A bomb exploded on a city street yesterday. Six people died.
After the horrors of the Boston bombing, does this resonate with anyone? The horror of a bomb exploding on a city street.
Except, this bomb was in Damascus. It was set off by groups supported by the US government.
The target was a symbolic government official, Wael al-Halki, the Prime Minister of Syria. In the 'news' article about the blast, he's described as wielding 'little power'. But we are told that this bomb is a good thing because "the attack highlighted the rebels' growing ability to target symbols of Assad's authority"
6 people died in the attack. The target survived, but one person traveling with him was killed. The other five people who were killed were just 'passers-by'. The news article does not bother to give any names. They are considered unimportant.
Don't hold your breath for any 24 hour tv coverage of the bombing and the aftermath on the US tv networks. You won't hear any descriptions of the victims, nor stories about how tragic it was that their lives were cut short by a bomb exploding in a city.
You see, this was an American bomb. Or, if not assembled by Americans, nor paid for directly out of US tax dollars, the bomb was still the work of people our government supports. Thus, the 'news' coverage of this bomb focuses on the strategy of how this shows that 'our' rebels can target people inside Damascus.
Just for an instance, think of the Boston bombing. What would you think if you heard a 'news' outlet talking entirely about the strategy of how people were now able to target people in America's major cities. What would you think if that 'news' coverage ignored the innocent victims of the bombing to focus on messages like that? Would you think you've wandered by mistake on to some radical website that supports the killings of innocent people, as long as they died for the cause?
That's why its important to notice this bombing. That's why its important to notice these differences. Its important because people need to notice how similar events are presented to them very differently.
Don't get me wrong. The bombing in Boston was a tragedy that should never have occurred. But, to me, the same can be said today about Damascus
And, its important to understand that at some basic level, there are people crying today for the dead in Damascus. Those unnamed, un-pictured dead who's mourners we'll never see. Five of whom were just as innocent and unsuspecting as the dead in Boston.
If you understand that. And if you can still cry for innocent lives blown apart in Damascus as well as in Boston, then you are still a human being. If you think of the dead in Damascus as some sort of victory for our side, then you probably watch too much American 'news'. You should turn off your TV. Because your humanity is in doubt, and you are well on the way to believing that its alright for some people to be blown apart by a bomb just because they were on the wrong street at the wrong time.
Be careful. Watching too much 'news' on American TV can lead to that sort of 'radicalization'.
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After the horrors of the Boston bombing, does this resonate with anyone? The horror of a bomb exploding on a city street.
Except, this bomb was in Damascus. It was set off by groups supported by the US government.
6 people died in the attack. The target survived, but one person traveling with him was killed. The other five people who were killed were just 'passers-by'. The news article does not bother to give any names. They are considered unimportant.
Don't hold your breath for any 24 hour tv coverage of the bombing and the aftermath on the US tv networks. You won't hear any descriptions of the victims, nor stories about how tragic it was that their lives were cut short by a bomb exploding in a city.
You see, this was an American bomb. Or, if not assembled by Americans, nor paid for directly out of US tax dollars, the bomb was still the work of people our government supports. Thus, the 'news' coverage of this bomb focuses on the strategy of how this shows that 'our' rebels can target people inside Damascus.
Just for an instance, think of the Boston bombing. What would you think if you heard a 'news' outlet talking entirely about the strategy of how people were now able to target people in America's major cities. What would you think if that 'news' coverage ignored the innocent victims of the bombing to focus on messages like that? Would you think you've wandered by mistake on to some radical website that supports the killings of innocent people, as long as they died for the cause?
That's why its important to notice this bombing. That's why its important to notice these differences. Its important because people need to notice how similar events are presented to them very differently.
Don't get me wrong. The bombing in Boston was a tragedy that should never have occurred. But, to me, the same can be said today about Damascus
And, its important to understand that at some basic level, there are people crying today for the dead in Damascus. Those unnamed, un-pictured dead who's mourners we'll never see. Five of whom were just as innocent and unsuspecting as the dead in Boston.
If you understand that. And if you can still cry for innocent lives blown apart in Damascus as well as in Boston, then you are still a human being. If you think of the dead in Damascus as some sort of victory for our side, then you probably watch too much American 'news'. You should turn off your TV. Because your humanity is in doubt, and you are well on the way to believing that its alright for some people to be blown apart by a bomb just because they were on the wrong street at the wrong time.
Be careful. Watching too much 'news' on American TV can lead to that sort of 'radicalization'.
Share
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