Journal Post by SooZen
Hypocrisy:
hy·poc·ri·sy
həˈpäkrəsē/
noun
noun: hypocrisy; plural noun: hypocrisies
“the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense.”
O yeah. Perhaps that word should be tattooed on some foreheads (like a scarlet letter SooZ???) to show that it is okay to express collective sympathy for some tragedies and not okay (or just ignore) others.
IF you can afford to go to a soccer game, attend a concert, eat at a fancy restaurant, vacation in a foreign exotic place… and then IF some idiot with their stupid ideologies and beliefs decides to kill innocents at those venues, it becomes a worldwide (collective) coming together.
Some of the very same people that wanted to rename French fries to “freedom fries” (because France didn’t want to get involved in the Iraq war invasion (2003)) are now in “solidarity” with the French. (Cue a Alanis Morissette song here).
One of the cartoonist/writer’s at Charlie Hebdo (which was targeted almost a year ago) said:
“Friends from the whole world, thank you for #prayforParis, but we don't need more religion! Our faith goes to music! Kissing! Life! Champagne and joy! #Parisisaboutlife” and this:
O boy, does it ever… The hypocrisy in our “Democracy” is that when Al-Shabab (an extremist group also ruled by their ‘beliefs’) had staged numerous attacks in Kenya, including the 2 April massacre at Garissa University, (near the border with Somalia) and 147 students and teachers died or when they targeted Nairobi's Westgate Shopping Centre in 2013, when at least 68 people died the world didn’t get up in arms. Naw. Did they paint their faces with Kenyan flag? Did you?“Terrorism is not the enemy. Terrorism is a mode of operation. Repeating 'we are at war' without finding the courage to name our enemies leads nowhere. Our enemies are those that love death. In various guises, they have always existed. History forgets quickly…”
It just goes to show, at least from this feeble platform that is my opinion, that Black Lives DON’T Matter (or perhaps I should note, Poor/Suffering Lives Don’t Matter).
Terrorism has done it’s job. Now, everyone is terrorized and arming themselves to the teeth. Revenge is the order of the day and “someone must pay!” Instead of seeking peace and compassion and most of all, understanding of why we big apes have come to this, we must all pray… as if religion and our beliefs hasn’t done enough damage. (O horrors SooZ, how can you say such “blasphemous” things??? I guess you will go straight to hell…as if hell wasn’t right where one chooses to put it.)
My problem isn’t that I don’t care. No, it is because I can imagine a world without borders, walls, demarcations… like a view from space looking back at this beautiful planet and what we are ultimately doing to it. What (you may wonder) really matters? Life, all life, and not for just a privileged few who can afford to stand back and give orders to the impressionable young to do their bidding in the name of their religion(s) or political belief(s).
In the meantime we are poisoning ourselves, killing things that keep us ticking like honey bees and trees. Are you (or anyone) gonna paint a bee on your face or perhaps a tree from the Amazon rain forest or an African lion or a Polar Bear? Nope. We are just going to ignore the essential because it is far away and not entertaining and besides, we big apes are made to rule, are we not? Hah!
So, I am saddened…and lighting a candle for the planet we call Earth and her eventual demise. I am not “terrorized” by anyone’s stupidity or lemming mentality. Let the talking heads talk. Let the media force your focus on innocent lives lost. Play the victims, curse the enemies, exact your revenge. We cannot hide from the obvious but in the meantime, we can pretend…
Susan Elizabeth Appleby Lee
Sunday, November 15, 2015
dedicated to: Lightning Rod & The Poet’s Eye
I am sure he is finally resting in Peace…