Brutal Honesty

Today a former president of Israel, a country where until recently I spent most of my adult life, was sentenced to imprisonment for charges of rape and sexual assault. I believe it can be a brutally honest day for the people who still carry some core of identification with Israeli society (I didn’t feel one when I was there and don’t feel one now – I am connected through friends and family who still live there).

I am not thinking of a man who grew up in a military male chauvinistic society who didn’t catch on to a shift and evolution of values from women as wombs to women as equals.

I am also not thinking of women who grew up in a military male chauvinistic society where they were expected to be submissive tas women and then learned through others channels (MTV?) that they also need to be alluring as women.

I am thinking of a military male chauvinistic society where an individual rose to the highest symbolic (in Israel the president is mostly a symbolic figure with supposed political neutrality) leadership role through decades of public service in varying positions of power.

I am thinking of a military male chauvinistic society where an individual rose to the highest symbolic leadership role and then lied about his actions both to his people and to its judicial system.

I am thinking of a military male chauvinistic society where an individual rose to the highest symbolic leadership role and then lied and then refused to respect the decision of its judicial system.

I am thinking of a military male chauvinistic society where a public legal system hesitated to prosecute and preferred to compromise despite what was probably overwhelming evidence.

I am thinking of society where abuse (regardless of gender), lies and disrespect of it’s underlying laws are de-facto norms of behavior.

It isn’t easy being an Israeli today. The hardship can be easily avoided by clinging to superficial emotional aspects of this story that have an “us and them” thread that makes you feel good about yourself. But it takes brutal honesty to look at it all and ask “How did I contribute to this?”. I asked so many times and tried to do something about it in so many ways … and ultimately failed … so I chose to leave.

Funny writing this post after the previous one.