As I woke up in the morning a few days ago and reached for
my phone, as I usually do to check recent news and updates, I was disheartened
by the latest headline. Another
terrorist attack had taken place and this time the undeserving victim was
Belgium.
Tuesday Morning, Belgium’s capital was struck with a
sequence of bombings targeting not only the Baalbek metro system but also the
Zaventem airport. With over 300 people injured, 30 dead, 150 injured and 61 in intensive
care, the attack has evoked mourning in not only Belgium but around the world.
The media has released the devastating images of the victims of the attack,
fighting for survival and praying for those lost.
While the Belgium attack has been widely covered, just weeks
prior two bombings occurred in Turkey, which left 37 people dead and 125
injured. The question remains why does the media choose to prioritize certain
attacks over others? From media publications to social media, the support,
mourning and recognition of the attacks are unmatched.
Perhaps what is most distressing is this same lack of
coverage and prioritization of attacks occurred just a few months ago in the
attacks on Lebanon and France. Despite
the attacks in Lebanon occurring prior to the attack on France, France left Lebanon
in the shadows of the media. The French flag colors seemed to illuminate
everything from LMU’s chapel to profile pictures filtered in support and
mourning of the tragic attack. It was
not until the day after France’s flag was illuminated, that Beirut’s was recognized
and payed homage to as well. After the
backlash and conversation about this imbalance in coverage and mourning for
these attacks, the terrorist attacks in Belgium and Turkey ring a far too familiar
bell.
As ethnocentric as it is, I believe this stems from the Eastern
Western divide. Attacks on Western Countries such as Belgium and France are
more sensationalized due to their relevancy to the reader. Americans read these
attacks on Western countries as a threat and cruel awakening that the Western
world is no longer untouchable. It’s this mindset that “It could happen to us.”
As the media and people mourn these attacks, there is an undeniable fear that
festers in us all. While fear is
inevitable, it does not excuse the concern for Western lives over Eastern
lives. How many attacks will it take for
this inhumane trend to finally end?
Karen
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