TO THE EDITOR:
Immediately following the attacks on Paris, I wrestled with how I was feeling. It struck me as I viewed the teams and fans observe a moment of silence for France prior to the beginning of the United States soccer match Friday evening. I knew I was supposed to feel grief, sympathy and perhaps anger, but I felt nothing of the sort. Instead, I felt frustrated and uncomfortable.
How could I feel that way in the midst of such pain and horror, in the aftermath of so much death? I was disgusted with myself. As I have processed it more, I’ve realized that the death is exactly what is disgusting me — the same death that much of the world experiences not infrequently. In addition to Paris, at least 43 died in an ISIS attack on Beirut, Lebanon last week; my Facebook feed displays no Lebanese flags. Is that merely because the substantial death toll was a bit more substantial in Paris? Please. The reality is that we have delineated regions of the world where events of this nature are expected, and regions of the world where they are not. France so happens to be one of the regions where this is not supposed to happen; thus, we mourn.
Lest I be misunderstood, I have no desire to downplay the horror of the attack on France. I simply aim to point out the obvious: Let’s stop pretending this is something new. We’re just choosing to look.
Joel Pinckney
Junior
Political Science and English
