{"id":303807,"date":"2025-09-29T12:01:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T11:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=303807"},"modified":"2025-09-29T08:51:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T07:51:18","slug":"we-must-not-look-away-resisting-oppression-and-pursuing-justice-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/09\/we-must-not-look-away-resisting-oppression-and-pursuing-justice-2\/","title":{"rendered":"We Must Not Look Away: Resisting Oppression and Pursuing Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note: This essay is adapted from the author\u2019s August 2025 address at the American Psychological Association annual convention and from a\u00a0<\/em>webinar<\/em><\/a>\u00a0he presented in early September. The webinar includes many visual depictions of the topics discussed here.<\/em><\/p>\n

********<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Welcome everyone. I\u2019m Roy Eidelson, president of the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence \u2014 Division 48 of the American Psychological Association (APA). Thank you all for being here. At the outset, I want to emphasize that I am speaking\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0for myself, and that I\u2019ll be sharing my own perspective and opinions on the issues I\u2019ll be discussing. I am\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0speaking on behalf of Division 48 or any other individual or group.<\/p>\n

We meet today amid an alarming constellation of global trends, including the burgeoning repression of human rights, escalating threats to vulnerable groups, and the rise of authoritarian leaders who seemingly take pleasure in the pain, cruelty, and humiliation they inflict on those they deem to be lesser, disposable, and exploitable for political and financial gain.<\/p>\n

Almost 60 years ago, one of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr\u2019s final speeches, just months before his assassination, was at the APA convention in 1967. In part, he told the assembled psychologists this: \u201cOn some positions cowardice asks the question, \u2018Is it safe?!\u2019 Expediency asks the question, \u2018Is it politic?\u2019 Vanity asks the question, \u2018Is it popular?\u2019 But conscience must ask the question, \u2018Is it right?!\u2019 And there comes a time when one must take a stand that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular. But one must take it because it is\u00a0right<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0Two years earlier, in 1965, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was among those who marched arm-in-arm with Dr. King from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, advocating for voting rights for Black Americans. Back then, Heschel reminded us that, in a free society,\u00a0\u201cfew are guilty, but\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0are responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

In my view, we cannot take righteous stands or honor our responsibilities to others \u2014 as citizens and as psychologists in this country \u2014 if we\u00a0look away<\/em>\u00a0from\u00a0the devastation unfolding in so many critical areas where psychological principles, research, ethics, and practice apply. Consider these examples:<\/p>\n

*The heartless offensive against the right to healthcare, including\u00a0cuts\u00a0to Medicaid,\u00a0misinformation\u00a0about vaccines, and the\u00a0defunding\u00a0of medical research.<\/p>\n

*The\u00a0racism-fueled\u00a0attacks\u00a0on the principles and policies of\u00a0diversity, equity, and inclusion, which will subvert progress toward greater opportunity for marginalized and disadvantaged groups.<\/p>\n

*The implementation of a cruel and brutal program of\u00a0mass deportations, one that traumatizes immigrants while tearing apart families and futures.<\/p>\n

*The reckless, greed-driven, let-it-all-burn onslaught on the environment,\u00a0denying climate change, accelerating pollution, and abandoning conservation.<\/p>\n

*The pursuit of\u00a0restrictions on voting rights,\u00a0that will deprive millions of the opportunity to fully participate in elections central to the preservation of democracy itself.<\/p>\n

*The contemptible\u00a0assault\u00a0on the LGBTQ community, especially\u00a0transgender individuals\u00a0by denying them appropriate medical treatment and the right to live their lives fully and authentically.<\/p>\n

*The imposition of draconian restrictions on reproductive rights, including the further curtailing of access to\u00a0abortion,\u00a0contraception, and relevant educational\u00a0resources.<\/p>\n

*The tyrannical\u00a0assault on\u00a0our\u00a0education system\u00a0and on support for the free inquiry and independent scholarship that are foundational to our institutions of higher learning.<\/p>\n

*Crackdowns\u00a0against students and faculty who non-violently exercise their free speech rights in an effort to defend vulnerable communities here and around the world.<\/p>\n

*The strangling of funding for\u00a0scientific research, the gold standard for\u00a0advancing knowledge\u00a0as a means to alleviate suffering and improve the quality of life for millions.<\/p>\n

*The authoritarian discrediting of\u00a0judges, intimidation of\u00a0law firms, non-compliance with\u00a0court orders, and targeting of\u00a0political adversaries, all undermining our legal system.<\/p>\n

