Saturday, April 20, 2013

"Hallelujah!" (or, It's Way Too Easy to Judge Sometimes)

These last five days have been amazingly difficult. Not just for me, mind you, but there was something new in the news (I don't know if it's a good thing to have variety once in a while--it's usually bad news when it is) almost every day. Still, I couldn't help but notice some things:

  • The whole nation forgot whether or not they supported gun rights, gay rights, Obama or immigration reform. Everyone gathered and prayed for Boston.
  • Everyone seemed to forget about the Earthquake in Iran. More people died there than in Boston (not taking anything away from the bombings.)
  • Everyone seemed to forget about the Earthquake in China. Again, more people died (and again, please, don't get me wrong, I'm not taking anything away from the bombings.)
  • This is the first news event since the Egyptian revolution that relied heavily in emerging media, both to spread a message and to crack down on the suspects.
  • People tend to group any terrorist action with Muslims.
  • Chechnya left the Mission Impossible canon and landed in the hands of racist/ignorant Americans, some of whom now have an irrational personal vendetta against anyone from Chechnya.
  • Some said Americans don't realize that Chechnya and Czech Republic are two totally different things
Still, I felt something jolt inside me when the news broke that the last suspect was caught. All throughout my Facebook and Twitter, people were posting that they were happy that he was caught. Again, don't get me wrong, I'm glad there won't be any unnecessary spill of blood anymore, this is not my issue--my issue was with the people who wrote heavy stuff. One person said, "One bomber killed, the other caught. Hallelujah!"

I'm sorry, but when did it become all right to celebrate the death of another person in that way? Yes, what they did was wrong, and yes, it's a relief that they are no longer threats, but, hallelujah? I don't know. It just doesn't feel right. 

1 comment:

Researcher said...

I wonder if the Halleluja! cry came out inspired by the accounts of the book Joshua.

That is what "religion" does to people that just follows the blueprint without asking why?