#PrayingForTragedies

 

Hashtag on chalkboard

Hashtag on chalkboard

A couple of days ago, I wrote an article talking about how showing your support on social media means nothing if you don’t actually do anything about it.

A couple of days later, the Paris attacks happened. And guess what? People went straight to social media and started showing support by changing their profile pictures to the French flag. #PrayForParis is already trending as we speak.

We humans are so predictable, aren’t we?

But there’s a FIERCE debate going on in my social media network. People are arguing why France is getting SO MUCH attention while a similar attack happened in Beirut and it was not the given the same amount of attention.

I think that is a fair point to make. But some might argue that it’s not right to be comparing tragedies. Some might even argue that right now is not the time to argue this. I might disagree but that’s a whole other article.

People are starting their own hashtags such as #PrayForHumanity, #PrayForTheWorld, and even #PrayForAfrica.

When did this become a competition? Are we trying to out-sympatise each other?

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Like I stated in my original piece, you writing out support or changing your profile picture doesn’t do much. Believe me, the victims of that tragedy can’t feel anything when you change your picture or tweet out #PrayForParis.

I understand the gesture of support. But I think we need to stop this because you’re not really showing  support. You’re just bringing attention to yourself. How about you post relevant information like embassy hotlines so people might be able to call to check on their loves ones? Or maybe even posting relevant articles like “How To Cope With Tragedies” or even posting news articles to update your social network on the happenings in Paris.

I’m so frustrated with what I’m seeing. It’s so tiring because we do this damn thing every f***ing time. A tragedy happens, we post our support on social media, time goes by, we go back to our normal lives and keep moving. Rinse, repeat. It’s the same cycle.

We did it with #JeSuisCharlie. We did it with #BringBackOurGirls. We did it with #Kony. And now we’re doing it with #PrayForParis.

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I’m not going to judge you for posting your support on social media. If that makes you feel better, then please, go ahead and indulge yourself. But don’t get mad at someone when they point out your inconsistency when they ask you why you pick and choose what tragedy to support. That’s because you are being a hypocrite whether you like it or not. But that’s being human. We all do it. You can admit it. There’s nothing wrong with that.

What happened in Paris is awful. Unfortunately, some people in the world are evil. But tragedies happen everyday and we fail to do anything about them. Girls getting killed in Afghanistan for trying to go to school, women being constantly raped in the Congo, Syrian migrants trying to find solace in refugee camps because of war, constant suicide bombings in Iraq and Nigeria.

Your tweets of support mean nothing. You’re just trying to feel better about yourself. And if that’s the case, that’s fine.

But the quicker you admit it, the better.

 

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