Shalzed is neither news nor opinion
It’s a weekly series of short fictional encounters with an alien who came to Earth believing human rights could be the key to peace — not only here, but across the galaxy.
He was… optimistic.
It turns out human rights aren’t applied universally. Especially in emotionally charged conflicts, they’re treated less like rules and more like tools — invoked to condemn others, then set aside when they get in our way.
So Shalzed begins asking sharp, uncomfortable questions about why the human rights movement so often fails in practice, and whether something better might be possible.
If you believe in human rights — but feel uneasy about how they’re used — you may be asking these same questions too.
From a recent story. . .
What Does Neutrality Look Like: Can Doctors Without Borders Stay in Gaza?
I got a match on Bumble for the first time in two weeks. Her name was Rose, and I really liked her profile. As an ‘opening move question’ she asked, ‘What’s your ideal first date,’ so I responded, ‘Holding hands while sky diving- although that’s definitely not happening on our first date!’ Then I sat in the living room watching NBA highlights, hoping she would reply.
I grabbed my phone as soon as it chimed, but instead of Rose it was Shalzed. “Doctors Without Borders is planning to stop working in Gaza,” he said.
“Okay,” I replied, checking if maybe by chance Rose had also messaged at the same time.
“I can’t understand it,” Shalzed continued. “Israel is just asking basic questions for its own security. How could an organization devoted to helping victims of conflict pick up and leave because of that?”
Suddenly, I was in the black tunnel with points of light. . .
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