Comments on: Know how to deliver your message

By: CW

CW — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:48:02 +0000

good point, i agree, if more people would think like that, we might have gone a bit further with our issues….

By: falasteenyia

falasteenyia — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:20:07 +0000

i disagree. we need to go back to 1948. perhaps even before. how else do we explain what’s going on now? people need to understand that palestinians don’t throw rockets for fun. they do it b/c they are occupied, and have been occupied since 1948. israeli officials will dismiss this as mindless history ( i have seen them do this) but we must keep it in conversation. the last time we put it on hold was during oslo- when final status negotiations regarding the return of the refugees etc was pushed to the side. and we all know what a disaster oslo turned out to be. the point is, if we are to make the case that we are the native inhabitants of the land (which we are) then 1948 must be ingrained in people’s minds- the way 1492 is. how else will people understand that israel is a settler-colonial state?

By: za3tar

za3tar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:36:54 +0000

loolt: I totally agree with you. If the speaker is speaking to an audience that are not familiar with the problem then he/she must remind them about the history of the conflict and its contemporary effects. Also as you said, bombarding people with dates won’t help much either .. i think usually these should be reserved until asked for.

KJ: Yes, coming off snobbish does not help. Additionally, not making a logical argument and attacking the debater’s person (ad hominem attack) does not help either. I just wish more people engaged in actual debates (specially in the Arab world). I don’t know how the conference was viewed, i just saw the news about the walk-out all over the internet.

By: KJ

KJ — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:57:56 +0000

Of course, coming off as snobbish when trying to prove a point never works. There are lots of ways to win over the other people, be it pathos or ethos, and it all depends on what you’re saying and who’s listening.

But there are always no-nos, and blatant attacks and a snobby attitude won’t win any votes. I haven’t looked into the conference but seeing how the recent multi-national conferences went I can bet most people switched off the TV

By: loolt

loolt — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:36:56 +0000

a timely and useful post. Prof King who wrote the book ‘a quiet revolution’ recommends ‘telling stories’ , by that it hink she means not bombarding people with dates facts etc but to wrap your response in the form of short stories, which i believe in helping to engage with people, i guess this is similar with what you are saying.

However, focusing solely on the transgressions and injustices taking place today may give the listener the false impression that this is a temporary thing. And the false impression that this is a civil war or even an internal dispute of sorts. Often simple facts such as the Zionisrs invaded palestine, and that the zionists were mainly european, and not an indigenous population. That what is happening in palestine is the result of a brutal and racist occupation. A brief intro such as ‘about 100 years ago the british decided to establish an outpost in palestine to serve their own purpose, they then oversaw the gradual occupation of the land by the zionists, who went on to massacre villages and ethnically cleanse the land. These injustices carry on till today, for example …..’

So not too much info that may swamp the listener, but enough to set the scene at least.