Letters to the Editor: Fight the impulse to win an argument at all costs when discussing Israel and Gaza

To the editor: The most sensible take yet on the reactions to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s retaliation came from San Diego State University lecturer Michele Bigley. (“Don’t cancel U.S. college students with strong views on Israel and Gaza. Encourage complexity,” Opinion, Nov. 24)

It is great to see how engaged and passionate students have been on this subject. But we’re talking about a a nuanced situation with a complicated history.

Bigley very sensibly reminds us that we must cross-check media, invite different perspectives and, most of all, listen. There is a crisis of a lack of pausing and listening to others’ views, which creates insurmountable riffs.

It’s a problem when an individual feels that their view is absolute and all others are wrong. It’s especially a problem when those people may not have all the facts and are at times just regurgitating what their online feeds tell them to think.

Listening in today’s world really is uncomfortable for many. In a collective way it seems we are preemptively dismissing others’ views, while we think of what our next point will be.

With such a heated issue, it’s even more critical to check our own rhetoric and consider whether our views are making a point in the conversation, or just repeating hate speech.

Lara Duke, Redondo Beach

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To the editor: While I agree with the author that there are some ignorant students getting caught up in the pro-Palestinian protests, there are significant numbers of them inciting violence against Jews.

Before Israel even started fighting back after Oct. 7, there were students blaming Israel and praising Hamas. Bigley is acting as an apologist for these people. When there is “Holocaust 2.0” graffiti and other hateful messages on college campuses, she should not be channeling her inner Neville Chamberlain.

These are adults who are able to vote and should absolutely know the difference between right and wrong.

Bill Toth, Studio City

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To the editor: One criterion for students to use when considering whether a group is advocating a simplistic viewpoint — is the group rallying behind a simplistic slogan?

Wendell H. Jones, Ojai