What Radicalized You?

Take action today. Stop the horror before it’s too late. Too late for any of us. Free Palestine. Free yourself.

Original photos taken at our Nakba Walk of remembrance and resilience on Mother’s Day.

Before we get to this week’s thought, I just had to share this poem I read in an online comment. (If you know its title, please leave a comment or send me a message and I’ll update this. Thanks.)

Empires don’t collapse when they lose battles.
They collapse when the lie no longer works.
When the oppressed stop apologizing.
When the colonized stop asking for permission.
When the slogans unravel and the crimes are finally named.
That moment is approaching.
Not just for Israel.
But for every empire that mistook power for virtue, 
And silence for consent.
Because Palestine is not the end.
It’s the beginning.
The beginning of memory returning.
The beginning of justice waking.
The beginning of a world that no longer confuses occupation with order, Or resistance with terrorism.
This shift isn’t loud—not yet. But it’s deep.
It’s global.
It’s irreversible.
Because once the veil lifts, it never falls the same way again.
And when that day comes, It won’t be empire that writes history.
It will be the people who survived it.
--Sony Thang

What Radicalized You?

by C. A. Matthews

What radicalized you? Nothing. Not wanting people to starve and suffer is not radical, it’s normal. Stop saying it’s radical to be base level empathetic, and start asking what made people into sadists. Call out sick behavior, because kindness should be the default.

This pretty much sums up my take on life. I haven’t been “radicalized” by past or current events. I’m just a normal person, reacting in normal ways to abnormal circumstances engineered by sadists. Not wanting people to starve and suffer is not radical in both my opinion and in the opinion of the person who created the meme above.

Are we “special” for wanting good things for others? Or are we just demonstrating the default setting for humanity?

What sort of person would you rather live beside on planet Earth—those persons who are not shocked and horrified by the cruel stances of the Israeli and US regimes that allow mass starvation and suffering to happen in Gaza and elsewhere, or those who are out protesting in the streets because they are shocked and horrified by this kind of sick behavior?

I know my answer, but do you know yours?

It’s a valid question. I ask it because there are many who are trying to take a neutral or middle-of-the-road path on this question. They’re doing all they can to keep their heads down with no targets painted on their backs, moving silently along, faceless in the crowd.

And it’s perfectly understandable why they’ve chosen this route in life in the year 2025 AD. They want to keep their jobs (if they have one) and please their bosses (if they’re not actively interviewing with future bosses). With the price of food going up and up and the price of owning a home or paying rent going ever higher, you can understand why people wouldn’t want to jeopardize their careers by sticking their necks out for those who are being ethnically cleansed.

The middle-of-the-roaders gotta eat, right? Even if children are going hungry somewhere in the world or in the apartment next door, they still gotta eat. Why risk your reputation over something you can’t possibly hope to halt?

Just look at what’s happened to others who haven’t kept their mouths shut about children being starved, bombed, and dismembered en masse in Gaza:

There’s the political cartoonist Mr. Fish who recently was fired from his teaching position at the University of Pennsylvania because of his pro-Palestine stance. Every day you hear of academics and students alike being deported for simply writing a pro-Palestine op-ed piece. There are even mainstream media types who have experienced a change of heart over how they’ve been told to report on the genocide in Gaza only to be fired or pressured into taking an early retirement.

Having an opinion that differs from the status quo, the establishment, the bosses, the powers-that-be, etc., can be very dangerous. No doubt about it. It’s why so many have chosen to tread the neutral path.

The question remains: What radicalized you?

“Uh, no, no, no!” You acting as Mr. or Ms. Neutral are quick to correct me. “I’m not the radicalized one—you are. I’m just trying to get by and remain in my job by keeping my mouth shut.”

“But it’s normal to feel empathy for those who are suffering,” I’ll reply. “I want to put a swift end to this horrible genocide in Gaza—to all genocides and wars worldwide that cause people to die horrible deaths from bombing, sniper fire, disease, and starvation. In order for me to help others, I must speak out for them and call out the heinous actions of the sadists in charge as much as possible. Won’t you join me?”

“No thanks,” you’ll say with a strong shake of your head. “That’ll only get me labeled antisemitic or something worse and fired. I’ve learned that it’s best to keep your lip zipped at work and don’t like others’ postings online that your boss might frown upon. That’s the safest thing to do in this situation.”

So the question still remains: What radicalized you? What caused you to not care about the suffering of others, to show little to no empathy for their plight? Why have you made this conscious choice to become a sociopath? Is someone putting a gun to your head and telling you that you must ignore the suffering of the Palestinians and others or else?

I hope you’re able to see now that it’s you who have been radicalized by a sadistic system that puts profits above people and hatred above compassion. I hope my words have pried open a small crack into your dying conscience. By remaining silent on a big issue such as the genocide in Gaza, you have risked your mental health—and possibly your immortal soul if you believe you have one—and for what?

For you to live another day with food on the table? Is that what another human being’s life worth to you? And if you consider yourself a human being, are you worth so little as well?

This is the extent of your mental illness: You have let war-profiteering capitalists tell you that you’re unworthy of food and shelter if you don’t slave away for them, possibly in some underpaid, zero-benefit job. And because you’ve bought (or were coerced) into believing the lies of capitalism, you’ve begun to feel unworthy yourself—unworthy of compassion and empathy.

You see yourself as just a cog in the machine that makes the CEOs richer and you poorer. Without empathy for yourself, you have none to give to others, particularly those who exist in truly dire circumstances, such as those who are being targeted for death in an active genocide.

