Dangers of Taking a Stand in Israeli-Hamas Conflict, L.A. on alert for day of jihad

Author’s note: This article is summarized from various sources and attributions are linked within.

Israel flagPhoto byTaylor BrandononUnsplash

With most events in the news on any given day, social media is flooded with users updating their profile pages with colored ribbons or images representing that they are taking a side, usually the popular one, lest they make enemies. YouTube/TikTok or other Influencers often post what seems to be the popular opinion to get more followers.

Per Openr, when an opinion doesn’t fit with what one part of society agree with, mob mentality or cancel culture takes over as “a way for people to try to silence others by attacking their character and reputation. This can ruin someone’s life and career...The phenomenon of public backlash against celebrities who express unpopular viewpoints” is common.

When Kylie Kardashian, 26 posted on Instagram that she stood with Israel in its current war against the Hamas group, she faced outrage from some of her 400 million followers so took down the post within an hour. That led to more backlash with her followers saying she didn’t stand for anything and only posted her stand with Israel to be popular. Her sister Kim played it safe and opted to stay neutral.

On the flip side, when the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity penned a statement “with signatures from 33 university student organizations,” they potentially destroyed their future business opportunities. In the statement, they argued, “Hamas’ military assault on Israel ‘did not occur in a vacuum,’ comparing the Gaza Strip to an “open-air prison’ while claiming that Israel’s ‘apartheid regime is the only one to blame… and blaming Israel as “ ‘entirely responsible’ for the violence that began Saturday, when Hamas militants crossed from Gaza into southern Israel.”

Per Forbes Magazine “Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman on Tuesday roundly objected to the controversial statement” and was calling for the names of the students to be released in an effort not to hire them. Ackman was not alone in his views. “Ackman, has been approached by ‘a number of CEOs’ asking for the names of the student organizations to ensure ‘none of us inadvertently hire any of their members,’ arguing students ‘should not be able to hide behind a corporate shield when issuing statements supporting the actions of terrorists.’

Ackman’s call was answered as yesterday “a doxxing truck hired by the nonprofit news watchdog Accuracy in Media drove around the campus “of Harvard University with digital billboards” which displayed the “names and photos of students who allegedly signed a letter blaming Israel for Hamas’ violent attack that killed more than 1,200 people over the weekend. Giant video screens hung on the sides and back of the truck display the words “Harvard’s Leading Antisemites” in gothic script over a slideshow of Ivy Leaguers’ headshots and names in bold, red block letters.”

This is especially troubling as Hamas has called for a Day of Jihad, which has Los Angeles on alert, canceling the picketing of actors' strikes and adding extra security around temples. In a time where every comment can be made public, taking a stand for either side can be dangerous.