Solidarity on a global scale

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By: Alex Zavarise

The principal goal of terrorism is to spread fear through violence, attempting to induce irrational decisions in scared individuals or groups. The attackers (especially those with political aims) will often identify certain demands, anticipating that the individuals involved will make a reckless decision and comply in order to regain a sense of control. Terrorists put individuals in high-stress situations, hoping to benefit from their distress.

It is gross. It is sick. It happens every day.

In 2014 there were roughly 13,500 terrorist attacks in the world. That’s around 37 attacks per day. On Nov. 13, 2015, there were three terrorist attacks in Baghdad, Beirut and France, and two earthquakes in Japan and Mexico, but the Internet only seemed to care about France. Similar to the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris this January, social media exploded with tweets and statuses showing support for the victims and their families. The hashtag “Pray for Paris” trended worldwide the night of the attacks, garnering over 2.5 million tweets. Support online for the other tragedies did not receive the same amount of attention, with Beirut only receiving about 90 thousand tweets that night, followed by Baghdad with 82 thousand.

Why do certain countries receive an outpouring of support during tragedies, while other countries are largely disregarded? Iraq, for example, fell victim to roughly 3,400 terrorist attacks in 2014 alone, whereas the U.S. experienced fewer than 30. You can imagine which received greater coverage.

This Friday major media outlets, such as BBC, CNN, CBC, and even the Vatican reported almost exclusively on Paris. News outlets are supposed to report on the news. All of it. The front pages of the world’s newspapers mourned for Paris — news of Baghdad, Beirut, Japan and Mexico could be found amongst the game highlights, classifieds, and crosswords. Even urban landmarks were altered to show their support. The CN Tower, World Trade Centre, and Wembley Stadium are among the many buildings that changed their lighting to red, white and blue — the colours of the French flag. The purpose? To show solidarity and support for France. Nothing for Baghdad, Beirut, Japan or Mexico. And what of our world leaders? British PM David Cameron, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and former PM Stephen Harper, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and U.S. President Barack Obama are among the many leaders to release statements of support for France. Donald Trump also weighed in, but his comments were — in classic Trump fashion —insensitive and self-serving. None took the time to speak about Baghdad, Beirut, Japan or Mexico.

So why does France get such a show of solidarity? Why are the other tragedies of the day not newsworthy? Why are news outlets allowed to pick and choose what story gets the most airtime? Is it important to report on Paris? Yes. Were the events in Paris a tragedy? Absolutely. But the tragedy in Paris on Nov. 13 was not the only major tragedy that occurred that day, even though the world seemed to think so. It is important to report on all tragedies, and show support for all victims.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

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