Today, I was absentmindedly scrolling through my Facebook while I was supposed to be paying attention to a class lecture. I always stop and pay attention to memes because they are usually quick laughter, but the meme I saw on the news feed today was not funny, and it immediately fired me up. I screen-shotted it and started sending it to my friends to make sure that I got the same meaning they did.
It is a photograph of Trump Tower, and it reads, "George Bush do your thing." The person who shared it also wrote, "I laughed way too hard at this." Are you kidding me?
For one, I never post anything political or controversial on my social media sites for many reasons. I feel as though you should only post about things that you can argue for. I have seen way too many people make claims that they cannot even begin to back up, so when people argue back they do not sound educated and are made a fool of. Also, I do not want to turn people off due to my beliefs; I would rather keep them private and avoid unnecessary fighting.
Putting all of my political views aside, this meme is unacceptable. I do not care who you think is responsible for 9/11. I do not care whom you want the next president to be. The thing I do care about is empathy. I do not think it takes much to realize that this joke is neither appropriate nor funny at all.
On Sept. 11, 2001 two planes struck the World Trade Center buildings in New York City. Panic and pain struck the country immediately; on that day, 2,753 people died and nearly 6,000 were injured. That was only 15 years ago, so have some sensitivity towards the lives of those people, and the ones that loved them. Our country and our world is still feeling hurt and backlash from that terrible event, and I do not think it is OK to joke about something of this nature.
I in no way shape or form consider myself a fan of Donald Trump being our president, but it is impossible to ignore the fact that he is responsible for many Americans' jobs. CNN estimates that his organization is responsible for nearly 34,000 jobs, and many walk into that single building every single day, so implying that one should organize flying a plane into it is extremely sad.
Years and years ago I was in New York City, and I myself walked into Trump Tower to check it out. Seeing a meme that jokes about destroying a building in which thousands of people would be affected if it was done is completely disgusting. No matter your feelings for who should win the presidency, jokes as harsh and insensitive as this should not be tolerated.
