Kerim's Triptych ❧ Standing Together, Television, Tape Bowing

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1️⃣ Standing Together

I first became aware of the binational Israeli-Palestinian activist organization, Standing Together, because of their relief efforts in Gaza. They were recommended to me as a reliable organization, one that was actually getting things done on the ground. But I didn't know much about them beyond that, so I turned with interest to this in-depth piece by Ben Reiff in +972 Magazine which examines their history as well as the contradictions and tensions in attempting to run such a binational organization.

even among veteran activists who are fully committed to the movement’s principles, the imbalance of power between Jews and Palestinians (who comprise around 60 percent and 40 percent of members, respectively) is impossible to ignore. Within this reality, one subject remains especially fraught: Zionism. . . .

Among Standing Together’s leadership, the issue of Zionism is often described as “complicated” and the movement’s relationship to it left deliberately undefined. The fear among many Jewish activists is that any attempt to do so could alienate potential members. But for Palestinians, the subject is unavoidable and not something confined to the abstract; rather, it cuts to the heart of who feels like they can belong to this movement.

They succeed because they ignore fundamental contradictions, but it is unclear how long they can continue to do so.

2️⃣ Television

In his newsletter, Derek Thompson wrote about the fact that "more than 80 percent of time spent on Facebook and more than 90 percent of time spent on Instagram is spent watching videos," arguing that "social media has turned into television."

I always try to turn off any features that will automatically play another video after one has finished, but most people never do. As a result,

Any one piece of content on TikTok is incidental, even inessential. The platform’s allure is the infinitude promised by its algorithm. It is the flow, not the content, that is primary.

And this flow does not expect your full attention:

some TV is now made with the assumption that audiences are always already distracted and doing something else. Netflix producers reportedly instruct screenwriters to make plots as obvious as possible, to avoid confusing viewers who are half-watching—or quarter-watching, if that’s a thing now—while they scroll through their phones. . . a common note from company executives is “have this character announce what they’re doing so that viewers who have this program on in the background can follow along.”

People like me, who watch things carefully and critically are, he argues, "like children staring directly at the sun. You’re not supposed to watch it!"

I don't know if I completely agree with the dire consequences he sees for such habits. I do know that I face an uphill battle as a teacher trying to get students to watch (or read) things carefully. But hasn't that always been the case? Maybe it is a bit worse now, but I don't think it is a lost cause. Not yet, anyway.

3️⃣ Tape Bowing

Magnetic Tape x Bamboo x Effects = Magnetic Bowing Sound!!!

Endnote

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