You wake up in the morning and roll over to grab your phone. You’re eager to check your notifications, but not enough to open your other eye. Your smile grows as you read the cute comments your friends left on your beach selfie. Your political Facebook status received 102 likes and five “Haha” emoticons. You have a bunch of Snaps, but don’t want to deal with those until after you check Twitter.
#BlackLivesMatter
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#BlueLivesMatter
#AllLivesMatter
#PrayFor(insert location of terrorist attack here)
Hashtag after hashtag. Hundreds of deaths hit the headlines. Meanwhile, stories that were once unheard of are now put on blast. Your feed is flooded with angry tweets and powerful opinions.
What happened while you were snug in your bed all night? You catch up on the latest news.
Terrorist acts, shootings, protests. We hear about it, and we voice our opinions on social media until the next tragedy occurs. Do we do anything to follow up our Twitter rants? You know, actively participate in a protest, for example? Perhaps go beyond being just a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down” or a crying face emoji — a retweet that deceitfully claims your two cents for the day (basically saying, “Yup, I agree.” Then you move on). You are saddened. But are you sad?
It is one thing to recognize what needs to be done to make a change, but what pains me just as much as the actual events happening is the negative responses towards them. The worst mindsets I come across are the ones of those who pin the blame on generalized groups and are totally desensitized to their deaths — the ones with the mentality of “another day, another tragedy” and “they deserved to die anyway.” They encourage violence against violence. They fight hate with more hate instead of finding a better outlet for change. We are not solely numbers for statistics and eye-catching headlines. These aren’t prompts for small-talk openers. It’s real. We can’t be numb to this. I can’t fathom people that have half a mind to think that life doesn’t matter — that other people’s lives, aside from their own and their own family’s lives or their own “kind” don’t matter. Or that the future doesn’t matter because they’ll be long gone by then. It doesn’t work that way. If you’re alive now, what is the purpose? What are we doing here? I’m not trying to recall the horrid clichés of Psychology 101, but seriously — think about it. We want to be happy, and we want to have fulfilled lives. But we’re pulling each other deeper into the pit when we should be working together to climb out with the goal to close it once and for all.
This past 4th of July, the holiday when we celebrate our country’s freedom with the fireworks, the barbecues, the social drinking… it was all a façade. I didn’t feel free at all. Our people, our nation, our world needs help. It was unsettling to be celebrating when tragedies were and are happening all around us.
Prejudice, discrimination, racism, sexism, body shaming, cold hard judgment. Hate. It is perpetual. It has been ongoing for centuries. I thought these were supposed to be times of positive change, a revolution. After all, it’s 2016. People were starting to come together. Was I naïve to this thought? Was I fooled by the slightest touch of hope for my future and the future of my children’s children? I was raised and taught to celebrate differences. That was the apparent theme throughout my entire school career. Once we’re adults, does it all just get thrown out the window? Why doesn’t it matter anymore? Have we learned nothing?
These recent battles are often two-sided. Black lives vs. cops. Muslims vs. LGBTQ+. Believing that #AllLivesMatter vs. not supporting the single cause being fought for. Innocent victims vs. murderers. Haters vs. lovers.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
He gave the “I Have a Dream” speech that called for an end to all racism in America. Why is it taking over 53 years and counting to end this hatred? Why is it taking us hundreds of years to overcome discrimination and violence?
Hate isn’t just black and white. It’s gray, and it’s everywhere and thriving. There’s hatred towards all races, genders, sexes, sexualities, religions, social statuses and so many things….
What people don’t realize is that the world needs love. It needs to know that openness and acceptance have the potential to defeat the madness.
You may not be black. You may not be a cop. You may not be gay. You may not be transgender. You may not be on the borderline of poverty. You may not fear leaving the house because you’ll get killed for looking the way that you do. But what you should be is angry. These are your people, your species — the human race (your true race) of which surrounds you every day of your life. Their stories and their lives matter — good and bad. They affect you no matter what you think. This is the world you live in.
