This past week, airstrikes devastated the city of Aleppo in Syria, particularly near medical facilities. There have been at least 200 people who are reported dead. As a result of this recent tragedy, Humanitarian groups are calling to #MakeFacebookRed, by encouraging users to change their profile pictures to red to recognize the lives lost to the five-year long carnage.
However... There have been hardly any users, as far as I have seen, who have followed this suit.
Looking back on November of 2015 following the attacks the citizens of Paris faced, many of my own friends changed their profile pictures on Facebook to show their respect and recognition for city. According to International Business Times, the devastation in Paris claimed a total of 130 lives.
So... What am I missing here? For nearly five years, Syria has been facing major war, and now the once prominent financial capital is burning. Where is the international support we have seen for Paris and Brussels? Why is it now that when people need our support the most, do I see my own peers have decided to not support those suffering in Syria?
This, unfortunately, has been a concern that has also been noted in this developed story. IBT's website also noted that a major controversy has been that we as Americans (along with other Western nations) are displaying a double standard about whom we choose to pray for.
As I continue to see a lack of support for Aleppo and the nation of Syria, it also becomes more apparent to me that not only the amount of power social media has, but also how selective users of it tend to behave.
These are only some of the social media posts that have shown their support for the people who continue to suffer. There are only so few, but there can be much more. This day and age have provided many with the opportunity to show support to people who are either one block away, or an entire ocean away.
There is so much power in our hands, so why are we not choosing to use it to help those who need it most right now?
Together, we can make a stand and pray for the people of Aleppo the same way we pray for Paris and for Brussels. Let's not just have a few people make Facebook red; let's have everyone make Facebook red. Aleppo is burning, and it is up to us to take a stand together and put out the fires that have altered so many lives. Let us stand together to pray for the children who have lost their childhood too soon. Pray for the children who have been forced to become mother and father for their siblings, while also praying for the parents who have lost their children.
As a nation, we are capable of bringing more awareness to this catastrophic event. We are also capable of taking a stand and believing that there is hope for people who have none.
We prayed for Paris. We prayed for Brussels. Now it's time to pray for Aleppo. Make Facebook red. Aleppo is burning. Will you be the one to help me put out the fire?
