You turn on the TV, and you see headlines like "Orlando shooting: 49 killed at gay night club, shooter pledged ISIS allegiance." Let's break that down.
49 killed. That is 49 people that lost their life and 53 more that were injured, all because 1 person made a choice to do so. That's 102 people. That number of 102 is not including those who are mentally scarred from that night. Like people who weren't hit, or even the first responders who helped save people that night. It also doesn't include all the family of those who were hurt or killed. And it doesn't even begin to cover the people of Orlando, the people of Florida, or even the US for that matter.
Gay night club. Because of the way today's society is, these people's sexuality needed to be pointed out. The media had to point out that the LGBT+ community was involved, because it's dramatic and "good for the ratings." So what started out as a heartbreaking mass murder, has turned into a world debate. It's fueled by the opinions of people who don't even take the time to understand what the LGBT+ community is, or people who feel the need to degrade and judge this community, all because there is a difference in views.
Shooter. If this story wasn't already bad enough, here come the people about guns. Here's the thing. If 1 man is willing to go out of his way to shoot 102 people, do you think a 7x10 inch sign saying "NO WEAPONS ALLOWED" is going to make him change his mind last minute? Neither do I. And what would've happened if even 1 person in the bar had a carry permit with a gun on him? Would that many have been affected?
Pledged ISIS allegiance. So turns out that terrorism was the basis to this whole scenario. Even if you live under a rock, you know those 4 letters. So because of this man's religion, he felt it necessary to attempt to kill 102 and succeed at 49. He had a belief, and believed that people who didn't share the same belief was wrong. They were simply being themselves in an environment they felt safe to do so, and then they were prosecuted for doing so. And its not even just the few people that were at that night club. These terrorist attacks create this fear in this US, which brings people to not even leave their house.
And this is not just in Orlando. It's everywhere.This world believes that if someone has different views than you, then they are wrong. According to that mindset, It's acceptable to degrade, punish, and hate those who are think differently or don't have the same mindset. All because we are fed so many stories that show us how we should act, and what we should do, and how we need to think. Because conforming is comfortable.
So How does a terrorist attack in another state, aimed towards people with different beliefs affect me? It affects me, because I am a US citizen. I am part of the land of the free and the home of the brave, and I, for one, like to live like that. I am free to believe what I want to believe. And I am brave enough to understand and stand up for the people who differ from me. Brave because I stand up for different races, religions, sexualities, and anything else that makes a person an individual.
