Chantal Janzen is currently unable to solve the Gaza war on her own, she says, but she still does not want to close her eyes to it. “Then you close yourself off to reality.”
Many people completely close themselves off to troubles such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, but others are very fanatically involved in them, even though they do not play any significant role. Take, for example, René van der Gijp’s wife, who has become a kind of war reporter: in between her holiday snaps she posts the most terrible videos.
‘It’s bizarre’
How does Chantal Janzen feel about it? Is she very concerned about this? Yes, she sees quite a few things passing by every now and then, she says in the &C. “When I was looking online at home with a cup of tea in front of me, I came across a video about Gaza. Tears welled up in my eyes. Because of that suffering, and because I am so very grateful that my child is safe here. The difference is bizarre.”
Everything feels so close these days, because of the internet, she says. “What the hell kind of world are we living in today? Or have we always lived in that world, but was it never as visible as it is now? Don’t know. I do know that we can almost follow those wars and misery live through social media.”
Internetless
Does that all help? “More than usual, I wonder whether we should want that. Sometimes I long for a return to an internet-less world (okay, boomer), because what good does it do if we can follow everything in detail? Why do we want to watch images of injured children all day long?”
Some people throw all social media apps off their phone, but Chantal doesn’t do that. “Wrap yourself completely in bubble wrap so that nothing can touch you. I can not do that. The consequence of that bubble wrap is also that you can’t do anything.”
‘Can’t do anything’
Can Chantal do anything if she continues to follow it? No, she doesn’t think so. “I understand perfectly well that I am not capable of solving wars, but I do not believe that closing yourself off from reality is better. Of course, it doesn’t benefit anyone if the news makes you depressed, so if you want to protect yourself, that’s only a good thing.”
But, Chantal concludes: “It doesn’t work for me. I want to see it. I think it is important that we know what things are like in other countries. What is happening in places in the world where peace and security cannot be taken for granted, such as here.”