TIMES OF ISRAEL
Sadism and Masochism in International Culture
by Alexander H. Joffe
October 14, 2015
Do cultures have personalities, meaningful collections of attitudes and behaviors? If so, what does the ongoing wave of stabbings of Israelis—elderly passersby, strangers on buses, boys on bikes, infants in carriages—say about Palestinian culture? Who are they, really? One suggestion is that Palestinian culture has been overtaken by psychosis. But what is the underlying cause of this flight to unreality? Part of the answer is sadomasochism. All cultures have a touch of sadism. Political success requires defeating and humiliating enemies in battle, if only occasionally. Individuals capable or prone to committing terrible pain upon others are found everywhere. READ MORE
Powerful words from Israeli-Arab reporter Lucy Aharish
ArchitectGuy on Israel 