How To Talk About The Gaza War On Facebook

The Do's and Don'ts of not being THAT asshole

DO research the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

If you see a picture of a crying child in debri, know what happened before you fire off "THE ISRAELIS/HAMAS ARE SUCH MONSTERS," and post it on Facebook and Twitter.

DON’T use the words Jew and Arab to describe the conflict.

Not all Israelis are Jews, and not all Palestinians are Arab. It's easy to be the asshole that goes viral for blatant racism if you post "JEWS/ARABS ARE SUCH MONSTERS."

DO read both sides of the news story.

There are Pro-Palestine and Pro-Israel news sources, so hear both sides of the same story before you post.

DON’T confuse Hamas for Palestinians or Gaza.

Hamas is the group firing missiles. The IDF (Israeli Defense Force) is the army firing back. Gaza is a location. Palestinians are a people.

DO pay attention to IS (Islamic State, also referred to as ISIS and ISIL)

ISIS is a group committed to an Islamic State, and has been prevalent in Middle East conflicts.

DON’T fall for propaganda.

Some ways to spot a propaganda spin are appeal to emotion (children and puppies), name-calling ("They're like Nazi's, "He/She's a terrorist), and brief, out-of-context quotes. Read more here

DO remember that every person you engage with on the internet is a real person.

Every news anchor, every spokesman, every person on the footage, is a human being. If you see something you don't agree with, be respectful. If that person were standing in front of you, would you still say "you ignorant asshole. kill yourself"? Probably not.

Be informed and be respectful. Speak your mind, but don't belittle others. Communicate and listen.

So, let's start communicating like real people, shall we?