Terror attacks prove need for change
In the aftermath of the terror attacks overseas, many people expressed their horror and grief for the residents of Paris, France. However, many did not mention the attacks that killed 43 and wounded hundreds of others in Beirut.
The media flocked to cover the explosions and deaths in Paris. Facebook allowed users to put a French flag filter over their profile pictures to express their support for the grieving country. It also allowed users to check in as “safe” in Paris. But Beirut was forgotten.
We The Threefold Advocate are saddened at the lack of coverage of these other terrorist attacks by the media. The events in Paris, while more deadly, are no more important than those in Beirut. We should support the people of Beirut just as we support the people of
Paris in this horrible time.
Some say Paris received more attention because many more people were killed. Others say it is because France is a Western nation rather than one in the Middle East.
“There is a troubling tribal, or racial, component to familiarity: People tend to perk up when they see themselves in the victims,” explained one article from The Atlantic. Sadly, this is all too true.
In countries where war is a regular problem, we grow desensitized to their problems. After hearing about land mines in Iraq and Ebola in Sierra Leone for so many months or years, we often forget how devastating these problems are. But when terror strikes a peaceful, Western country, we panic. That could have been us, we say. We do not see ourselves in the brown or black-skinned foreigners, and that is wrong.
We are all humans who deserve empathy. We should not desensitize ourselves to the violence in faraway nations. Instead, we should lend our support to those suffering from war. And by support, we do not mean changing your profile picture. Active, honest love must be shown to these countries. Simply saying a prayer is not enough.
We The Threefold encourage students to do all they can to help these grieving nations. Send money, actively encourage government support and, most importantly, we must dedicate our resources to destroying the evil that is responsible.
Our government must do its part to stop ISIS from doing this again. It cannot cower in fear and refuse to aid victims of war. We cannot reject refugees, as many state governors are trying to do. We must do the right thing, even if it is not easy.
The only way this can happen is if we use our power as American voters to elect people who are dedicated to this cause. In this election season and time of turmoil, it is important to not waste our opportunity to do what we can to help those who need it most.
The United States is an incredibly blessed nation, and we should do our best to help those who need it.