On Paris

As millions of Americans watched in shock, attack after attack was reported in Paris. My Facebook feed filled with confused and scared responses as little information was disseminated. I was busy readying myself for a cathartic visit to one of my best friends. My husband and another good friend were accompanying me to Lafayette, IN, land of engineers, Purdue University, and swing dancing. As I drove, we received frightening snippets of information: "Unknown perpetrators," "hostage situation" and "Paris" were pieces that I was able to absorb. My brain flashed back to 9/11. I was 19 at the time. We had just left my first morning class, and I was walking back to the quad. When the news broke, I was in disbelief. I didn't know that it was possible for two planes to crash into such iconic structures as the twin towers, let alone that this would be my reality. Our reality. And the next three months were filled with people grieving. What I expected to be a lesson of how terrible the radicalization of Muslims (or any religion) is, one that provided a catalyst for programs to help humans live at an affordable rate, in relative safety, turned into a witch hunt. It became a platform for angry Americans to blame a suffering people and create fear and intolerance. I would like to be clear that I am not an activist. When I hear about terrorist organizations, my inclination is to affirm victims and ameliorate hardship. How can I support the victims and families of victims of this tragedy? I do not tend to feel outrage or immediately believe that striking back would be the best outcome. Frankly, I don't have enough knowledge of foreign politics to give George W. or Obama any sort of wise advise on the next step America should be taking. So my Facebook feed tends to read like a blank toddler when someone suggests they eat Crème Brulée. "What is this thing?" the toddler asks. "I don't know or have any expertise. Put it in my mouth." I know how Ishould react. I should be aggrieved. After all, 136 people died. Six locations in Paris were bombed, attacked, and shot at random to spread panic. But I felt shocked. Unable to comprehend the magnitude of the attack in a land I haven't visited for several years. Unable to visualize the terror and the hurt that 7 people were able to cause in one day of attack. It's been roughly a week, and the reaction America is having to Paris makes me sick. Our reaction to a limited attack, perpetrated by 7 radicalized youngsters recruited and essentially brainwashed, is to use our power to turn away the weak and the victimized. Our reaction is to be intolerant. And while I have seen courageous people offering their support, fighting intolerance, being outraged by the political iciness that is turning Syrians away from our doors, the overwhelming reaction of those in power has been to stay comfortable. I don't know why this surprises me. Our system, our government, our politicians default to comfort. To safe. To stale, and old arguments. And the people who have the most responsibility to hold them accountable are lost in our comfort. (Myself included.)Today, a friend posted something about Jews standing up and saying never again. I responded that I wasn't being quiet. That I was rising up in support of the individuals. That I was supporting by comforting my coworker that they wouldn't be ousted from the state because of a few politicians' ignorance. But he's right. We need to stand. We need to write letters and stage protests. We need to be visible right now so that people like my co-worker, good, smart, funny, people aren't forced to leave because people aren't asking for change. This is me asking for change. Take a moment and ask yourself, what am I doing to make sure that we don't have another mass murder of an innocent group of people because of someone else's ignorance? France has reacted by taking more refugees than our entire country is accepting. A country the size of Ohio is taking on more than our entire land mass. My husband sent me a Bernie quote that I think is fitting in this situation:"Now is not the time for demagoguery and fear mongering. What terrorism is about is trying to instill terror and fear into the hearts of people. And we will not let that happen. We will not be terrorized or live in fear. During these difficult times, we will not succumb to Islamophobia. We will not turn our backs on the refugees who are fleeing Syria and Afghanistan. We will do what we do best and that is be Americans – fighting racism, fighting xenophobia, fighting fear." -Bernie Sanders

(Published Nov 19, 2015 on Blogspot: On Paris)