Poster Children

Why images of Israeli hostages are being torn down.

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Posters distributed around the New York University campus of people kidnapped by Hamas on the October 7 raid of Israel are vandalized and covered with pro Palestinian graffiti, October 25, 2023. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

Recently my colleague Chris Stirewalt tried to explain why House Republicans would double down on Donald Trump’s coup attempt by choosing Mike Johnson, a top henchman in the effort, as their new speaker.

It’s inscrutable as a matter of political logic, he recognized, but perfectly legible psychologically. Blame the “strange alchemy of ego by which shame without atonement turns into pride” for Johnson’s ascension, Stirewalt wrote.

That’s elegant phrasing for a phenomenon Dispatch readers have become familiar with. On The Remnant, Jonah Goldberg regularly references a point made by Yuval Levin about why the right’s insincere, opportunistic Trump apologists tend to devolve into true believers. Insincerity is a heavy psychological burden to carry every day, Levin argued, especially when that insincerity serves a dishonorable cause.

If MAGA pretenders can’t or won’t unburden themselves by atoning, they’ll do it by converting their shame into pride.

Watching scenes like this play out lately, I wonder how many might be explained by that same strange alchemy:

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  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    “watching the hard left ignore, rationalize, or embrace atrocities committed to advance The Cause is as familiar as an old blanket. The Cause is different now:”

    One of the key differences between right and left throughout the ages is on this very point.

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  2. Clark.Monson

    This is an excellent piece. But can I offer one additional motivation? There are a lot of people who just really hate Jews. And not just because of Israel. If Israel ceased to exist tomorrow and all the Jews living there were dispersed to other countries, plenty of these people would still hate Jews. Heck, if Israel had NEVER existed, they would still hate Jews. You can see it in online comments (not here, thankfully! but elsewhere) and in some of the signs and chants at rallies. "Gas the Jews!" isn't a call for freeing Palestine from the river to the sea.

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  3. Rossknode

    Excellent piece
    What stood out to me in the Hamas video was where he said, "We are a nation of martyrs." Uhm, did they take a vote on this in Gaza? Did he ask all the women and children this? He's also wearing a nice suit and sitting in a studio, most likely nowhere near Gaza when he said this. He has no interest in being a martyr himself, he just plans on forcing that on others to justify his hunger for power and control over Gaza and Israel.

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  4. Pundette

    A magnificent summary and one I want to email to everyone I know, because it so succinctly the cogently sums up the challenges we face.

    I only have one quibble, and that is with the paragraph:

    "If allies of Hamas were prone to shame, they wouldn’t be allies of Hamas. That’s the basic problem with explaining poster defacement in terms of the “strange alchemy” that Chris Stirewalt used to describe House Republicans."

    I think the lack of shame the Hamas supporters demonstrate is similar to the lack of shame Trump cultists exhibit.

    Since the 1960s we've done all we can to eliminate any form of shame from the culture, because shame implies judgment and one must never be judgmental about anything ever. This is why we have a record number of children growing up without fathers, why looting is tolerated, why sexually-transmitted disease is the common cold of the 21st century. No one should feel shame about anything anymore ever. No behavior should be managed or curtailed. Let it all hang out. Wave your Freak (Hamas) flag with pride.

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    1. Avatar photo
      Ben Connelly

      “Since the 1960s we've done all we can to eliminate any form of shame from the culture, because shame implies judgment and one must never be judgmental about anything ever.”

      I agree. I’m pretty libertarian in terms of thinking that people should be able to do what they want most of the time, but I’ve never been a relativist. I’ve always believed that some things were right and others were wrong. I think there is a way to square the circle: one can have grace for sinners while being absolutely clear about the consequences of sin. Shame isn’t always good, but it does play a useful role at times in teaching people (including myself) to do better and to desire to do better.

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  5. Avatar photo
    Mandy B.

    Thank you. So depressing.

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  6. Drylandrower

    The gentleman in the poster in the opening picture, holding a wine glass, is Gadi Mozes. From the Time of Israel: Gadi Moshe Mozes, 79, was taken captive on October 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz, as he tried to bargain with Hamas terrorists who attacked the community. Moses, a lifelong farmer and potato expert, was life partner to Efrat Katz, 69, with a large, extended family in Nir Oz. He was last seen outside his home, as terrorists demanded money and the keys to his car. Katz was inside the home with her daughter, Doron, who was visiting for the weekend with her two children, Raz and Aviv Asher. Doron Katz Asher and her two small daughters were all taken captive. Moses was taken captive separately, and a photo taken of him by Hamas was found by his son, several days later. His partner, Efrat Katz was presumed captive as well, but her body was found several days later and she was buried by her remaining family and friends.

    My synagogue distributed these posters throughout the sanctuary before services last Friday night. I just happen to be seated with Mr. Mozes's poster.

    I pray for the quick and safe return of Mr. Mozes and all the captives.

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    1. Dennis.Trask.Z

      May you feel Gods love in this horrible time.

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  7. Ken Motamed

    "In one sense, putting up images of missing persons is so anodyne that it barely qualifies as political. A crime has been committed; public awareness of it is being raised. It’s no more inflammatory than a photo of a lost child on the side of a milk carton."

    But the photo of a lost child on the side of a milk carton serves to aid in finding the child. That's not the case here. In this case, the posters are intended to (rightly) vilify Hamas, which is unbearable to the supporters of the Palestinian cause, as Nick said later in the piece.

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  8. Stevenreedcurtis

    A bit more globally.

    There is an American led world order. I think the existence of Israel is a constant reminder of that world order, because without it, Israel may not exist, and without Israel, the American led world order would not exist, or be much different, negatively so .

    What would come afterwards?

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  9. Avatar photo
    Michael Berkowitz

    Well done.

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