It’s more important than we realize and give credit for sometimes. When I was a child reading standard school history books, I always questioned how they could get masses of people to do or allow violence and destruction to happen against another group of people. I also realize now; a lot of people want peace but are too scared to ask for it, so they stay quiet, which only aids the oppressors and abusers.
Get To Know The Author
Hello! My name is B. A. Steele and I'm a writer. My background includes a bachelor's degree in media effects where I studied communication styles such as persuasive, political, cult, and nonverbal communications. My second bachelor's in fine arts was to improve my creative storytelling in college and now I write relevant blogs when I avoid working on my novel series and screenplays.
Check out my published screenplay that follows a young woman who suffers from depression and joins a help group that turns out to be a cult she can no longer escape safely.
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