*The autocratic\u00a0offensive\u00a0against the press and media that will deprive people of access to valuable independent reporting and educational programming.<\/p>\n

*Oppressive attacks on the welfare of workers \u2014 including instituting\u00a0mass layoffs, denying them the benefits of\u00a0unionization, and subjecting them to\u00a0unfair labor practices.<\/p>\n

*The disruption of trust and cooperation with international\u00a0allies\u00a0and\u00a0institutions, thereby threatening crucial treaties, blocking access to\u00a0humanitarian aid, and encouraging heightened militarism and\u00a0lawlessness\u00a0around the globe.<\/p>\n

The sources of distress and injustice I\u2019ve highlighted demonstrate the breadth and depth of the current onslaught against values and priorities that psychologists \u2014 and certainly peace psychologists \u2014 hold dear.\u00a0So, when I say\u00a0we must not look away<\/em>, I mean we must not look away from the carnage; from the victims; from the perpetrators; from the lies that cause the victims to become victims and enable the perpetrators to continue being perpetrators; from the sources of impunity; and from the greed and self-interest that propel so much of what\u2019s wrong today.<\/p>\n

********<\/p>\n

Anyone who has\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0been looking away for the past 23 months will realize that all of these markers have been part of Israel\u2019s assault on the Palestinian people in Gaza, ever since the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, when almost 1,200 civilians and soldiers were killed and 250 were taken hostage. No account of what I say here today can legitimately claim that I failed to acknowledge or condemn the atrocities committed that day, or that I chose to minimize the horrors and the deep and lasting fear and trauma they have caused so many. I acknowledge them, I condemn them, and I do\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0minimize them.<\/p>\n

ut I do\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0pretend that the Palestinian people haven\u2019t suffered under a dehumanizing system of apartheid and an immiserating unlawful occupation\u00a0for decades<\/em>. It was shortly after the 1967 Six-Day War that Amos Oz \u2014 the distinguished Israeli author and intellectual \u2014 wrote,\u00a0\u201cEven an enlightened and humane and liberal occupation is an occupation. I fear for the quality of the seeds we sow in the near future in the hearts of the occupied. More than that, I fear for the seed that is being sown in the heart of the occupiers. And the first signs are already recognizable now.\u201d<\/p>\n

I also do\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0avoid the term\u00a0genocide<\/em>\u00a0in describing Israel\u2019s unconscionable response to October 7th. Far more authoritatively, neither do an overwhelming and steadily increasing number of distinguished genocide scholars and human rights groups,\u00a0<\/strong>including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders, and B\u2019Tselem, among many others. One of these scholars is Israeli-American historian Omer Bartov. This past summer, he wrote in a\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0op-ed, \u201cMy inescapable conclusion has become that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, as tragic and nightmarish violence overtakes so many regions of the world today \u2014 from Sudan to Ukraine to Myanmar to Kashmir and well beyond \u2014 some may sincerely ask why, as a peace psychologist, I choose to bring heightened attention to Israel and Palestine in particular. I want to offer five specific reasons. But before doing so, I\u2019ll note that, because of some unique and deeply disturbing dynamics, which I\u2019ll describe shortly, in my opinion it is Israel and Palestine that confront the American Psychological Association with both its greatest challenge and its most significant moral test today.<\/p>\n

Now, my five reasons.\u00a0First, consider that the\u00a0United Nations International Children\u2019s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, has\u00a0called\u00a0Gaza the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.\u00a0More than 17,000\u00a0children<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 1,000 under the age of one year \u2014 have been killed there over the past 23 months of unrelenting assault by the so-called Israel Defense Forces. From bullets, from bombs, from disease, and from being starved to death.<\/p>\n

If I took only ten seconds to name each of these children, it would take me two full days, 48 hours. And even then, most of us \u2014 including me \u2014 would only know their names. Not who they were. Not what they liked. Not who they loved and who loved them. And not who or what they dreamed of becoming. So let\u2019s remember what James Baldwin,\u00a0the renowned critic of race relations in this country,\u00a0wrote\u00a0almost a half-century ago: \u201cThe children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.\u201d<\/p>\n

My second reason.\u00a0Because as a Jew I\u2019ve been taught that to save a single life is to save an entire world. Of course, Israel didn\u2019t build this core tenet of the Jewish faith into its high-tech Lavender and\u00a0\u201cWhere\u2019s Daddy\u201d AI systems, designed to track targets and then bomb them\u00a0after\u00a0<\/em>they\u2019ve entered their homes, wiping out entire families. And that tenet is just as obviously\u00a0lost on the IDF soldiers who have\u00a0reportedly\u00a0gunned\u00a0down desperate parents at under-supplied and overwhelmed emergency food distribution sites in Gaza.<\/p>\n

