Honestly, I've struggled a lot with writing this blog post, so I think I'll just start with how I reacted last Friday when I heard about what had happened in Paris.
After writing club, I remember sitting outside in the cold and pulling out my phone to scroll through Twitter. And that's when I saw the tweets flooding in about a terrorist attack in Paris, France. I just recall this immense sense of something that I can only describe as disappointment -- disappointment that humans could be so creative and kind and intelligent and yet still do such horrible things to each other. Those victims weren't government employees, weren't politicians or diplomats or presidents, weren't some sort of symbols of democracy. They weren't so much different from me and my friends, just a bunch of young adults out having fun in a concert, hanging out in a cafe, going through their daily lives.
And of course it didn't take long for people to start politicizing what happened. It only took a few hours before I saw the rude and accusatory tweets and Facebook posts popping up everywhere, denouncing everything from Islam to Obama. I wish I could be more eloquent in describing my feelings while scrolling through social media, but let's just say I was mad, guys. Really, really mad. (Mad enough to get in a Twitter fight with a stranger, but that's a story for another day.)
It terrifies me how much people use a tragedy to justify their racism and bigotry; I just found an article on the Internet that suggested a strategy nicknamed "D.A.M.N." -- Deport All Muslims Now. Oh, but don't worry! This same genius had another amazing idea just in case that first one wasn't extreme enough for you -- sterilize all Muslims before the "Army of Islam" rises to destroy all of America! Thank God for people like these. And with Donald Trump's resurging popularity despite his recent statements about a "Muslim database" and "closing mosques," I honestly fear for the future of America and how anyone could possibly vote for a man as disgusting as Donald Trump. I find it funny how people nowadays wonder how Europeans didn't stop Hitler from taking power or try to help Jews in concentration camps just miles away from their houses... when, HELLO? SPECIAL IDS FOR PEOPLE OF A CERTAIN RELIGION? SOUND FAMILIAR, ANYONE?
Moments like these remind me how much privilege I have as a (half) white, Christian person. I don't have to deal with people judging me for the way I look or my religion. I don't have to deal with racial slurs or strangers yelling at me in the street. I just happened to be born into a family that fits into the social patterns of America, and that's made life a lot easier for me than other people.
After writing club, I remember sitting outside in the cold and pulling out my phone to scroll through Twitter. And that's when I saw the tweets flooding in about a terrorist attack in Paris, France. I just recall this immense sense of something that I can only describe as disappointment -- disappointment that humans could be so creative and kind and intelligent and yet still do such horrible things to each other. Those victims weren't government employees, weren't politicians or diplomats or presidents, weren't some sort of symbols of democracy. They weren't so much different from me and my friends, just a bunch of young adults out having fun in a concert, hanging out in a cafe, going through their daily lives.
And of course it didn't take long for people to start politicizing what happened. It only took a few hours before I saw the rude and accusatory tweets and Facebook posts popping up everywhere, denouncing everything from Islam to Obama. I wish I could be more eloquent in describing my feelings while scrolling through social media, but let's just say I was mad, guys. Really, really mad. (Mad enough to get in a Twitter fight with a stranger, but that's a story for another day.)
It terrifies me how much people use a tragedy to justify their racism and bigotry; I just found an article on the Internet that suggested a strategy nicknamed "D.A.M.N." -- Deport All Muslims Now. Oh, but don't worry! This same genius had another amazing idea just in case that first one wasn't extreme enough for you -- sterilize all Muslims before the "Army of Islam" rises to destroy all of America! Thank God for people like these. And with Donald Trump's resurging popularity despite his recent statements about a "Muslim database" and "closing mosques," I honestly fear for the future of America and how anyone could possibly vote for a man as disgusting as Donald Trump. I find it funny how people nowadays wonder how Europeans didn't stop Hitler from taking power or try to help Jews in concentration camps just miles away from their houses... when, HELLO? SPECIAL IDS FOR PEOPLE OF A CERTAIN RELIGION? SOUND FAMILIAR, ANYONE?
Moments like these remind me how much privilege I have as a (half) white, Christian person. I don't have to deal with people judging me for the way I look or my religion. I don't have to deal with racial slurs or strangers yelling at me in the street. I just happened to be born into a family that fits into the social patterns of America, and that's made life a lot easier for me than other people.