So the question remains: What radicalized you?

Could it be the lies of the capitalists who can’t wait to get their hands on the billions of gallons of oil and natural gas located off the coast of Gaza? Or maybe it’s the capitalists who want the land itself to build settlements upon and possibly even a Trump resort?

Why are you buying into these sociopaths’ lies? Aren’t you a human being worthy of compassion, of better treatment? Isn’t everyone on the planet equally worthy?

Stop believing the lies. Learn to love and care about yourself and others. Stand beside those of us who are speaking out against this sociopathic system that allows a live-streamed genocide to happen in front of our eyes as if it were perfectly normal. It’s not.

Take action today. Stop the horror before it’s too late. Too late for any of us.

Free Palestine. Free yourself.

Radically Independent Journalism Links

Violent mobs from Brooklyn to the West Bank are united in the fascism of Zionism https://mondoweiss.net/2025/04/violent-mobs-from-brooklyn-to-the-west-bank-are-united-in-the-fascism-of-zionism/

Naples, Italy Stands With Gaza https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/05/09/naples-italy-stands-with-gaza/

How Much Longer Must Mothers in Gaza Fear Losing Their Children? https://scheerpost.com/2025/05/11/how-much-longer-must-mothers-in-gaza-fear-losing-their-children/

Private Security Firms to Lead Gaza Aid Distribution, Israel to Stay Out of Operations https://qudsnen.co/?p=59040

Multiple Western Press Outlets Have Suddenly Pivoted Hard Against Israel https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/multiple-western-press-outlets-have

Yemen War De-Escalates While India Bombs Pakistan https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/yemen-war-de-escalates-while-india

India’s Attack On Pakistan Is Straight Out Of The Israeli Playbook https://popularresistance.org/indias-attack-on-pakistan-is-straight-out-of-the-israeli-playbook/

India-Pakistan Ceasefire, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/india-pakistan-ceasefire-and-other

The dam is breaking and even Tory MPs are coming out against Israel https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/the-dam-is-breaking-and-even-tory

Waking Up From The Nightmare Of Western Civilization https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/waking-up-from-the-nightmare-of-western

Israel Really Is As Evil As It Looks https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-really-is-as-evil-as-it-looks

'Shameless mob boss corruption': Critics say State Dept acting as Musk's 'sales force' https://www.alternet.org/corruption-state-department/

The Coming Purge of Trans Troops in Context of Broader LGBTQ Struggle https://empirefiles.substack.com/p/the-coming-purge-of-trans-troops

Why Washington is Worried About Burkina Faso’s Young Revolutionary Leader https://www.mintpressnews.com/ibrahim-traore-burkina-faso-west/289538/

UNREDACTED: The Reason For EVERY U.S. War! youtu.be/3UNORI4r27w?si=9DvxPcH_QqdJWT9E

Millions would lose Medicaid under GOP cuts, says new CBO report https://www.nationofchange.org/2025/05/09/millions-would-lose-medicaid-under-gop-cuts-says-new-cbo-report/

Voters Overwhelmingly Oppose Postal Privatization https://popularresistance.org/voters-overwhelmingly-oppose-postal-privatization/

Trump's tariffs are uniting China, Europe, Japan, South Korea, & ASEAN against the US https://www.geopoliticaleconomy.report/p/trump-tariffs-china-europe-japan-korea-asean

Wall (2004) | Pondering The Israel-Palestine Divide (complete documentary)

Rümeysa Öztürk Released From ICE Custody After Judge Cites Threat to Free Speech https://truthout.org/articles/rumeysa-ozturk-released-from-ice-custody-after-judge-cites-threat-to-free-speech/

Immigration Judges Closed and Denied More Asylum Cases in March Than Any Month on Record https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/immigration-judges-closed-and-denied

‘State-Sponsored Terrorism’: South Florida’s Expanding Immigration Detention Crisis https://scheerpost.com/2025/05/09/state-sponsored-terrorism-south-floridas-expanding-immigration-detention-crisis/

U. PENN GROVELS: University Fires The World's Best Political Cartoonist, 'Mr. Fish' https://mark192.substack.com/p/u-penn-grovels-university-fires-the

It Is Freakish And Insane How Our Society Averts Its Gaze From Gaza https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/it-is-freakish-and-insane-how-our

Trump Administration Decommissions Sea Ice Data That Sounded an Alarm on Arctic Climate Change https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07052025/trump-administration-cuts-sea-ice-data-center/

FDA layoffs will hamper efforts to cut antimicrobial overuse in farm animals https://www.greensocialthought.org/less-what-we-dont-need/fda-layoffs-will-hamper-efforts-to-cut-antimicrobial-overuse-in-farm-animals/

It's A Literal Shit Show. Manure Is Triggering Drinking Water Issues. https://www.thebrockovichreport.com/p/its-a-literal-shit-show-manure-is

Millions of People Depend on the Great Lakes’ Water Supply. Trump Decimated the Lab Protecting It. https://www.propublica.org/article/noaa-michigan-lab-toxic-algae-blooms-great-lakes-drinking-water

GOP Advances Bill to Fast-Track Fracking, Logging and Mining on Public Lands https://truthout.org/articles/gop-advances-bill-to-fast-track-fracking-logging-and-mining-on-public-lands/

Hours before a solar eclipse, spruce trees 'talk' to each other https://www.space.com/stargazing/solar-eclipses/hours-before-a-solar-eclipse-spruce-trees-talk-to-each-other