Writing for me is more than just putting little letters and words on paper.
Writing allows for ideas and thoughts to be expressed when there are contrasting ideas presented. This is not meant to start debates or arguments but rather to open up another perspective about what is truly happening in our world today. I want to focus on terrorist attacks, specifically.
In this day in age, we have the privilege of having the world right at our fingertips. No matter the topic, there is always a way to get information. The news is always making its way in front of our faces through many different outlets like television, social media, and even printed media whether we choose to see it or not. Much of the news presented to society is negative, creating havoc and chaos, both between the communities in which we live and societies that are across the world.
With such negative headlines and stories which are occurring or have occurred, on both American and foreign soil, as a society we only get so much of the story which usually includes focusing on who was responsible for the act of terror. I agree that it is important to understand who was involved as the enemy but I believe it is a greater importance to acknowledge those who were the victims and who were helpless in the situation. Our focus, as a society, is to get the scoop on whatever situation presents controversy because it sells and keeps individuals more intrigued. The media has ruined the way we see certain people because of the few “black sheep” that overshadow those who are not involved.
Earlier this week I looked up “news” in the search bar of my computer and clicked away. I wanted to see what was going on in this week’s reports. According to BBC, there was a bomb attack in London that happened in an underground train while the city was in rush hour. The article header photo was a picture of the device that had blown up. Flames, smoke, and random items used to create the bomb still lingered. What stood out to me in this article, and what I am trying to change in the media, is that there was only one single line that brought up the victims involved. One simple sentence that is barely visible to a reader amongst the lines of information about trying to figure out who did it, why it happened, and what happens next. Now don't get me wrong, I understand that those are very important questions that need to be answered in order to prevent situations such as that one but there is something that is also very important, the victims involved.
From what I have seen in the media and reading through articles similar to this one, my heart hurts when events like this happen to anyone, anywhere. This is why I believe that the victims in these sort of situations need to have a greater presence in the media.
According to Fox News, there have been eighteen terrorist attacks in the past two years that occurred on both U.S. soil and foreign land. That is just in the past TWO years. Many more stories such as this have taken place throughout the decade. This means that lives have been lost, threatened, and deprived of a life without worry. Victims are mentioned for a brief moment when it comes to things such as this, I understand that there are times when victims are not mentioned because of confidentiality, but they need to be remembered instead of the attack itself.
Often, when there are terrible events or situations people remember the bad things because it has a greater impact on how life, others, and the world are viewed. So in a way, remembering the bad is important because in doing so, the bad guys, the horrible events, and changing of lives negatively allows for greater growth in unity.
In all of this, remember the victims, remember their families, and remember what is not presented in the media.
