#PrayForTheWorld

When I initially heard about the attacks in Paris, France, my heart sunk. Stories soon surfaced of the terror that ensued on the evening of Friday, November 13th. Paris, a hub of culture, music, and sport, was, of course, busy with tourists and residents who soon found themselves on the wrong end of six coordinated and unexpected terrorist attacks that included shootings, bombings, and a hostage situation that resulted in the deaths of at least 130 individuals.

As these and other details emerged, media outlets were flooded with horror stories from that tragic Paris evening. It wasn’t long before my social media feeds included hashtags such as #PrayForParis, with celebrities and the not-famous vocalizing their support for Paris and those impacted by the attacks. Rightfully so, the majority of these scores of posts seemed to call for an end to widespread violence. I share the same feelings with so many of those online users that the use of violence to fear and intimidate innocent citizens is a dangerous act and one that should not be condoned.

However, a post or two among all the others shared a different sentiment, which has since left me wondering why people do not express the same concern regarding all acts of terrorism and extreme violence. These posts suggested that it is not simply Paris that needs prayers and support, but the entire world, as attacks such as this are far more common than many people are led to believe. These posts reference attacks such as the 224 fatalities caused by a suspected bombing in Egypt in October and the 147 people that were killed following an attack on Garissa University in Kenya in April, among others (CNN). I, considering myself a reasonably informed citizen, was surprised to learn that the aforementioned attacks were only two of over 250 terrorist attacks this year alone.

Was I unaware because of my own ignorance? I acknowledge that this is at least partially possible, but I quickly came to the conclusion that coverage of these other attacks is greatly limited. I read through online news outlets and use social media outlets almost daily, so how is it possible that I could have missed a response comparable to #PrayForParis following so many other terrorist attacks? It’s because such a response does not exist.

At least one of the reasons for this neglect must be closely related to increasingly relevant debates we have all inevitably heard in recent years regarding race. The simple fact of the matter is that coverage of these other attacks is limited because the United States does not have an emotional stake in places like Egypt and Kenya, with citizens who are not white and whose cultures do not fit our preconceived notion of what is “normal”. Media coverage of the Paris attacks has been more significant than that for these other attacks not only because France has long been an ally of the United States, but because media conglomerates cannot evoke the same compassion and viewership when the suffering do not look and act like our American majority.

If this seems like a stretch, I ask you to consider responses to the Paris attacks. How many celebrities and peers posted pictures and messages of support? What about major corporations and media formats? For example, Google’s homepage included a black ribbon and Spotify quickly created playlists such as the one entitled “Peace”, both of which were dedicated “in memory of the victims of the Paris attacks”. Now, ask yourself if the same was done on such a scale in response to other terrorist attacks resulting in a comparable level of deaths, injuries, and damage, even within the past year. There’s no question that the response and outpouring has simply not been the same.

Let me be clear that I do not believe that media coverage of the Paris attacks have been excessive; nor, do I believe that the expression of love and support for Parisians and others affected by this act of terrorism has been unwarranted. In fact, I encourage such expressions, but they should be the case following any extreme act of violence. Media conglomerates will not change their focus until we are ready and willing to share the same compassion for any population that has been violently intimidated, which truly ought to be a point of concern for us all.

Joy Cannon is an undergraduate Sociology and Social Policy student at Duquesne University.

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