Earlier today, I was scrolling through the regular posts on my Instagram. Every post ranged from the regular selfie, to someone’s dog, to something political; however, as I kept scrolling, one particular post caught my attention. This post included a quote from Tom Brady regarding the problems that have been going on since POTUS has been in office. Tom Brady had been interviewed and asked something Trump-related along the lines of “What’s going on with the world?” to which he replied, “…I haven’t paid much attention to what’s going on. I’m just a positive person. I just want the best for everybody, so…” I was not shocked by his response, but his answer did upset me. How can one not be paying attention to everything that is going on right now?
I have just a few questions for him:
Have you not been paying attention to what POTUS has been doing so far? Are you that privileged to be able to shrug off the pain that many families have endured so far because of the policies that have been implemented by POTUS in just the few weeks that he has been in office?
How can you ignore the people and families that were detained at multiple airports just because they were Muslim? What about the ridiculous and useless wall that he wants to build between the Mexico and U.S. border that will only continue to tear families apart?
Have you not paid attention to those who are under DACA, and fear that their status will soon be revoked which will make DREAMERS lose so much of what they have worked for to reach a little bit of this so-called American dream? Are you ignoring the fact that Flint, Michigan still has no clean water because you do? Does it not bother you that people are trying to protect sacred land from a pipeline in order to preserve clean water?
Did you not hear about the White terrorist who shot up a mosque that resulted in him killing innocent Muslims? Have you not been paying attention to the damn protests and the resistance that a big majority of the people in the United States, and in other countries, have been conducting because these are tremendous issues that people need to pay attention to?!
It is a good thing that Tom Brady is a positive person, though, since none of this seems to be affecting him. Unfortunately, not everyone can be a positive person when it seems like the President of the United States is only caring about his circle of people and not the rest of us. When someone’s response to what is happening around the world sounds like something related to Tom Brady's answer, it is simply because it is not affecting them and/or they just do not care enough about it to actually pay attention.
This is not something that someone can just ignore. These are not issues that people can just shrug off and think, "I’m just a positive person. I just want the best for everybody…” because everybody is not getting the absolute best that they deserve. Not everyone has the privilege to not pay attention when their lives and futures lie in danger.
With that being said, pay attention to these issues. Protest. Resist.
