Throughout the past week every single on of my social media outlets has been flooded with information about the divorce between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. All week all I have seen on my newsfeed has been about the presidential debate or Brangelina, and while I have some concern for the former I couldn't care less about the later. When there are wars being fought, women being kidnapped and raped, and children being orphaned why on earth are we talking more about Angelina dragging her spouse through the mud? There are so many things happening in our world and Brangelina rank in the bottom 10 of most important things on my list. Here is a list of 5 things that should be catching your attention more than a divorce of a multi-million dollar company, I mean couple.
1. There are 83,170 chronically homeless people in the United States.
This is a much lower number than those that go day by day. On any given night over 500,000 people, including families, are homeless. We can spend trillions of dollars on weaponry but what about putting a roof over those that are in need of said protection? Many private organizations have programs set up to give food and shelter for a night but there are very few programs in place for long term teaching and care. Don't get me started on the (nonexistent) mental health system that leaves 25% of these homeless men and women with no way of getting out or helping themselves.
2. Around the globe there are over 60 million refugees and displaces peoples.
I'm not just talking about Syrian refugees that Americans are so afraid of offering sanctuary to. There are people all over the world who are persecuted for their race, ethnicity, religion, or handicap. It even exists in our own cultures. People flee their homes every day only to find that they aren't welcome any where else.
3. 32 million adults in the United States are illiterate.
You read that right. 32 million adults cannot read. We have an education system that allows high school students to graduate who are not beyond a fifth grade reading level. There is a beauty in being able to open a book and read the story within. Would you want to drive down a city road and not be able to read any of the signs or only recognize McDonalds by the golden arches? Reading is something that is needed for almost every part of life. Can you imagine not being able to fill out a form at the doctors office?
4. 10,704 people have been shot and killed in 2016 thus far.
This is not really a shocking statistic but it is not something, in mind mind, that should be ignored. This doesn't say whether those shot were black, white, red, or green. This says that human beings are being shot. A bullet is ending their life and we are sitting here twiddling our thumbs and passing laws that make conceal and carry super easy for violent and uneducated people.
5. Every day in the United States, 2,000 children go missing.
This also means that 2,000 parents are sitting in their homes crying themselves to sleep, blaming themselves, and racking their brains trying to remember the sound of their babies laugh. This leaves families wondering whether they are being tortured or if they are even alive. 2,000 children are going to bed without a hug and a kiss from mom and dad. They aren't getting a bed time story and tucked into beds.
So, sorry Brad and Angelina that I do't give a crap about how you are going to split up your earnings or whether Brad is going to pay spousal support. You just aren't important enough to distract me from the fact that there are serious problems in the world that news stations, papers, and other mass media don't give an ounce of attention to. If they do give attention to it then it is fleeting and is covered by a pop culture story. The truth is America doesn't want to see the statistics and the negativity. They are happy to live in a world where the worst thing that could happen is their favorite hollywood couple is divorcing.Congratulations on the divorce, I'm sure the millions of dollars in publicity you are making will make it well worth it.
