Looking through Le Monde for a french, sympathetic view, I found this video. It was made recently due to the war by a nonprofit peace group. I wanted to note closures and borders from the symbolism of the video.
They made the closures of hands, that of a distinct strong male hand that is hampering the character of getting out of Gaza. It is perhaps saying that the IDF and/or the Israeli government, the male power symbols, are not letting them out. No matter where he is trying to go to, the sea, Israel, the Rafah (Eygptian-Palestinian border) crossing, he is stopped. He tries to tussle with the hands but they are firmly not letting him pass. It is a human border imposing on a preceived sub-human (animated). The jarring 3D image of the hands allowed the viewer to think about reality and the strength of the borders that one wouldn't of seen on a 2D line on a map. In one images, there are the colors of the Egpytian flag putting a border at the Rafah crossing then the Israeli hand also stops him again. This represents more than one nation affecting the borders of Gaza.
Another thing one should note is the cookie cutter shape that Gaza took. It seems to say that the authoratative hand made it without any reason or rhyme. The land's shape has nothing to do with those who live there.
All of these symbols seems to point a helpless Gazan at the hands of others. Is this true or is this just one representation?
The animators mentioned that they made the character so that he could be interpreted as boy/man Arab/Palestinian in order that different perspectives could empathize with his plight. I agree that the narrative is about an oppressed Gaza; trying not to exude stereotypes is simply part of an effort to encourage empathy. That is, however, a bit unfortunate; it is unfortunate that the Arab in Gaza must be given features that others may identify with to encourage affinity.
I liked your point about the human hand contrasting the "sub-human" animation. That the real hand is one step above the animated reality which makes the hand feel all powerful and God-like; it would been as if had God's hand was stopping a human (in this, I speak of reality has having different levels). This may be interpreted as derogatory, but I feel it definitely highlights the helplessness of the animation in our power. I wonder if this video is intended to make us feel responsible for stopping the animation, because we may identify with the human hand.
I would definitely agree with what everyone Jackie and Mary have said. However, I think it's even more interesting to note that the animators who made this are all Hebrew-speaking Israelis. I think it's important to keep in mind that these people are, at least seem to be, non-Arab Israelis critical of their government, indicating that there are Israelis who sympathize with those in Gaza. In reference to the "main character" of the video, I think that although the boy/man is Palestinian/Israeli, in order to gain the empathy of as many people as possible, this depiction also says something about the nature of Israel and Gaza themselves. Both are hybrid areas, with several different groups of people living there, who all have similar concerns. So, the character's hybridity serves as a totem for a larger representation of Israel.
A sexual revolution -- women moving up in Iran
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To continue the focus on women from the reading, I found this article
posted on a non-profit news-source called Iran Focus**'s website. The
article itself...
War with Iran
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The Buildup to a US-Iran War
I found this article mildly surprising, but the implications of another war
with Iran are incalculable. I found the most surpr...
The animators mentioned that they made the character so that he could be interpreted as boy/man Arab/Palestinian in order that different perspectives could empathize with his plight. I agree that the narrative is about an oppressed Gaza; trying not to exude stereotypes is simply part of an effort to encourage empathy. That is, however, a bit unfortunate; it is unfortunate that the Arab in Gaza must be given features that others may identify with to encourage affinity.
ReplyDeleteI liked your point about the human hand contrasting the "sub-human" animation. That the real hand is one step above the animated reality which makes the hand feel all powerful and God-like; it would been as if had God's hand was stopping a human (in this, I speak of reality has having different levels). This may be interpreted as derogatory, but I feel it definitely highlights the helplessness of the animation in our power. I wonder if this video is intended to make us feel responsible for stopping the animation, because we may identify with the human hand.
I would definitely agree with what everyone Jackie and Mary have said. However, I think it's even more interesting to note that the animators who made this are all Hebrew-speaking Israelis. I think it's important to keep in mind that these people are, at least seem to be, non-Arab Israelis critical of their government, indicating that there are Israelis who sympathize with those in Gaza.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to the "main character" of the video, I think that although the boy/man is Palestinian/Israeli, in order to gain the empathy of as many people as possible, this depiction also says something about the nature of Israel and Gaza themselves. Both are hybrid areas, with several different groups of people living there, who all have similar concerns. So, the character's hybridity serves as a totem for a larger representation of Israel.