In contrast, someone who\u00a0does<\/em>\u00a0understand this principle is\u00a0Palestinian poet Rasha Abdulhadi. She has\u00a0written, \u201cWherever you are, whatever sand you can throw on the gears of genocide, do it now. If it\u2019s a handful, throw it. If it\u2019s a fingernail full, scrape it out and throw. Get in the way however you can. The elimination of the Palestinian people is not inevitable. We can refuse with our every breath and action. We must.\u201d\u00a0And there\u2019s this, from Jewish Israeli historian Yuval Harari:\u00a0\u201cJudaism never faced a catastrophe like we are dealing with right now, which is a spiritual catastrophe for Judaism itself. Because what is happening right now in Israel could basically, I think, destroy, void 2,000 years of Jewish thinking and culture and existence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>My third reason. Because in important ways, what has happened and is happening in Gaza \u2014 and the West Bank \u2014 is a\u00a0microcosm of so much that\u2019s profoundly wrong today. That\u2019s why it\u2019s central to movements for social justice and liberation around the world.\u00a0Francesca Albanese, the courageous UN\u00a0Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, has described this better than I can, writing,\u00a0\u201cPalestine is a mirror held up to the world\u2019s moral and political failures.\u201d And so has\u00a0American political activist, professor, and authorAngela Davis, who has said, \u201cWe deposit our dreams in Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n

My fourth reason. Because this country, the United States, and both of its major political parties have been so thoroughly and calamitously complicit in the genocide. How? By providing political and diplomatic cover in vetoing any number of UN Security Council ceasefire resolutions. And by\u00a0providing Israel with billions of dollars of munitions \u2014 despite compelling evidence that these weapons are being used indiscriminately against civilians in violation of U.S. and international law.\u00a0It is bitterly ironic that the weaponry used by Israel\u00a0includes\u00a0U.S. Apache and Blackhawk helicopters \u2014 named after Indigenous peoples that were subjected to genocide in this country.\u00a0Meanwhile, the U.S. mainstream media doesn\u2019t deserve a free pass \u2014 it certainly bears significant responsibility as well.<\/p>\n

And my fifth reason. Because as psychologists most of us have core commitments to providing healthcare or education, or both. And Israel\u2019s assault on Gaza has specifically and intentionally destroyed these essential elements for a society\u2019s survival. As psychologists, we should be horrified by the\u00a0deliberate destruction of Gaza\u2019s healthcare facilities and the targeting of healthcare personnel. And as psychologists we should be similarly distraught over the systematic destruction of Gaza\u2019s educational institutions. Nearly all of them have been damaged or destroyed \u2014 including all 12 universities \u2014 and hundreds of Palestinian educators and scholars have been killed.<\/p>\n

I want to pause here for a moment to say that I\u2019ve learned so much from the courage of individuals like Mahmoud Kahlil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and Mohsen Mahdawi. And from groups like Jewish Voice for Peace, If Not Now, Breaking the Silence, and Psychologists for Justice in Palestine, among others, that have refused to be silent about this genocide despite the risks they face. I am committed to speaking out too. As someone blessed with many privileges, at this rather ripe age I\u2019m still trying to learn how not to waste them.<\/p>\n

********<\/p>\n

So, then what happens when you speak publicly about the painful truth of genocide in Gaza? What happens when you mention, for example, a May 2025 poll\u00a0of Israeli Jews \u2014\u00a0not American Jews \u2014<\/em>\u00a0showing that 82% said they support the forced expulsion of\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0Palestinians from Gaza?\u00a0Or a poll from this past July showing that 79% of Israeli Jews \u2014\u00a0again,\u00a0not American Jews \u2014<\/em>\u00a0said they\u2019re not even \u201csomewhat\u201d troubled by reports of famine and suffering in Gaza?\u00a0<\/strong>At the same time, I want to recognize, with appreciation, that there is a beleaguered community of Israeli Jews who, for months and months, have desperately but futilely pushed for a permanent ceasefire.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Well, when you share disturbing figures like those I just mentioned Israel\u2019s staunchest defenders immediately kick their seemingly insatiable Antisemitism Outrage Machine into high gear. It appears to have one primary purpose: to misrepresent legitimate criticism of Israel and expressions of support for Palestinian lives as antisemitic, and to punish those who refuse to be silent. In small ways, I\u2019ve come to know this first-hand. Tragically, in doing so Israel\u2019s defenders downplay and distract us from the very serious threat posed by\u00a0real<\/em>\u00a0antisemitism which,\u00a0according to the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism,\u00a0is\u00a0\u201cdiscrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews\u00a0as Jews<\/em>.\u201d That definition has been endorsed by over 300 scholars of\u00a0Holocaust history, Jewish studies, and Middle East studies.<\/p>\n

