Memes widely shared in solidarity with the victims of the Paris attacks.
I come from a privileged Francophone community in Lebanon. This has meant that I have always seen France as my second home. The streets of Paris are as familiar to me as the streets of Beirut. I was just in Paris a few days ago.
These have been two horrible nights of violence. The first took the lives of over 40 in Beirut; the second took the lives of over 120 people and counting in Paris.
It also seems clear to me that to the world, my people’s deaths in Beirut do not matter as much as my other people’s deaths in Paris.
We do not get a “safe” button on Facebook. We do not get late night statements from the most powerful men and women alive and millions of online users.
We do not change policies which will affect the lives of countless innocent refugees.
This could not be clearer.
I say this with no resentment whatsoever, just sadness.
It is a hard thing to realize that for all that was said, for all the progressive rhetoric we have managed to create as a seemingly united human voice, most of us members of this curious species are still excluded from the dominant concerns of the “world”.
And I know that by “world”, I am myself excluding most of the world. Because that’s how power structures work.
I do not matter.
My “body” does not matter to the “world”.
If I die, it will not make a difference.
Again, I say this with no resentment.
That statement is merely a fact. It is a political fact, true, but a fact nonetheless.
Maybe I should have some resentment in me, but I am too tired. It is a heavy thing to realize.
I know that I am fortunate enough that when I do die, I will be remembered by friends and loved ones. Maybe my blog and an online presence might even gather some thoughts by people around the world. That is the beauty of the internet. And even that is out of reach to too many.
Never so clearly as now have I understood what Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote about when he spoke of the Black Body in America. I think there is a story to be told of the Arab Body as well. The Native American Body. The Indigenous Body. The Latin American Body. The Indian Body. The Kurdish Body. The Pakistani Body. The Chinese Body. And so many other bodies.
The Human Body is not one. It sure feels that it should be by now. Maybe that in itself is an illusion. But maybe it is an illusion worth preserving because without even that vague aspiration towards oneness on the part of some part of the body, I am not sure what sort of world we would be living in now.
Some bodies are global, but most bodies remain local, regional, “ethnic”.
My thoughts are with all the victims of today’s and yesterday's horrific attacks, and my thoughts are with all those who will suffer serious discrimination as a result of the actions of a few mass murderers and the general failure of humanity’s imagination to see itself as a unified entity.
My only hope is that we can be strong enough to generate the opposite response to what these criminals intended. I want to be optimistic enough to say that we are getting there, wherever “there” might be.
We need to talk about these things. We need to talk about Race. We just have to.
The Bridge features personal essays, commentary, and creative non-fiction that illuminate differences in perception between local and international coverage of news events, from the unique perspective of members of the Global Voices community. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the opinion of the community as a whole. All Posts
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“To quote a man; who quoted a man; who quoted a man; who quoted a
man; who quoted a man; who quoted that days newscast: ‘Downtown Oklahoma
City looks like downtown Beirut!’
And I’m sure it did
Dust cloud covering the city
Baby boy arms, baby girl legs littering the street
A prelude to the true end of the 20th Century
It looked like downtown Beirut!
What they failed to mention
Was that while downtown Oklahoma City had been transformed into Beirut
Beirut, itself, still looked, very much, like Beirut”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldwZzswuhJA
I feel for you brother and all the innocence that have been killed because of dogma/conflict of interests/ political will/ hate and ignorance. I am an angnostic and find the atrocities committed throughout The World in the name of “God” abhorrent as too the Politcal wars. I will say, very few Moslems will speak out in protest at the killing of innocence victims and to me, looking at history, you are your own worst enemy. When visiting London E2 area I have been spat at by Moslems yet I am just an ordinary person baring you no ill will. This does not endear you or your culture, to our free way of speaking nor does your teatment of women appeal to the people of this country.Nor does the open admision by many Moslems that they wish to turn our country totally Moslem against our will. In another time this would have called sedition and the treatment of
those responsible was harsh. Moslems in this country do not wish to intergrate, fearing contamination from their hosts. Would a few westerners be allowed to do this in any Moslem country whilst sprouting hate to our hosts?
perhaps it is because my mother was born in beirut, and my first words were spoken in beirut, that the sting of the deaths in beirut hurts more today then it did on thursday. where are the vigils for my cousins? i am a privileged white woman, born and raised in the us, and every death is more heartbreak for the mothers -fathers- sisters-lover -friends- aunts of that body. we are all equal in loss. and yet, again and again, the bodies of “the other” just seem like compiled numbers. i feel so helpless, where is the space/place where we can find some solace? equity? equality for all bodies, thank you joey for these words.
Ameen , Joey
It all balances on the level of Consciousness one has, that knows in the deepest place within that we are all One, connected by the very Breath we take Consciously or otherwise, we are One with Creation, Creator, whatever Name we give It. The difference is simply in the passion and desire for true Freedom and to know and stand together in Oneness for that Freedom which, at this place in time is simply more Powerful and willing to defy the negative forces and stand strong together, knowing the Power of Unity and Oneness that goes far beyond colour, race, nationality or gender. Look deep within and feel that Oneness – it shall carry you forward to the certainty that you DO matter, to give you the determination and courage to stand tall in the remembrance that you are unique, you matter and are One with all of mankind who fight step by step for that Freedom. No one can take that away from you – it is only you who can allow it. Stand in the Light of Who you are, who you came at this time to BE! Namaste!
ty jean jullien
Well, we as Europeans are far more familiar with Paris than with Beirut. For all good reasons – like cheaper plane tickets and stuff. Yet there is a huge debate going on about how should we harbor people coming from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, many places we are not familiar with, whose words and habits we don’t understand. We do care. Not all of us, but many do.
“Pray for Paris”, the STUPIDEST thing I’ve read all week.