Earlier today, I was trying to tell myself that the news shouldn't affect me this much (I'm lying here with a pillow on my head and a whole lot of thoughts), but then with more contemplation and a whole lot of conversation, I'm understanding that I'm not being anywhere near as dramatic as I should be.
We all have a responsibility to be outraged by the fact that it's 2015 and people are currently fearing for their lives and unable to go to school because of the color of their skin. You would think after history classes in elementary school that outright racism as such was over and out of the question, but clearly that's not the case and this isn't the first evidence to prove that. My question is this - where do we begin in turning our anger into change? What constitutes an effective first step toward making the slightest difference? Writing a post seems ridiculous and arbitrary, but my genuine feeling of helplessness seems to have brought me to this point.
People don't choose their gender, sexuality, or ethnicity (amongst other things), so it's hard for me to understand why there is so much hate for things beyond our control. If those who feel more entitled to the perceived good they have in their lives could sit down and notice that maybe not all of their successes stemmed from personal achievements or individual will and determination and that maybe they benefited from structural inequalities and sheer luck of the draw, I think things would be a little different.
You know, this afternoon, I had to ask, "Which one?" when a friend asked if I had heard of a particular shooting that occurred a couple of years ago.
The value of a life is never something that should be taken lightly. In some ways, it shouldn't be taken anything at all because it should never be contemplated in the first place. It honestly deeply hurts when I think about what must have happened or how someone must have been raised to believe it's in any degree okay to threaten the existence of another individual because he or she has been pooled into a category and a stereotype based on physical appearance. To intentionally instigate terror in another's life is inhumane and barbaric, and it saddens me to realize that people in this Millennial generation actually genuinely have this mentality and/or are not grounded enough in these beliefs that they're able to be molded to fit the mob.
What's happening right now may just pass on as national news to some and after a period of time, it may fade, but we owe it to well, I don't know what, to drop everything and go fight this. ... But we don't because it's easier not to, and that in itself proves the existence of inequality in the first place. Convenience and comfort may be simpler. It may be easier just to ignore it and shake your head thinking, "That's too bad," or "How is this real," but sorry, that's not nearly enough - I will not hesitate one second in telling you that.
That doesn't mean I know how to proceed here, though. I come in guns blazing with a mixture of sadness and outrage, but I have no idea where we can even begin. And I guess that's where I need your help.