I awoke this morning to
the tragic news of the Boston Marathon bombings, which so far has killed three
people and maimed countless others. My heart breaks for the victims of the
bombings, their families and the people of Boston. The anguish at not being in
my country at times like this is almost too much to bear, I feel as though I
have let her down because I have built a life elsewhere, even if temporary, I
have abandoned her in her time of need. But that is another story for another
time...
Immediately after
these incidents we feel a surge of fear, concern, and confusion. We ask
ourselves ‘How did this happen?’ and ‘How can we prevent this from happening
again?’ Over and over we have said never again since 9/11 and have allowed our
fears and anger to overtake our good sensibilities and kindness as a nation. We
have blocked the building of mosques, attacked Muslims, killed Sikhs, allowed
the Patriot Act to spy on us and hold us without charge, while stoking the
fires of racism through rhetoric and propaganda.
As soon as I heard about the bombings my first reaction was to
get online and go to the New York Times for more information, as if knowing the
number of casualties and causes would somehow make it better, easier to digest.
As I got to the home page I noticed there at the bottom of the page a headline
that read: “Coordinated Blasts Kill at Least 20 in Somalia’s Capital” I quickly
bypassed it to get to the article about the Boston bombings, which I read while
watching non-stop coverage on ABC 24 before heading off to work. I continued my
round the clock information gathering in the car as every radio station in
Melbourne was covering the events as they unfolded far away in Boston, MA.
Never once did I hear a mention about the bombing in Somalia’s capital
Mogadishu.
Once I arrived at
work I started thinking, how are the lives of the Bostonians any more important
than those of the 20 people that lost their lives in Somalia today? The simple
answer is: they are not.
The longer answer is
that we have created a world that is Us vs Them. To be fair I think this existed
long before my generation came to be and isn’t an easy thing to remove from the
collective consciousness of Americans, Westerners and possibly even those that
we classify as “them”.
However, it appears
we have come to a point where terrorism and terrorist attacks are happening on
the soil of ‘developed’ nations, like those of the US and the UK, which only
makes the need to change the West vs East dynamic all the more urgent. For so
many years we have shook our heads and thought, “what a bummer”, when bombings
and killings were taking place in countries that are not as economically gifted
as “us” and while we send troops to some of these places or foreign aid, these
bombings do not dominate the news cycles and the radio waves for hours on end
like those that happen to “us”. They are merely a briefing in the “what’s
happening around the world” segment of the news and are quickly bypassed to
make way for the latest in the political posturing by either side, Republicans
and Democrats, Labour or Liberal, because these things matter to us. Somalia is
too far away and has too many issues for us to wrap our heads around, so we
accept their fate for them.
Yet, I think this is the very foundation of why we are in
the trouble we are in. We have allowed the social system of Us vs Them to
purvey even though in our hearts we know there is no difference between a child
dying in Somalia or Australia, we are all human beings with love for our
families and friends. While I am sure there were always divisions even before
the beginning of slavery, it truly began, in my opinion, with the social construction
of race by the slave traders in order to justify the cruel business they had
begun to profit from. And it has continued to this very day, to the point that
when three people die in America the whole world weeps, but on the same day 20
people die in Somalia and no one even mentions it.
This idea that their tragedy is separate from ours is what
keeps us from moving forward and healing as a world, together, united against
violence and terrorism. It is also what keeps us from listening to their voices
as the people of Afghanistan ask for us to leave their country and let them
choose their own fate and fight for their own rights on their terms, in their
country. It is the belligerent ego that says “No, we know what you need...” and
sends thousands of American troops to die in Iraq based on a lie. It is this
same swagger that pushed a democratically elected socialist out of power in
Chile in 1973 to make way for a destructive dictatorship under Pinochet,
facilitated by the US. It is in fact half of the reason Afghanistan is the war
torn country it is today because the US did not want the USSR getting the
better of us.
The thinking of Us vs Them is archaic at best and one of the
biggest threats to peace at worst. Through the profound gloablization that has
swept the world over the past few decades we have become a world intertwined by
economic needs, welfare rights and political desires. Instead of the Western
world marching around barking orders, I think it is time we sat back and listened
to what “they” want and what “they” know. Discounting their opinions are just
as bad as discounting their deaths. If we want to move forward to a time when
terrorism is at a low and peace is at a high, every voice must count, not just
Western imperial powers. And this is true even if the Boston bombings are home grown terrorists or middle eastern jihadist, this is an uphill battle that requires all hands on deck.
Let me be clear that I am horrified by the bombings and killings today in Boston, just as I am by those that are happening in Somalia, Afghanistan, Syria and the world over every day. I am saddened by the fact that “terrorism” is alive and well on our shores and in our world. However, I do not believe that the terrible actions of a few should lead to the mass destruction of the many. I don’t believe the West or even the US knows what is best or how to respond. If you look back through history, we have been calling the shots for some time now and it has only been getting worse, not better. I am not saying that Somalia or any other ‘developing’ country has the answers either, I just think it is time that we stop discounting their losses and their voices and we begin to weep with them and speak with them. Terrorism and violence is a worldwide problem and it is going to take coordinated worldwide action to solve it. I for one would like to see that conversation starting today, not 20 years from now when the planet is almost dead and our countries are war torn and barely breathing.
The beautiful thing about Americans (and Australians too), is
that we pull together in times of tragedy. We pitch in and help out. We donate
our food and clothes, time and money, just to help those in need. In fact even
at the height of the GFC Americans continued to give to charity and those in
need, more than any other country at that time. On a personal level I believe we
do feel connected to one another and we do care. I think it is time our
leaders, both big and small, look to the people for direction on how to solve
this issue of Us vs Them and by doing that maybe we can stop the pain and
heartache being inflicted on all of us by these terrible acts. I know tonight,
my heart bleeds for those in Boston, those in Somalia and those around the
world suffering at the hands of violence in any form. I hope yours does too.
