Following the massacre in Atlanta, so improperly depicted in several news media as a “shooting”, I’m inclined to feel.. something. These kinds of massacres somehow always make me feel overwhelmed. Like it was when Anders Behring Breivik shot dozens of youngsters at Utoya, so it is now when another terrorist with extremist views shoots people at a gay night club.
I first got the alert about what happened from a friend of mine. A good friend, and being gay himself he’s obviously emotionally attached. But as I read on, it became clear to me that this was, once again, an act of Islamic Terrorism. And it makes me wonder. Wonder about all the bloodshed and pain that has been caused in the name of that religion. Wonder wether my progressive stance in the debate concerning that terrorism isn’t just enabling the terrorists. Wonder if all muslims, in fact, are bastards.
It’s hard to see nuance when a thing like this happens. Over 50 people dead in a country that is, essentially, at peace. 50 lives snuffed out in one madman’s carnage probably fueled by an ideology that doesn’t respect life. By a religion that continues to produce mass murderers in its name. It’s hard to see that nuance. That bit where most people, regardless of religion, simply want to live in peace and be left alone. Yet, most people do.
It’s even harder to see what to do aside from blaming all muslims, or at least finding them suspicious. However, I know that saying “All Muslims Are Bastards” would be as incorrect as “All Cops Are Bastards”, just because the cops that are get the most attention. That said, can somebody.. anybody please find a way to let out this frustration, this anger without us collectively turning to bigotry? Because if we don’t find one, at some point reason is going to lose to fear and I think we’ll find shirts depicting #AMAB will be quite the sell.