But many individuals and groups focused on defending Israel are seemingly more concerned about phrases that make\u00a0some<\/em>\u00a0Jewish students uncomfortable on campus than they are about the IDF\u2019s indiscriminate assault that has left so many children in Gaza maimed, lifeless, or orphaned. To be clear, I do\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0believe students should be harassed on campus\u00a0because<\/em>\u00a0they\u2019re Jewish.\u00a0That is antisemitism, period<\/em>. And it does happen \u2014 but not nearly to the extent some would like us to believe.\u00a0<\/strong>Worthy of note, \u201cJewbelong,\u201d the same advocacy group responsible for those \u201cJewish Students Deserve to Be Safe on Campus\u201d billboards and lawn signs across parts of the country, also continues to falsely claim that babies were beheaded on October 7th\u2014 an inflaming fabrication that was completely debunked almost two years ago.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>So, with a new school year underway here in the United States,\u00a0bear this in mind: the most dangerous and powerful engines spreading antisemitism today are\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0anti-genocide protesters on college campuses. No, they are the White Christian Nationalists, the neo-Nazis, and the government of Israel itself, which insists that its horrific actions in Gaza are being undertaken on behalf of\u00a0all Jews<\/em>\u00a0around the world. To which I join many other Jews in saying, \u201cNot in Our Name<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, according to recent polling, a representative sample of American Jews recognizes that antisemitism is a greater threat from the political right than the political left. A majority of American Jews also describe Donald Trump himself as \u201cantisemitic.\u201d Perhaps they remember when Trump described some of the white supremacists marching through Charlottesville, Virginia chanting \u201cJews will not replace us\u201d as, in his words, \u201cvery fine people.\u201d Most American Jews also oppose the Trump Administration\u2019s duplicitous agenda in which universities are threatened with defunding and protesters with abduction in the guise of \u201cfighting antisemitism.\u201d They realize that these actions are more likely to\u00a0increase<\/em>\u00a0rather than\u00a0decrease<\/em>\u00a0antisemitism.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s one exception to this pattern: the highly observant subgroup of Orthodox Jews in the United States. Unlike the vast majority of American Jews, they alone are enthusiastic about Trump and his policies. So, of course, Trump has nominated an ultra-Orthodox Jew,\u00a0Yehuda Kaploun \u2014 who raised millions of dollars for his re-election campaign \u2014 to be the next special envoy to monitor and combat\u00a0antisemitism around the world.<\/p>\n

As starvation and death have spread every day in Gaza, it seems Israel advocacy groups like the Anti-Defamation League and AIPAC, doxing groups like Canary Mission and Betar US, and far too many craven and self-serving politicians have simply ramped up their claims of antisemitism in order to defend Israel and punish those who criticize its genocidal assault. Even more troubling, in my opinion two groups comprised of fellow psychologists \u2014 the \u201cAssociation of Jewish Psychologists\u201d and \u201cPsychologists Against Antisemitism\u201d \u2014 seem to be following their lead. And despite any claims otherwise, these two psychology groups do\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0represent the diverse American Jewish community \u2014 or the equally diverse community of Jewish psychologists. I wish APA leaders could understand this. In fact, as far back as 18 months ago, polling showed that more American Jews\u00a0supported<\/em>\u00a0a permanent ceasefire in Gaza than opposed one. But I believe neither of these two psychology groups has publicly expressed similar support for a ceasefire,\u00a0at any point<\/em>. Is it unreasonable to ask why?<\/p>\n

Indeed, one of these two psychology groups \u2014 the Association of Jewish Psychologists \u2014 issued what I personally consider a stunning statement after the October 7th attacks. It seemingly\u00a0criticized\u00a0the APA for\u00a0opposing<\/em>\u00a0the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. This group\u2019s board of directors wrote that it was \u201cterribly na\u00efve\u201d for the APA to\u00a0assert\u00a0that \u201cthere can be no justification for cutting off access to basic necessities, such as electricity, food, and medicine.\u201d To the best of my knowledge, this group has\u00a0never<\/em>\u00a0issued a public retraction or apology for that stance. I believe it\u2019s well past time that they do both.\u00a0Instead, this same group is now trying to obtain a seat on the APA\u2019s governing Council of Representatives.<\/p>\n

