Hot Topic: Paris. What We Can Actually Do.
This is becoming an all-too-common situation. We hear of a tragic event, be it the shootings in Paris and bombings in Beirut, the abduction of young girls by Boko Haram, the annihilation of the Syrian and Palestinian populaces, the murder of innocents by armed gunmen in the United States, 9/11 and so on and so forth. Seems almost like a weekly occurrence.
We feel terrible. We are outraged. We feel compelled to do something. Most of us are limited in what we can do. We sign petitions. We give money. We change our Facebook profile pictures and say the victims are in our thoughts and prayers. A lot of the chatter turns political and personal. And in this process the original purpose - to express grief and solidarity, gets lost.
I am saddened by the events in Paris. I love the city, its people and its culture. However I do not personally know anyone who was killed. I cannot make statements on behalf of those people and their families. I can express sadness but ultimately that does little. Truth is, nobody expects my words to make any difference to those affected other than an outpouring of support, which has value.
But we live in a time where we’ve lowered the bar. We’ve bought into the idea that awareness is action. Hashtag. That by changing your profile picture to that of the French flag, you are doing something. It fosters a complacency that we are actually accomplishing something by these fey attempts to be a part of the solution.
This is not an attempt to shame people for caring. We all know so many if us care. A lot. But I want to talk about what change we can actively make, within the limited resources we have. Nobody’s expecting us to get on a plane, fly over to France and hunt down the killers. There are highly trained forces for that. We need to formulate a way as a society on how we combat the hateful ideologies that are fomenting these acts of murder. It is our responsibility, as the community of man, to combat hatred by one mean: education. There has to be a process for us to follow, collectively, to become the change we wish to see, using the tools that we all have, primarily social media.
Let’s follow the course of events. The tragedy in Paris happens. Information is pouring in. Our first social media response: Let people know that this event is happening. You do not have all the information, so do not proffer speculation. Report what you know, cite your credible source, i.e. post an article from a major news source like the New York Times, the BBC or Al Jazeera. Your role is to simply let others know that this has happened. As more credible and vetted information rolls in, post this as a follow up. This is where hashtags are useful, in directing people to credible information.
If you are in the immediate area or know of people who are in the area, it is your responsibility to find resources for those people and send it to them. In Paris, so many civilian homes opened their doors for safe shelter. Make sure people know this. As always, refrain from extraneous commentary because you are not there and you do not have vetted information.
Once the government officials have made an official statement as to the casualties and the situation is controlled, step away from social media and start doing your research. In Paris, Islamic State claimed responsibility. Many knee-jerk links to the refugee crisis were made. It feeds in to xenophobia and racism. Do not be a part of that cycle of hatred. Do your research. You are not qualified to make commentary on IS or refugees until you read about the situation - from again credible sources - and learn the context and political environment surrounding the tragedy.
The next step is to take your information and discuss it with your friends, family and community. Posit questions on Facebook, create discussions online. Ask why from a diverse array of people. Create positive and constructive discussion and be an active part of it. Avoid cynicism and shaming in this process - people will have conflicting or inflammatory ideas that defy the research and truth, and our job is to challenge, with logic and credible sources, that misinformation. By doing this you are part of the dialogue towards healing and understanding.
Lastly, take what you’ve learned from these discussions and challenge your elected officials to see if they are on the same page. It is ultimately them, not us, who will make the broader policy decisions that will affect how we handle these threats and challenges. If an elected official is not working in the interests of peace and healing, then use social media to expose them. Quote them directly and use your sources. Use hashtags to create a cogent and unified narrative. Make them change their tune, and recruit others to do the same.
When you’re sitting in your bedroom and you see tragedy thousands of miles away from you, it is natural to feel helpless and that the smallest gesture is all you can do. This is not true. From our phones we have access to the world. One message can go viral and create change. But it requires thought. It requires planning and patience. Just because social media is instantaneous does not mean that our participation must also be immediate. Think it through. Learn the facts before you speak. Compose your ideas. Simple but effective communication. Challenge and define. Do not offer prayers or thoughts. Offer researched ideas. As Jon Stewart said in his final broadcast, become a part of the discussion. Offer empathy instead of sympathy. Give of yourself - give your time. Do that and you will make a difference.
Paris, like New York, like London, like Madrid, like Tokyo will persevere. The human spirit cannot be crushed. Hatred is a limited emotion, love is infinite. Work with love in your heart and work to ensure that the suffering of others can be avoided as much as we possibly can. That is our responsibility to one another.
turnnoffyourmind
gummygunk
blakekathryn
jacobvanloon
