Reflections from a Radical Killjoy

Abstract This article critically assesses anthropological responses to the Gaza massacre following the October 7, 2023, attacks. I warn against the dangers of a single, reductive narrative and highlight the harmful effects of discourse policing. While terms like “genocide” convey the gravity of the massacre and mobilize support, they also reinforce false binaries, reify distinctions between Palestine and Israel, and disconnect Gaza from the broader Palestinian context—obscuring the realities of military occupation, settler colonialism, and apartheid. I argue that the current onslaught should also be recognized as the inevitable lethal outcome of the global reemergence of ethnonationalism. The insistence on a singular narrative, terminology, or form of action does not benefit the struggle for Palestinian freedom and justice. This article poses a sharp critique, but is ultimately a plea for the creation of spaces for resistances—plural—and for anthropologists to play our role in the human rights struggle of our time.