In sharp contrast, this past July,\u00a0the\u00a0Central Conference of American Rabbis,\u00a0representing more than 1.5 million Jews in the United States,\u00a0stated: \u201cDenying basic humanitarian aid crosses a moral line. Blocking food, water, medicine, and power \u2014 especially for children \u2014 is indefensible.\u201d\u00a0Meanwhile, in a recent radio interview, Israel\u2019s Heritage Minister said, \u201cThe government is racing ahead for Gaza to be wiped out\u2026All Gaza will be Jewish\u201d and he added,\u00a0\u201cThere\u2019s no hunger in Gaza\u2026But we don\u2019t need to be concerned with hunger in the Strip. Let the world worry about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other psychology group \u2014 Psychologists Against Antisemitism \u2014 has\u00a0accused\u00a0the APA of \u201csystemic\u201d and \u201cvirulent\u201d antisemitism, apparently because some APA members and divisions \u2014including Division 48 \u2014 have\u00a0expressed\u00a0concern and outrage over the horrors unfolding in Palestine. In a\u00a0newspaper article, one of the leading voices in that psychology group outrageously described the APA this way:\u00a0\u201cSeveral [APA] divisions have specialized in the kind of hot Jew-hatred that once prevailed at German and at other European universities in the Nazi era.\u201d\u00a0Reportedly, another member of this psychology group recently made the preposterous suggestion\u00a0that\u00a0wearing a keffiyeh\u00a0is comparable to someone dressing in the white hood of the Ku Klux Klan.<\/p>\n

It was also disturbing to me to learn that members of this same psychology group have reportedly encouraged the Trump Administration\u2019s so-called antisemitism task force to target the APA. As relevant background, the head of that task force is Leo Terrell. Terrell has\u00a0compared\u00a0the Black Lives Matter movement to ISIS and has\u00a0complained\u00a0about \u201canti-white\u201d and \u201canti-Christian\u201d bias on college campuses.<\/p>\n

At this point, I believe the absurdity of the wholesale and reckless antisemitism charges against pro-Palestinian advocates \u2014 and the APA \u2014 has reached Alice-in-Wonderland heights.\u00a0After all, it was Alice who once asked Humpty Dumpty how he could make words mean so many different things. To which he replied, \u201cWhen\u00a0I\u00a0<\/em>use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean\u2014neither more nor less.\u201d Humpty Dumpty is long gone. But I think his tactics describe rather well the way in which the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) \u201cworking definition\u201d of antisemitism \u2014 discredited by many scholars and civil rights organizations \u2014 is now being used to suppress criticism of Israel.<\/p>\n

Decades ago, George Orwell also had a few things to say that are relevant here, including this: \u201cThe great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one\u2019s real and one\u2019s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.\u201d\u00a0Recall too, the so-called Ministry of Truth\u2019s motto in Orwell\u2019s classic novel\u00a01984<\/em>: \u201cWho controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.\u201d That may be why those who insist on weaponizing antisemitism promote a narrative of Israel\u2019s perpetual victimhood, as it destroys Palestine\u2019s history in real-time.<\/p>\n

For anyone, anywhere, who has somehow achieved some measure of personal peace with what has unfolded in Gaza, or who cries \u201cAntisemitism!\u201d in response to claims of genocide, I encourage you to consider what Omar El Akkad has written in his book titled\u00a0One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This<\/em>, published earlier this year. I\u2019ll quote these sentences in full:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>There is no terrible thing coming for you in some distant future, but know that a terrible thing is happening to you now. You are being asked to kill off a part of you that would otherwise scream in opposition to injustice. You are being asked to dismantle the machinery of a functioning conscience. Who cares if diplomatic expediency prefers you shrug away the sight of dismembered children? Who cares if great distance from the bloodstained middle allows obliviousness. Forget pity, forget even the dead if you must, but at least fight against the theft of your soul.<\/p>\n

I strongly believe that APA\u2019s leadership should\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0allow itself to be bullied and intimidated into submission by those who seemingly, in my opinion, want everyone to look past what has become the first ever live-streamed genocide. Only time will tell what path APA leaders will take. But if they were to ask me, I\u2019d recommend an immediate \u2014and overdue \u2014 public statement\u00a0that communicates four things, none of which should be controversial for an organization committed to\u00a0human rights\u00a0and human welfare.<\/p>\n

