A 23-year-old German-Israeli woman who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival by Hamas militants on October 7 has been declared dead, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.
“We are devastated to share that the body of 23 year old German-Israeli Shani (Louk) was found and identified,” the ministry posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday.
A source involved with her identification told CNN Louk’s death was announced after forensic examiners found a bone fragment from her skull.
Missing White Woman Syndrome
Damn it’s actually a thing
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman_syndrome
I thought you were being sardonic
Never knew the word “sardonic” existed until today
Gosh, I remember people said Ahed Tamimi fit this category some years back.
The politics of being an oppressed class within a class of oppressors isn’t new, and there are a lot of opportunities for white women to act in fucked up ways (eg Karens), and for people to treat white women in fucked up ways. She was probably chosen to be specifically humiliated and brutalized because of Missing White Woman Syndrome, and it’s playing out as they expected - which will embolden them to do it again.
Attributing our concern to her whiteness racializes and politicizes her humiliation but it’s still a disgusting humiliation and brutalization.
By citing the MWWS without context, the implication is that we should be ashamed for our concern, as though we only care because she’s white - a statement that is, for me anyway, and I think for more and more people these days, false - but it’s irrelevant - MWWS is a phenomenon, but she was a person. Her treatment was disgusting and trying to undermine legitimate shock and disgust is cruel.
While MWWS and the politics of white femininity are important (and specifically caused this woman’s uniquely horrific treatment), it doesn’t help to discuss them in the aftermath of specific horrors, and trying to shame people for feeling disgusted by disgusting behavior is, well, it’s why you’re being downvoted. The point of equality isn’t to treat privileged people worse, it’s to treat underprivileged people better.
People on this website are such pearl clutchers. Insert *Hannibal Buress Being Right" meme.
She was brutalized and humiliated specifically because of MWWS. To cite that phenomenon without context reads like they’re trying to shame people for being disgusted by disgusting behavior. It’s as if, because of the existence of MWWS, we shouldn’t feel concern - when, the reality is that the reason MWWS is a problem isn’t because people care too much about white women, it’s because people care too little about non-white women.
A more useful invocation of the MWWS is when a non-white woman is brutalized and no one seems to care, not when it’s a white woman and people do.
The point of equality isn’t to treat privileged people worse, it’s to treat underprivileged people better.
Could you explain why pointing out a instance of a real phenomena is pearl clutching?
Because she was the first hostage that I didn’t have to search about. And big surprise it was a early twenties conventionally attractive white woman. I hesitate to say privileged, but it appears that she had some.
She was German, but 'non white ’ Germans were celebrating her death in the streets while handing out free Baklava. I live in Berlin and been to Sonnenallee ( where mass protest pro Palestine where Geld ). Some white privileged German was arguing how they can celebrate her death while a not privileged person was saying: das war ne dreckige Juden Fotze. Which translates to ‘she was just a dirty Jew cunt’. I was a witness myself
She looks pretty damn white to me.
Edit: I also am not going to believe you without proof.
Straight up exactly what I was thinking
Its a shame I’m getting downvoted but it’s a known media phenomenon and I can think of nothing more disrespectful to others than to have the pretty woman, usually white and privileged, drive a news cycle.
People are conflating your observation with how you must actually feel. As if you’re condoning the media spending time talking about a young attractive woman instead of all of the other victims.
I don’t think that’s it. Mentioning the Missing White Woman Syndrome in this context implies that we should not feel disgust or concern because we’re only feeling that way because she’s white.
The point of MWWS isn’t that we should care less about white women, it’s that we should care more about non-white women; it would be more apt trip being it up in the context of the brutalization and humiliation of a non white women about whom no one seems to give a shit.
As I’ve said in a few posts on this thread: the point of equality isn’t to treat privileged people worse, it’s to treat underprivileged people better.
It’s a surprisingly common occurrence that I’m surprised more people don’t pick up on.