Terrorism. A word that resonates immensely with the world we live in today. Each day we all become less and less surprised that an act of terrorism has been committed. No less devastated, just less surprised.
But while we live in this dismal reality, there is an undeniable truth hidden behind all the chaos and commotion that fills the nation after a terrorist group attacks. The media and its viewers react after the matter of fact.
On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen gunned down 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando after pledging allegiance to ISIS. Authorities referred to the event as the worst terror attack since 9/11. There was an uproar on social media as people all over the world paid tribute to the victims who lost their lives.
Hashtags such as #PrayforOrlando and #PrayforNice flooded Instagram after the infamous attacks occurred this past summer. Facebook users put filters on their profile pictures that associated with the victims to signify their support for the cause.
But hashtags and filters are trivial when thinking about the world at large. There is a serious issue plaguing not only the United States, but countries all over such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan. The issue is terrorism.
I’ve found that we as a nation are very skilled at reacting and banding together after a tragedy strikes; however, we as a whole lack the motivation, or simply don’t care enough, to keep up with the events that led up to it. While offering wishes of good health and sending prayers are admiral, they don’t address the real problem that the country is facing.
The reality is, if we continue to ignore terrorism until after something happens, nothing is going to change. Living in ignorance will only perpetuate the issue.
Tragedies such as those that struck Dallas and Paris were highly publicized due to their locations. No one could believe that such well-known cities had endured such calamities.
But what about in Baghdad on July 3, 2016? There were 292 casualties after the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS) placed a suicide truck bomb in the streets of a popular shopping center.
Almost 300 people lost their lives to ISIS in Iraq. But how many people knew about this attack? How much publicity did it receive in comparison to the attack in Nice on July 14?
Terrorism has become part of the 21st century. It’s time to realize that we all need to stop living in denial when it comes to our country’s safety. We do not live in a safe haven that is immune to disasters. If the attack in Dallas this past summer doesn’t prove that, I don’t know what will.
While we as citizens cannot stop the terrorists, we can at least educate ourselves about what is going on in the world in terms of national security. The global terrorism epidemic is not going away anytime soon, so it’s time for us to become more proactive, rather than reactive.
– Heidi Kim – Views Editor