First, that the APA rejects the accusations of\u00a0systemic and virulent antisemitism within APA and its divisions. Second, that the APA affirms that neither criticism of Israel nor support for Palestinian rights is intrinsically antisemitic. Third, that the APA strongly opposes efforts aimed at silencing or punishing pro-Palestinian advocacy, within the APA and beyond. And fourth, that the APA condemns racism in\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0its forms, including\u00a0discrimination, prejudice, hostility, or violence\u00a0toward Jews, Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians\u00a0as<\/em>\u00a0Jews, Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians.<\/p>\n

********<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The APA\u2019s own history offers reasons for both hope and skepticism as to whether it will now rise to the occasion. As some of you may know, roughly 20 years ago I was among the so-called dissident psychologists. Back then, many of us resigned as APA members. Recalling that period now, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S. government \u2014led by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld, among others \u2014 unleashed the so-called War on Terror. It was propelled by\u00a0vengeance<\/em>, with utter disdain for human dignity and international law. In short order, a central component became the abuse and torture of\u00a0thousands<\/em>\u00a0of Muslim men and boys in U.S. custody.<\/p>\n

The APA\u2019s leadership faced a key decision point back then \u2014\u00a0as it does now<\/em>. The organization could have joined other human rights-focused groups by strenuously and publicly opposing the way this war was being prosecuted,\u00a0especially<\/em>given the fundamental \u201cdo no harm\u201d principle of our profession. But that was the proverbial road\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0taken. Instead, APA\u2019s leaders seemingly embraced the \u201cWar on Terror\u201d as an\u00a0opportunity<\/em>\u00a0to expand the roles and lift the stature of psychologists at a time of national crisis. As a result, it took\u00a0years<\/em>\u00a0of dissident activism within our profession before APA leaders finally took meaningful steps to oppose the involvement of psychologists in abusive and sometimes torturous U.S. war-on-terror detention and interrogation operations.<\/p>\n

During those many years, in all of our efforts, we dissidents knew that the odds of victory were consistently tilted in the APA\u2019s favor. We were volunteers with very limited resources compared to the deep pockets and staffing available to the APA and its powerful allies, the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. We also lacked the enormous megaphone available to the APA\u2019s leaders. So we struggled to garner the profession\u2019s and the public\u2019s attention and engagement in our efforts to move the needle when it came to changing what we believed were the APA\u2019s ethically bankrupt policies. At the same time, we realized that our only chance to eventually bring reform and accountability to the APA was to constantly maintain the pressure for change, as best we could.<\/p>\n

For years, when they responded at all, the responses we received from APA leaders and representatives of the military-intelligence establishment were typically hostile, harsh, sometimes threatening, and all too often aimed at discrediting us. One past president of the APA described us as \u201copportunistic commentators masquerading as scholars.\u201d A former Guantanamo psychologist wrote that we were \u201cclowns who have never looked in the whites of a terrorist\u2019s eyes.\u201d And another past president seemingly compared us to the \u201cDementors\u201d of Harry Potter fame \u2014 frightening cloaked figures who feed on human happiness. We also faced ethics complaints, a defamation lawsuit, and efforts to keep our scholarly publications out of APA journals. But we persisted because we knew the stakes were high, not only for the victims of abuse and torture but also for the future of the profession of psychology. And we ultimately succeeded, to a significant degree. I believe there are some important lessons from that era that are still worth remembering today, for everyone.<\/p>\n

Back then, in my opinion, APA leaders chose expediency, opportunism, and misrepresentations of fact over ethical action. And the consequences were tragic. A full generation has passed since those earliest days after 9\/11, and I think the APA has made significant progress on multiple fronts in the intervening years. But in certain ways, the core problem seemingly persists: even now, I believe the APA\u2019s leadership is too quick to prioritize what seems politically safe and expedient, and to therefore\u00a0look away<\/em>\u00a0when what\u2019s needed is for the voice of the world\u2019s largest organization of psychologists to be at the\u00a0forefront<\/em>\u00a0in what has truly become an existential struggle for human rights, civil rights, and democratic principles in this country and beyond.<\/p>\n

Time does not allow me to go into detail in offering examples of what I consider to be the APA\u2019s current shortcomings in this context \u2014 despite the many brilliant, dedicated, and ethically-driven psychologists and graduate students among its members, including some who are thankfully here today. But instead I\u2019ll just note several things briefly.<\/p>\n

