So today I was watching that episode of Martha Stewart (No I don't watch this show, I hate it, it's just for work) and they were talking about African penguins, which are warm-weather, beach-living penguins who inhabit the coast of South Africa. And there was a woman who was some sort of an ambassador for Maryland zoo, and she was there to talk about the danger those poor little penguins were in.
She used the word "endangered" in relation to the fact that those penguins were being driven away from their "homes", or "removed from their homes" as she would describe it, their natural habitat on the south-western coast of Africa by sea gulls, seals, whales and other animals of this kind. She called on the viewers to be aware of this and write letters of support to these organizations that work to help those penguins.
It was hard not to smile at the irony. Not that I have anything against penguins, I actually find them charming and very interesting creatures, but if you come to think about it, I doubt that anyone in the world would stand against those penguins in their "struggle" for their land. In fact, I think anyone's heart would melt just at the sight of them stuttering away looking for a home after being displaced and removed form their land. Moreover, I doubt that anyone would defend the scary-looking seals or the hovering sea gulls, not to mention the giant whales. It may even be considered inhumane to do so. And what about their right of return? Do you think anyone would deny them that? I hardly think so.
Well, I think the analogy is so clear that it would be almost insulting to point it out. It might sound like a lame comparison, and it is really. For 2 reasons:
1- Palestinians are not as cute as penguins
2- Seals and sea gulls are incapable of crying wolf, distorting history and committing war crimes.
3- Palestinians are not as stupid as penguins. It's true. Do you know that African penguins are called Jackass penguins? They are incapable of putting on a proper fight for their right to a land, they don't talk back, they just march away. Well, no offence to African penguins but that is in deed stupid.
But again, maybe if Palestinians were as cute as penguins or stuttered like them and acted as helpless as they are, maybe someone somewhere would write a letter to some organization, but do you really think that would change anything?
