Media today is consumed with negativity, with fear, and with hate.
This is in direct correlation with what interests people, what gets political agendas pushed and what gains popularity.
In today's culture, it is not as "fun" to uplift people. It is not fun to raise awareness, it is not fun to go against the societal norms and put yourself under the eye of scrutiny for believing in something.
This is just where we are as a society, and although I think it's terrible, this is where we are.
We live in a world where there is religious intolerance.
Where there is bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia, and hatred against each other.
We hate and shame people over the internet that we don't even know.
We raise our children believing the things we believe and hating the things we hate.
We preach about civilization and barbaric acts being committed overseas, yet we face mass killings every day here in our country.
We share videos about makeup and weight loss and appearance and then shame people who don't follow the same lifestyle.
We shame people who don't have beliefs, and we shame those who do.
We demand for our voices to be heard, yet wish for others' to be silenced-- because they don't reflect our opinions.
We fat shame, we skinny shame, we shame women who are body builders, and we shame men who are not masculine looking.
We shame people for loving who they love-- but expect that we should live our lives with whomever we choose.
We speak of those who live with no regrets, how they are selfish, and we walk all over those who are there for us.
As I am writing this, there are tears in my eyes. Today is a tragic day in American history. Yesterday, a young singer was shot and killed.
Today, dozens of gay people died in the largest mass shooting we have yet to face.
Regardless of why these senseless murders happened, or why they ever happen, we need to reflect on who we are as a people.
Why is hatred okay? Why is our society fueled by it? Why is it that in 2016 our country may perhaps be the most angry and fearful than it ever has been before?
Why is it that we really need to discuss whether it matters more if the Florida club shooting was done by an Islamic extremist, or a homophobic extremist? Which is worse?
We hate other cultures that practice intolerance, but what about the rampant homophobia present in America? Regardless of religion, is this not hatred?
Should it matter whether or not this was a member of the Muslim faith, or the Christian faith that committed this grotesque act? Atheist? Buddhist? Jewish?
Does it really matter?
I believe that this is a great country. We rise through oppression time and time again, we progress, we have more privileges than people in developing countries could even imagine.
With a heavy heart, I truly think that this all stems from hatred. It comes from the ability to shame people because they are not what we think they should be.
Days like today are the dark reality of where we have headed as a whole. We practice intolerance, we shame, and we hate. We do this until we are faced with a tragedy, and we have to pick up the pieces, and decide how we (as a country) move forward.
Do we show that the death of so many people really only matters if it was done by a terrorist? Or do we show that it was done by an extreme homophobic? Or maybe it was both.
Regardless, I don't want this article to turn political. I don't think I have the answer for how to cope with this tragedy, or how to keep people from forming their own beliefs about what happened, regardless of what real information will come out within the next few days. All I do know is that we need to make changes as a society--as people--to stop shaming and hating others for who they are.
My heart is with all victims and families of victims who have been affected by hate-crime related violence.
I hope that as we progress, we can find peace and tolerance for those that we may not understand, but still should respect.
