No One Belongs Here More Than You

It may be apparent to constant readers of my posts, or listeners to my radio show, that I've avoided satirizing, opinionizing, or otherwise making public noise about the Middle East. Something about the intractability of the situation, the sad downward spiral of events, the dire tendency of both sides to retreat to their most militant leaders has tended to discourage me from even treading on this bloody turf.

So this is not an opinion, or a satire. Just a question. There is a serious media buy this week to encourage American tourism to Israel. I've seen both the national spots and the local ones, purchased by a Los Angeles-area travel agency. They're pretty much standard look-at-the ocean-and-the culture spots, easily comprehended as an attempted antidote to possible consumer feelings of "honey, let's take a vacation where they're not shooting."

But what to make of the slogan at the end? "No one belongs here more than you."

Please tell me what you think it means.

"No one belongs here more than you."

Comments

[onewolf]

well if it's aimed at "Americans" i guess it means "hey! you and your children have already paid for it!"

"and will continue to pay for it!"

"forever!"

screw it, i'd rather go to Beruit.
we've paid for that too.

[indyleftist]

People should boycott Israel until it ends its policy of apartheid

[Liberterna]

what's the point when our government takes our taxes and gives a nice chunk of it to the Isreali government to buy more guns from our weapons manufacturers.

What are you gonna do? not pay taxes either.

[Fein]

'Help us pay for the occupation'

'We accept American Express'

[Duane Price]

The slogan does, incredibly, seem to be a reference to the bloody, generations-long dispute between Israel and Palestine over whose land it is, as crass as a that is in a tourism add. They seem to be saying, "Forget all that hubbub, YOU are the one that belongs here (because you want to come and we want your money)."

Classy!!

[Tyrus]

As the great Rodney King once said, "Can we all just get along".

I've always felt the earth (land) was neutral. We just agree to share space with each other.

Unless we have mutual respect and work towards a two state solution, we will inch closer to self destruction. While some may think this is idealistic I believe it is realistic and the only rational path to peace and survival.

The implication that some belong and some don't is incendiary and more than a little annoying.

The earth will survive with or without us. Our good stewardship in all things is in our own best interest or we will join the dinosaurs - "Our" lands will not shed a tear.

[svengalifx]

If you watched in outrage as the United States fell from grace over the past eight years:

"No one belongs here more than you."

If winding down the war in Iraq includes 50,000 troops left behind 18 months from now:

"No one belongs here more than you."

If you thought you were going to take charge of the financial mess as Treasury Secretary only to stutter at the sheer catastrophe you've inherited:

"No one belongs here more than you."

If your bipartisan overtures are met by talk to the hand right wingers so that you alienate your left:

"No one belongs here more than you."

[FogBelter]

Harry, would a snappy slogan like ...

"Israel, a nice place to die!"

Fill outdoor cafes and inspire romps in the countryside?

The Israeli Tourism Department probably figured ...

"Live 'The Year of Living Dangerously'!" or "Frolic in the Holy Land, where Fireworks takes on a whole new meaning!"

Were a No Sale as well.

[Jose Orjuela]

It's pretty clear that this message can have different meanings to people who see the many difficulties that Israeil has encountered in it's more than half a century of existence. However, with simple ackowledgement of the fact that it is not over, over there, and that people do still die by the hundreds in either Gaza or other places. Now, the solution to the whole thing is that there will never be a solution. The militant palestinians will continue to agitate and the quick to react Israelis, will continue to retaliate, and neither will have what they want. If the tone of the election rhetoric was that Palestinians have no aspirations there, then Israeil is not just unwilling to give the Palestinians what they want, but have realized that they can continue to ignore them and let the issue continue. I once had a very misguided view that Askenazi did not belong there because they were not full blood in that region, and that the racism was more of an issue that facilitated the violence between the children of Shem (Not the stooge), but I see now that it is more simple than that, neither group wants the other to "Belong there" and the whole region will be the worse for it. This makes it very clear that "We" certainly don't belong there until they sort out who "Belongs" there.

[rbenjamin]

Uh, that's Shemp. Was that a typo or do you have a valid license for irony?

[Fein]

No thanks. Israel gets enough of my money against my wishes.

They're sure not getting any more if I can help it.

[Holypat777]

Well, the first thing that comes to my mind when tourism-advertising in wars zones is Robet Duval's character in Apocolypse Now. maybe the next add will have these nifty quips:

" Come enjoy, bomb-dodge surfing!!!"

"Enjoy our Naplam Martinis. They smell like gasoline. Mmmm, just like down home in Texas!"

" And did you say: 'Charlie doesn't surf?' Well, you haven't seen Charlie and his Amazing Poodle Surfers perform. Yes, that's right 12 poodles performing high octane acrobatics on 2x4's while being dragged on by torpedos!!!!"

Bring the family!

[zippedy]

If it is possible to construct this phrase that proclaims the reader "belongs here," then the corollary follows that there are some people who don't belong there. Since this is the whole point of the Jewish State, the ad makes perfect sense.

[wial]

Speaking as a Buddhist, I think it's a mistake. It reminds the viewer how unsafe the delusion of possession and belonging has made this part of the world. I'd rather vacation in Shantideva's lands of uncultivated harvests. Or Job's, for that matter.

[NorthWoodsVoice]

That's Israeli for:

"We're taking your family farm to build a settlement, and there's nothing you can do about it because we've got those dumb Americans believing we're taking it for them too"

[mobedda]

"No one belongs here more than you" ....white folks. Bring money.

[rbenjamin]

Intriguing question Harry! Bob "Don't think twice it's al(l)right" Dylan would be proud to produce a phrase so innocently ambiguous. My interpretation:

YOU is anyone with an airline ticket, who can get through airport security, with a valid passport, with credit card reserves sufficient for food, lodging, ground transportation and trinkets, can pass muster with Israeli customs officials (i.e. not on any watch lists) and who will probably not try to sneak any towels from the hotel on their way out (funny story about the last one).

BELONGS is mostly meant to appeal to Jews and Christians who see "the holy land" as the source of their religious/cultural heritage. Muslims not explicitly included, but the Tourist Board has enough data to know that for the latter Mecca is more of a draw.

NO ONE MORE THAN (YOU) translates to "hey, we're not judgmental!" Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Tight Lipped Christian Fundamentalists eager to see Jerusalem from ground level before the Rapture, wannabe archaeologists, and Sports Illustrated readers, com'mon in! We are inclusive! (see Belongs, above). VISA and Master Card Accepted.

In short, I see it as crass, but not deeply disturbing. Compared to shooting