For me, the APA\u2019s press releases too often seem to reflect a troubling disconnect from what\u2019s actually happening in the world. As of last month, these were the three most recent press releases I could find: \u201cIn a competitive world, mean leaders look smart\u201d; \u201cKiller whales, kind gestures: Orcas offer food to humans in the wild\u2019; and \u201cCool is cool wherever you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

I also find it distressing that voluntary donations to the APA\u2019s affiliated \u201cPsychology PAC\u201d regularly go to politicians whose goals and ambitions seem to me to be inconsistent with the APA\u2019s mission of advancing human welfare.<\/p>\n

And, I find it discouraging that just over a year ago, nearly a third of APA\u2019s Council of Representatives voted\u00a0against<\/em>\u00a0a ceasefire statement in Gaza. As I recall, one Council member recommended that the vote be postponed for another\u00a0six months<\/em>. And when the resolution passed, of course it was condemned by some as antisemitic. Meanwhile, APA\u2019s leadership has done precious little to follow-up on that call for a ceasefire in meaningful ways.<\/p>\n

As one more example, at the annual convention this past August, APA\u2019s governing Council couldn\u2019t even muster the two-thirds vote necessary to add an item \u2014 titled \u201cReaffirming APA\u2019s Commitment to Human Rights and Free Speech\u201d \u2014 to the agenda.\u00a0What was wrong with the statement? Well, it drew attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. And it expressed opposition to bigotry in all its forms, including\u00a0anti-Muslim hatred and anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism. And it expressed support for\u00a0non-violent advocacy directed towards safeguarding human life.\u00a0Draw your own conclusions about why nearly 40% of Council members didn\u2019t even want to take the chance that this statement might be voted on and approved.<\/p>\n

I realize that the APA is far from unique in falling short, in my view, in honoring its core humanitarian commitments when confronted by political, economic, or reputational pressures from the powers-that-be. The network of professional associations and other civil society organizations all have an essential role to play. Collectively, we give these groups power, privileges, and the public trust. In exchange, we count on them to stand up and assertively oppose government overreach, corruption, and misconduct that serve the interests of the few at the expense of the many.\u00a0<\/strong>When these groups abandon these responsibilities, their betrayal can have dire consequences, for almost everyone. History leaves no doubt about that.<\/p>\n

********<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>When I was preparing this talk, I made a commitment to myself, and to everyone here, that I would do my best to speak the truth and conclude on a hopeful note. I believe I\u2019ve done the first part, so that leaves the second. The two are actually closely related. Because, as author and activist Rebecca Solnit has explained, we can be\u00a0\u201chopeful and heartbroken\u201d at the same time. She\u2019s also written that too often we think of hope as \u201csmiles and sunshine, when it\u2019s fury in the face of danger and oppression, and pressing on in the storm.\u201d<\/p>\n

In recent years, scholars who study tyranny have offered us a variety of warnings and guidance that we shouldn\u2019t ignore, including these: \u201cDo not obey in advance,\u201d \u201cDo not make compromises,\u201d \u201cBe outraged,\u201d \u201cBelieve in truth,\u201d and \u201cBe as courageous as you can be.\u201d I\u2019ve printed that last one \u2014 \u201cBe as courageous as you can be\u201d \u2014 in large letters and it\u2019s taped to a bookshelf in my home. Among the books nearby are\u00a0Crimes of Obedience, A People\u2019s History of the United States, The Fire Next Time, Decolonial Psychology, The Nazi Doctors, If I Must Die, Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza, Rules for Radicals, Beautiful Souls, A Day in the Life of Abed Salama, States of Denial, and How Dark the Heavens<\/em>. That last one was written by my late father-in-law, Sidney Iwens, who survived the Dachau concentration camp.\u00a0<\/em>There\u2019s also an old collection of Gary Larson\u00a0Far Side\u00a0<\/em>cartoons to help me avoid a perpetual frown.<\/p>\n

One of the other books nearby is a collection of short stories by the fantasy writer Ursula Le Guin. One story from this collection was written 50 years ago and it\u2019s titled \u201cThe Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.\u201d Omelas is a very peculiar city. What makes it so strange is that the prosperity of all of the inhabitants depends entirely upon the endless suffering and abominable misery of a single young child, who\u2019s locked away forever in a dark and filthy cellar. In general, the townspeople ignore the child\u2019s pleas for release because they\u2019ve learned that\u00a0his<\/em>\u00a0salvation would destroy a world that\u2019s utopian in every other way.<\/p>\n

