The Overlap Between Linguistic Imperialism & Neutral Language
Let's talk about the overlap between neutral language & Imperialist language used by the media when covering the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Let's talk about the overlap between neutral language & Imperialist language used by the media when covering the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
It's important to realize that neutral language is being intentionally used. It isn't about unbiased reporting on Gaza, it's about simplifying & dehumanizing the masses as a way to condone Israel massacring Palestinians.
There isn't a way to stay unbiased when reporting genocide. As a journalist/reporter, you either call it what it is or you use tactics white media has used for decades to reduce sympathy for the oppressed in favor of the oppressor.
When covering the massacre at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, news outlets are taking "neutral" stances or blatantly siding on with Israel. Here are a few examples:
Let's break this down.
What does “feared to have killed hundreds” even mean? A bomb was dropped over a hospital, serving as refuge for displaced Palestinians. There is live coverage from survivors showing body parts scattered in the rubble to the point that they can't even discern how many people were killed. This isn't the first hospital that has been bombed either, just the first one American (white) media has decided to cover nationally because it was the only Christian hospital in Gaza & it fits the narrative they want to paint that the settler colony of Israel is the victim.
The New York Times wrote, “Palestinian group Hamas staged a terrorist attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people and led Israel to declare war and begin bombing the territory.” This is one of the many excuses Israel has given for the hospital bombing. Another one being that there was a terrorist base hidden under it. This is not the first time Israel has used that exact excuse! Bahr el-Baqar, an elementary school in Egypt, was bombed by the Israeli Air Force in April 1970. They killed 46 children of the 130 students who attended. Following the massacre, can you guess what Israel's response was? They thought a military base was hidden beneath the school. This was BEFORE Hamas became an organization. Yet you won't find Western media broadcasting this as terrorism.
US media continues to back these war crims with imperial & colonial language, trying to separate America from the slaughter in order to subtly reduce accountability, all the while Othering Palestine as something secondary to their narrative. The media claims Israel was forced to declare war on a Hamas-controlled city but neglect to point out that Israel imposed a blockade of Gaza Strip—land, air, & sea—in 2007 and it has been maintained since then, DESPITE the fact that Israel's occupation of Gaza goes directly against the Geneva Convention.
Here's another example: Anderson Cooper corrected himself on air saying that the hundreds to thousands of deaths was "a major loss of life" as a way to reduce the aftermath of the bombing & ultimately desensitize viewers.
White media calls Hamas defending civilian lives against an ethnic cleansing fronted by colonizers an act of unprecedented terrorism. But when Russia has an ongoing bomb campaign against Ukraine, it's “Russian troops” invading villages—never “terrorists,” because terrorism is an imperialist term. Its purpose is to be weaponized against the oppressed in non-white nations outside of what we call the “West.”
West of what? This is Orientalism, an extension & justification of colonialism. We're only called The West because we have centered our entire concordance around white people. Referring to US media as Western media is imperialist & rooted in orientalism. It is a more polished, digressive way for white people to call Palestine a third world country.
So, let's call “Western” media what it really is—White Supremacist Media. And it is curated for the comfort of white audiences. Notice the expectation of condemning Hamas before defending Palestine? That is a core tenet of white supremacy & blatantly being used by the media.
Sometimes it isn't even subtle. The US intelligence agencies don't know what they're doing. They aren't the eyes on the ground in Gaza, yet they are steadfast believers in maintaining the lie that Israel is an innocent party in everything that has happened.
Keep in mind that the death toll from Al-Ahli is still unofficial & continues to rise. Yet the “intelligence agencies'“ in the US are quick to not only pick a number but diminish the fact that Palestinians were killed at all; as if 100-300 deaths isn't worth a call to action.
Israel PROBABLY didn't bomb Gaza? How does something like this make it into mainstream media as an official source? So-called US officials claim it probably wasn't Israel. They openly admit to not understanding the extent of the massacre but still blatantly side with Israel.
The language YOU use & see being used when discussing occupied Palestine right now matters. These aren't a series of unfortunate events. It's a mass murder of the Palestinian people. It's genocide.
HOW white supremacist media is actively choosing to cover the thousands of premeditated murders of Palestinians by Israeli military forces is imperialistic bullshit. It permits & perpetuates the global system of marginalization & exploitation of minorities. Of Palestinians.
Colonial Violence through language is a very real thing, but you won't experience it if English is your only or native language. If your first language as a BIPOC person is English, then generationally you've already & perhaps unknowingly experienced erasure through a colonizer language.
Here are some of the most common buzzwords of linguistic imperialism used by the media:
- The West/Western
- First World
- Third World
- Middle East
Anytime the "West" centralizes itself in the narrative & prioritizes white comfort by removing the focus from Palestinians is an act of violence. The words spoken by white supremacist news outlets are weaponized for the erasure of Palestinians which is why what you say about Palestine right now matters more than ever.