Quick summary of the horrid events of Orlando: due to the actions of Omar Mateen, 49 people died and around 50 people were left injured in the wake of a mass shooting that occurred at a very popular nightclub, Pulse, in Orlando at approximately 2 a.m. on June 12, 2016.
You may have observed that in aforementioned summary, I purposely did not include certain details such as the shooter’s religion or sexual preference or even that the nightclub was a notorious gay nightclub. I chose to omit those details not out of ignorance, but out of respect for the victims and their families. Almost every media outlet is saturated with the opinions on and reactions to this massacre. Watching the news while the first reports of the shooting were occurring was surreal; perhaps the most shocking part of all the coverage was how quickly officials were able to confidently state that this was a terror attack. I found the whole day quite appalling, from the actions of the shooter, Omar Mateen, but also from the “professionals’” choice of focus. The focus was briefly on the grieving or even the facts and within mere hours, or even less, turned into speculations about ISIS or homophobic reactions and used as an outlet to critique some politicians and express anger at their lack of Islamophobic reactions. It seems that until there is a reason or backstory as to why a person would commit such a heinous crime we simply cannot accept the events. My issue is not with the human response to understand the why, seeing as many people search for such answers because situations such as these seem difficult to even imagine much less witness in reality. The piece that I find most perplexing is that other people search for answers in the spirit of exploitation and as the missing key needed to further their agenda.
The ripples that occur post-tragedy are largely about prevention and how to avoid a similar situation in the future. However, to express grief as well as say that this tragedy is a prime example of why we should have harsher gun laws or more security or decrease immigration or whatever special is on the political menu for the moment, in the same breath is sickening. But it would be foolish to not strike while the iron is hot and waste the rage and hurt people feel to fuel a political stance is simply good politics...right? Wrong. It is not politics, but cruel manipulation of a mourning country and community.
For the cynics out there, you may be asking “But what is the difference between calculated manipulation and politics?”
If the question is formatted with reference to this tragedy, then the line between them has been either blurred or non-existent. There has been a lot of support on social media sites urging for the focus to remain on the lives lost and the needs of those recovering, victims and families alike. However, the majority of public platforms and sources rarely spent coverage doing so and instead warped this to somehow connect to the presidential campaign as if this was a “how would you respond if…” scenario went terribly wrong. For example, an article from The Washington Post published on the same day as the attack had given statistics on shootings in America, complete with infographics and bolded numbered points for easy take-always; the title being “Orlando shooting: The key things to know about guns and mass shootings in America.” Having “Orlando shooting” in the title is misleading as the only time it is referenced is in the first two paragraphs and a light sprinkling of a few images and sentences at the end of sections. This is not
The Washington Post’s official nor sole coverage of the shooting, however, the title is most likely utilized as an attention-grabber for a subject that people would otherwise not have been as interested to read about had it not been for the recent events.
It ultimately does not matter what religion Mateen was, the main focus should be on the devastating loss of precious life, life that is just as important and its loss that is equally heartbreaking as any other humans’. It is not a person’s religion that drives them to certain actions; we are beings that have the ability to make decisions, including the decision of where or in whom we place our faith. Out of courtesy, respect, and human decency this tragedy should not be seared into our minds and history as the potential result of gun laws or religious extremism; and instead should be a solemn reminder of resilience, the courage of being true to yourself, and when all is said and done, that love will conquer all.
#OrlandoStrong