At the end of her story, however, Le Guin notes that\u00a0some<\/em>\u00a0residents of Omelas, after visiting the forlorn child in the cellar, decide to leave the city. She describes it this way: \u201cThey walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back. The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.\u201d What I find most compelling about this story are the moral clarity and courage of those who\u00a0look<\/em>\u00a0at that child and then can no longer live the comfortable lives they\u2019ve grown accustomed to. We desperately need more such people in\u00a0this<\/em>\u00a0world today, and fewer who choose to\u00a0look away<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I want to emphasize that resistance can take many different forms, including some that have not been the focus of much psychological research. A recent article by psychologists Vollhardt, Okuyan, and Unal describes how, for each realm of resistance, there\u2019s an important under-studied facet. For example, along with collective resistance, there\u2019s individual resistance, which can take the form of refusing to comply with orders, concealing one\u2019s targeted identity, and destroying one\u2019s possessions so they can\u2019t be confiscated. Along with organized resistance, there\u2019s everyday resistance, which can appear as steadfastness, or a commitment to preserving one\u2019s cultural and community attachments, or even just trying to live a normal life during very abnormal times. Along with overt resistance, there\u2019s covert resistance. This can include continuing to engage \u2014 secretly \u2014 in banned activities, or using coded messages to communicate with allies. Along with material resistance, there\u2019s psychological resistance, which involves refusing to allow oppressors to define the meaning of one\u2019s identity or experience. And along with non-violent resistance, there\u2019s violent resistance, which sometimes emerges when non-violent efforts to survive are thwarted.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s clear in all these cases is that we can\u2019t afford to fall into the trap of feeling helpless, of thinking that change is impossible, and believing that resistance is futile. Giving up and abandoning hope is exactly what authoritarian forces always want. Because it means they can move forward with little expenditure of effort and resources. To be sure, some face much greater and more direct threats to their circumstances, which are already unjustly precarious.\u00a0But the turmoil created by authoritarian repression extends over time and space far beyond its first and most immediate victims. It does so by posing a serious challenge to any shared vision of the common good and by fraying the fabric of trust and mutual care that binds together small groups and large communities alike.<\/p>\n

At times as fraught as these, I believe those of us who are less burdened by personal, family, or career perils must embrace the heightened responsibilities that come with our privilege. And as psychologists, the fundamental principles of our profession call upon us to pursue justice, to cherish human dignity in its diverse forms, and to support those whose voices have been muffled or silenced. I think we can best accomplish this by learning from the leadership, wisdom, and persistence of those who are at greatest risk, and by standing in pragmatic solidarity with them.<\/p>\n

As individuals, we can\u2019t do everything. But we can each do\u00a0something<\/em>, and perhaps, as in my own case, something\u00a0more<\/em>than what we\u2019re doing now. So identify that area that concerns you the most, or where you believe you can make the biggest difference, or where your expertise gives you an important advantage, or where you think your participation is most urgently needed. And it all starts with\u00a0not looking away<\/em>. That certainly applies to the APA and its leaders as well.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019ll conclude with this. Forty years ago, the distinguished psychologist and Peace Corps director Carolyn Payton wrote an essay for the APA\u2019s flagship journal, the\u00a0American Psychologist.\u00a0<\/em>It was titled \u201cWho Must Do the Hard Things?\u201d Dr. Payton argued that \u201cto view psychology as a science devoid of social implications or responsibilities will not advance our profession but will rather lead to its demise.\u201d She concluded by answering the question posed in the essay\u2019s title, \u201cWho Must Do the Hard Things?\u201d Her answer: \u201cThose who can<\/em>.\u201d And then she followed this with a related question: \u201cWho must do the\u00a0impossible\u00a0<\/em>things?\u201d Payton\u2019s answer, \u201cThose who care<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

I think that\u2019s worth remembering. And also, this:\u00a0Never again is now, and for every people<\/em>. Thank you.<\/p>\n

_______________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Roy Eidelson is a member of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Network<\/em><\/a> and was a member of the American Psychological Association for over 25 years, prior to his resignation. He is a clinical psychologist and the president of <\/em>Eidelson Consulting<\/em><\/a>, where he studies, writes about, and consults on the role of psychological issues in political, organizational, and group conflict settings. He is a past president of <\/em>Psychologists for Social Responsibility<\/em><\/a>, former executive director of the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, and a member of the <\/em>Coalition for an Ethical Psychology<\/em><\/a>. Roy is the author of <\/em>Political Mind Games: How the 1% Manipulate Our Understanding of What\u2019s Happening, What\u2019s Right, and What\u2019s Possible<\/a> and can be reached at <\/em>reidelson@eidelsonconsulting.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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