US Aid to Allies: Ignoring Genocide for PR
John Oliver recently slammed former President Trump for a move more “shocking” than demolishing the White House East Wing, focusing on unchecked presidential power. What The Independent, and Oliver, conveniently gloss over is the real-time, very shocking reality of unchecked executive action: President Biden’s administration approving billions in unconditional aid to Israel, despite mounting
evidence of deliberate starvation in Gaza. While Oliver jokes about a hypothetical White House demolition, a very tangible humanitarian catastrophe unfolds, funded by the very apparatus he criticizes. This selective outrage serves as a perfect example of what can only be called 'disaster tourism'—acknowledging the theoretical dangers of unchecked power while ignoring its immediate, devastating
consequences when applied to geopolitics. Critics, myself included, might wonder why the US executive's power to greenlight over 100 military sales to Israel since October 7th, totaling billions as reported by the US State Department, receives a different level of scrutiny. Perhaps a destroyed East Wing is more visually compelling than the ongoing destruction of civilian infrastructure and lives
in Gaza.