#solidaritywithparis

[confusingfuturehistorians]

Á Tout Le Monde: My Brief Thoughts On Paris

Whenever things like this happen I always react in the same way, which is to simply not know how to react. I’m sure many people can share that sentiment, but remember that we are the lucky ones. There are way too many people who know exactly how to react because they’ve lost a loved one, or fear that a loved one is lost, and for them the reaction from that will just come naturally. However horrible it may be for us as onlookers, we are the lucky ones. So my thoughts and love go out to those in Paris who have lost loved ones, or are terrified that they might. It’s not something I can comprehend and all I can really do is hope that neither I, nor any of my loved ones, ever have to be in a position where we are forced to comprehend it.

Unfortunately, I’m not able to just put out a message of solidarity with Paris and just leave it at that, because these attacks have far wider-ranging implications that just the death of some people. Now that the original shock of the incident itself is over, the opinions on it are flooding in. Many people may say that this isn’t the right time to push an agenda, as it’s disrespectful to those who lost their lives, and I do have a lot of sympathy with this viewpoint. However, the nature of what has happened means that it’s impossible to simply view these deaths in isolation from our worldview, and if we don’t use the opportunity when the whole world is paying attention to try ensure that what happens afterwards is what we believe to be right, then history will be made for us. And honestly, if history is made by some people over others who have stayed silent then I fear for Paris, I fear for France and I fear for the world. I fear that those who committed these acts of unspeakable violence will get exactly what they want. The people they killed were not political targets. They were people chosen specifically for their randomness – it could have been anyone. I normally don’t like to use the word “terrorism” because it has a political, rather than descriptive, meaning; but this is where it is appropriate. The goal is to use fear to elicit an emotional response and foster an “us vs them” situation – divide and conquer tactics at their most brutal. Whenever anything like this happens, the bigots come out in full force; though thankfully for me I’ve chosen my friends well enough that this, at least, is not taking place on my feeds. However, it isn’t the bigots that worry me because they were always bigots. It’s the moderates whose views become polarised that I worry most about and honestly, so far the signs are not entirely encouraging. I’d love to think that the rest of the world will react like my awesome friends have, but this seems unlikely to be the case. France's President Francois Hollande has already described this as an “act of war” and there have been many voices calling for retaliation, punishment and further intervention. I just would have hoped that all of this remembrance of the First World War in recent weeks would have reminded Hollande and others of the words of Bertrand Russell: “War does not determine who is right – only who is left.”

The Charlie Hebdo attacks in January have already showed us what is likely to happen in the wake of such events. An already polarising nation becomes even more polarised, ordinary Muslims bear the brunt of the retaliation and a wedge is driven between people. 1-0 to the terrorists! I hope more than anything that no more people have to die as a result of what happened in Paris yesterday, but recent history suggests that this will not be the case. France may well seek to “defend itself” by going on the offensive and other western nations may follow suit, completely ignoring the lessons that should have been learnt from our past mistakes. Not too long after the Snoopers Charter was announced as well, it seems to me that any resemblance of hope that people in the West will have a right to privacy for the foreseeable future has also been dashed. Muslims living in Europe, especially those from poorer backgrounds with little prospects or hope for the future, will begin to feel that everyone around them is against them. And they may well be right. It is not the actions of ISIS that recruit people to their cause, but the actions of those they set themselves against. So when we say that we are in solidarity with the people of Paris, we must mean ALL the people of Paris; and not just Paris but all the people who are potential victims of Islamist terrorism, including the 99.997% of Muslims who are no more extremist than you or me. This also means solidarity with those in Beirut right now, as Lebanon has also lost 41 of its people last night. These people are no less worthy of our thoughts than anyone else.

It is difficult to know what we can actually do in times like this though. Repeated messages of solidarity are one thing, but they will not stop people from getting killed; though I do hope that if nothing else they can bring comfort to the loved ones of those who have lost their lives. I do not believe that offering prayers will solve anything either, though unlike many I know who argue that prayers and religion are part of the problem, I do not see what harm comes from offering prayers to those who may well take an enormous amount of comfort and solace from them. What I do know though, is that reacting in the way that terrorists want us to react will not solve anything – even if it does make us feel better in the short-run. Last night people in Paris died doing what they loved – attending a rock concert, going to a football match and eating out at a nice restaurant. This is what was being attacked and what must be defended; not through retaliation but through defiance. So I will continue to eat out at restaurants around Oxford, I will go to a football match in 10 days’ time and I will attend a rock concert in London tomorrow. And I encourage everybody else to do the same, even though I do appreciate how difficult that may be for many, especially in Paris and Beirut. And I also encourage people to not attack anyone posting something which isn’t related to what happened in France and Lebanon. It is right for people to continue to live their lives in the way that they choose, and to do so in solidarity and support of one another.

But ultimately, the point I’m trying to make here is that we need to focus on what we can control, not what we can’t. We can’t prevent something like this from ever happening again, at least not in the foreseeable future. What we can do though, is make sure that we create a society and an environment that minimises the reasons why somebody might go and do something like this. This includes (and I cannot stress this enough) not scapegoating people just because they’re Muslim. Too many people already have come out and spoken, not about compassion, but about the threat that Islamist Terrorism poses to us all. And yes, obviously, it’s a threat but let’s get some perspective here. Even if you’re one of those people who think you’re not scapegoating by saying that they know that all Muslims aren’t terrorists but you do know that all terrorists are Muslims, you are still part of the problem because the reality is that this simply isn’t true. Not only that, but as horrible as it is to learn that 140 people have been murdered in one night, in the grand scheme of things far more people will die every year thanks to numerous other causes; which won’t get the same headlines because they don’t sell newspapers (though I’m not saying that this reaction of the world to what happened in Paris isn’t justified, because the manner of the attacks illicit this emotional response which is only human and shows how much compassion and empathy lies in so many people). Some people have been asking what the world has come to, but this kind of thing has been going on in some form or another all throughout human history, with numerous attempts by those in power to stop it from happening to their people. Yet Paris still happened. Every year our governments promise us that more money spent on overseas wars, mass surveillance and better security is what we need to fight terrorism. Yet Paris still happened. And all the while the money for this comes from cuts in healthcare, social services and environment agencies. A fine thing it would be to eradicate terrorism only for thousands more to die thanks to the effects of global warming. And it wouldn’t happen anyway because all of these strategies to tackle terrorism only serve to drive the wedge further between people and hand organisations like ISIS new recruits every day. So focus on what we can control. Focus on being as inclusive a society as we can be. Focus on standing up to those on either side who want us to sacrifice our freedoms to win a war we shouldn’t be fighting. And above all else, focus on those around you and those you love and over time we can try to make a society where things like this don’t need to happen.

[fantastic-nonsense]

I will begin moving back into regular blogging, with updates, reblogs, and general thoughts about Paris as we learn more

my thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved, especially the family and friends of the 150 confirmed dead.  #SolidarityWithParis

[dvviant]

Humans, save us.