Aner Ravon at De Gardener writes about an initiative of his friend Shahar to sign off every post with the sentence “Moreover, I advise that the genocide in Darfur must be stopped.” Shahar explains this sentence in Hebrew, and Aner explains it in English: “This is a paraphrase on Cato the Elder, who used to sign off every speech with a pledge to destroy Carthage (Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse).”
I admit that I don’t know much about what is going on in Darfur except that hundreds of thousands have been killed. One of the outrages of the Holocaust was that the world stood by while millions of Jews were slaughtered. When we learned about this in school, we wondered how that could be; how could people go on with everyday life while others huddled in attics and sewers, knowing that their families had been turned to ashes?
If I was a better person, I’d be out on the streets protesting the inaction of the world while a genocide (and NOT the Newspeak “acts of genocide” term used to shirk responsibility) takes place. But I’m not, so instead I’ll use this blogging platform to try to remind all of us that while we eat, shop, and listen to music, a genocide is yet again taking place. This may make us squirm and disrupt our fun, but I guess that’s just too bad.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. The brave new post-Holocaust world of United Nations, peace, prosperity and Never Again is reverting back to the same indifferent, prejudiced and jaundiced world that always was.
Moreover, I advise that the genocide in Darfur must be stopped.
