This is part III of a three part series on Syria. If you like what I said here (or even if you don't) please check out parts I and II.
It’s Sunday, and Social Media seems to have quieted down after the fear mongering outrage of last week’s refugee crisis. Yet, while we’re spreading our beach towels and scolding our kids for not putting on sunscreen, the bloated bodies of decomposing Syrian children are still washing up on Turskish beaches. But, we’re Americans; we have a lot of issues; Thanksgiving is coming up; it’s apparently time to move on.
It’s Sunday, and Social Media seems to have quieted down after the fear mongering outrage of last week’s refugee crisis. Yet, while we’re spreading our beach towels and scolding our kids for not putting on sunscreen, the bloated bodies of decomposing Syrian children are still washing up on Turskish beaches. But, we’re Americans; we have a lot of issues; Thanksgiving is coming up; it’s apparently time to move on.
When I was at college in California one of the professors had her car tires slashed and her windows spray-painted with racial slurs. There had been some racially charged events on campus the month preceding this and it happened during a conference on campus racism. So, as you would expect, the student-body exploded. There was an organized classroom walkout and then a candlelight vigil against racism. There were seminars and panel discussions which culminated in a concert to end the hate. At the finale of the event they brought out a surprise guest: the victimized professor. Nobody had seen her since the incident, so we all went wild in support.
A few days later she was arrested. Two witnesses identified the victim as the perpetrator and the stuff she'd reported as stolen was found in her own closet. In an effort to galvanize the campus against racism, the professor slashed her own tires and spray painted her own windows. The ends justify the means, or something like that. We all felt betrayed.
Life went on. No more vigils, no more seminars, and definitely no more concerts. It's been ten years and college racism continues unabated. The same campus has been repeatedly in the news over racial tension.
A few years ago I wrote a post about the lack of affordable housing on Kaua’i, the need for systemic change, and our lack of substantial public dialogue on the issues. Other than it being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Kaua’i having a chronic lack of affordable homes, there was no precipitous event that caused me to focus on poverty. One hundred and seventy five people read it.
Earlier this week Facebook was blowing up due to Governor Ige’s announcement that Hawai’i would comply with Federal law and accept Syrian Refugees. In an attempt to respond to the over-hyped fear mongering on Facebook, I wrote a post on the Syrian Refugee crisis. Five thousand people read it.
In the coming months the Senate will pass the SAFE Act. Obama will veto it. Republican members of Congress will then threaten a Government shutdown if the SAFE Act isn’t signed into law. The Syrian Civil War will continue, the refugee crisis will get worse, and children will keep washing up on beaches.
Yet the nation, especially Social Media, will have long since stopped paying attention. A refugee will commit a crime somewhere and politicians will say “I told you so, these people are dangerous” Tulsi Gabbard will sweep her way to reelection as our representative in Congress without ever having to defend her vote to halt the flow of refugees. And Governor Ige won’t mention the issue again.
Earlier this week Facebook was blowing up due to Governor Ige’s announcement that Hawai’i would comply with Federal law and accept Syrian Refugees. In an attempt to respond to the over-hyped fear mongering on Facebook, I wrote a post on the Syrian Refugee crisis. Five thousand people read it.
In the coming months the Senate will pass the SAFE Act. Obama will veto it. Republican members of Congress will then threaten a Government shutdown if the SAFE Act isn’t signed into law. The Syrian Civil War will continue, the refugee crisis will get worse, and children will keep washing up on beaches.
Yet the nation, especially Social Media, will have long since stopped paying attention. A refugee will commit a crime somewhere and politicians will say “I told you so, these people are dangerous” Tulsi Gabbard will sweep her way to reelection as our representative in Congress without ever having to defend her vote to halt the flow of refugees. And Governor Ige won’t mention the issue again.
Our dysfunctional political process is fueled by our chronically short attention spans.
I have one simple plea for this holiday season: don’t stop paying attention. We all can vote, we all have a voice, and we’re all human. In a democracy, that’s all the tools we need to make a difference.
And, in a brief interruption of your happy Sunday adventures, here are some pictures of Syrian children at the beach.
That is why these pictures are worth looking at...
Dear Luke,
ReplyDeleteYou talk a lot. Talk has its function and place. Talk is cheap especially while the Internet is free. Let me know if you want to do something about this crisis that might require you to risk your own life without demanding that other people in our community, State and nation do the same.
Brian Gray
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI don't have any answer to the Syrian Civil War. I don't think that anyone does. Stay out of it; bomb ISIS; overthrow Assad--those are issues way beyond my comprehension level.
But, the refugee crisis is clear and we have a moral obligation for resettlement. And as the last two posts went over, there is no evidence that refugees will endanger our communities.
So, what can we do?
It's our choices in the voting booth which determine the direction that we go in. The purpose of this post was simply to say that so often an issue arises, we all get hell bent, and then we forget. So, I alluded to three points above-- which are not specific to the refugee crisis.
1) don't forget.
2) use your voice.
3) vote.
If we do that, we can ensure that those politicians who are resorting to hate and fear mongering won't be elected. In a democracy, that's the only solution that I know.