The problem of “systems justification” [Note: Content Warning - links to reports on violence/abuse/war. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

The following is from my post at https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2023/11/from-news-on-war-in-west-asia-content_11.html, but I consider it needs to be highlighted, rather than buried: 

And on that, also note https://tthorncoyle.substack.com/p/on-culture-change,   and   “One Theory [“systems justification”] Explains Why We Can't Have Nice Things”   https://www.okdoomer.io/one-obscure-psycholtheory-explains-why-we-cant-have-nice-things/   - see also   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-justice-pacifists/202106/theory-system-justification-pr-cis,   https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/systems-justification-theory,   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=System_justification&oldid=1181918077,   and   https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv13qfw6w   - and an example of systems justification, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombardment_and_international_law&oldid=1168686865#International_law_up_to_1945 given by a notorious US figure, is:       “A fair reading of the [Rome Statute], for example, leaves the objective observer unable to answer with confidence whether the United States was guilty of war crimes for its aerial bombing campaigns over Germany and Japan in World War II. Indeed, if anything, a straightforward reading of the language probably indicates that the court would find the United States guilty. A fortiori, these provisions seem to imply that the United States would have been guilty of a war crime for dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is intolerable and unacceptable.”   The reality is the behaviours and the extremist reaction to criticism is what is intolerable.   Also, see   “Why we Need Armistice Day Back: Remembering the Horrors of War”   https://www.juancole.com/2023/11/armistice-remembering-horrors.html   (although note that, here at least, it never went away)  

For context, this was after a paragraph setting the historical context (i.e., use of indiscriminate aerial and other bombardment by others) of events in Gaza. That paragraph is: 

On aerial bombardment, for context the following should also be noted:    Iraqi revolt against the British (1920s)   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Iraqi_revolt_against_the_British,   Tulsa race massacre (1921)   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Tulsa_race_massacre,   Second Sino-Japanese War   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Second_Sino-Japanese_War,   Second Italo-Abyssinian War   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Second_Italo-Abyssinian_War,   Bombing of Guernica   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bombing_of_Guernica&oldid=1183461085,  Strategic bombing during World War II   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_II&oldid=1183929553,   Air raids on Japan   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Air_raids_on_Japan&oldid=1184652600,   Việt Nam War   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Vietnam_War,   Arab–Israeli conflict   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Arab%E2%80%93Israeli_conflict,   Iran–Iraq War   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombing_of_cities&oldid=1183818975#Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War,   Somalia's campaign against Isaaq   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_bombing_of_cities#Somalia's_campaign_against_Isaaq,   Chechen wars   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_bombing_of_cities#Chechen_wars,   Syria   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_bombing_of_cities#Syria,   Ukraine   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_bombing_of_cities#Ukraine,   Aerial bombardment and international law   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aerial_bombardment_and_international_law&oldid=1168686865,   and   Indiscriminate attack   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiscriminate_attack&oldid=1184612633   - particularly   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indiscriminate_attack&oldid=1184612633#From_the_Gulf_War_onwards.   

 

PS - this also explains part of the problems with the most vicious No campaigners against the recent referendum ... of course, their other problems include the evil of white supremacism ... This is no doubt part of the motivation of every denialist/transphobe/bigot who resists change for the better ...

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

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Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk.