Posted November 15, 2015 Anyone jumped on the Facebook picture train for this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 16, 2015 Anyone jumped on the Facebook picture train for this? No, because I really don't see the point. It should be obvious that I sympathise with the Parisians and am anti-terrorist because I'm a normal human being and am not totally mental. In terms of a sign of solidarity etc, again I don't see a point, because how many terrorists are going to see my page? The same goes for showing support for the French. No French people are likely to see it. For me, it's just a way of showing off to friends that you care, with very little effort, even though caring should be the default feeling we should all have. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 16, 2015 Yeah, agreed. Click a button and show your friends your empathy. 40 people were killed in Beirut on Thursday, who changed their Facebook picture then? Nobody, because Beirut is not the most popular tourist destination in the world. 224 Russians killed when a plane went down last month. Who put up a Russian flag? Nobody, because Russia is far away and terrorist involvement is not officially proven yet. I thought about it, I thought about the people who lost their lives, the people who lost people. I thought and felt grief... I can do that without a flag on my face. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 16, 2015 No, because I really don't see the point. It should be obvious that I sympathise with the Parisians and am anti-terrorist because I'm a normal human being and am not totally mental. In terms of a sign of solidarity etc, again I don't see a point, because how many terrorists are going to see my page? The same goes for showing support for the French. No French people are likely to see it. For me, it's just a way of showing off to friends that you care, with very little effort, even though caring should be the default feeling we should all have. Word. I also couldn't be bothered to click personally. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 16, 2015 Yeah, agreed. Click a button and show your friends your empathy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 17, 2015 I can't believe what happened in Paris, the complete disregard for human life is absolutely disgusting. Atrocities like this should not happen in this day and age. My thoughts are with all those affected by these attacks. On a related note, there's a campaign to get Eagles of Death Metal - Save a Prayer (a cover of the Duran Duran song) to number 1, and it's been confirmed that all proceeds will be donated to help those in Paris. I think it's a fantastic idea, and would make a strong statement. https://www.facebook.com/eodmforno1/timeline Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 17, 2015 Anyone jumped on the Facebook picture train for this? I changed my picture and I do see that there is a point to it. I went to uni and shared a house with some international students, two of which were French and we became great friends. I also work with several people (both teachers and pupils) who are either French and/or have family in Paris at the moment. They changed their pictures and a lot of us who knew them also did the same thing as a show of support. The other side of the coin is that I grew up in a Muslim family in an area with a lot of other Muslim friends and we noticed that there were definite changes with the way people acted towards us after 9/11, and then after 7/7. A lot of that is down to ignorance and I still get people (younger adults in particular) asking me questions as if somehow I know terrorists directly...I had one person a year or so ago (his Father is in the army) ask me if I knew the people directly who killed Lee Rigby. There wasn't even a hint of irony or of it being a joke, it was a very serious question. Part of the reason why the majority of my Asian friends back home changed their pictures is to show clearly that we're just as against acts/atrocities such as this as they are. It is to show support and solidarity, which is the first step towards defeating the problem. There's an excellent quote by Bill Nye (I think it is) where he says that the only way our species is to survive is by working together, which is absolutely correct. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 18, 2015 (edited) Just seen this on Gaf and thought it was such a touching conversation/interview. EDIT: Bah. the video has now been removed. Shame. Edited November 18, 2015 by Hero-of-Time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 18, 2015 Just seen this on Gaf and thought it was such a touching conversation/interview. EDIT: Bah. the video has now been removed. Shame. Was it this one by any chance? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 18, 2015 Was it this one by any chance? That's the one. Brilliant video, that had me choking up. Thanks for posting it again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 18, 2015 That's the one. Brilliant video, that had me choking up. Thanks for posting it again. No worries! Figured it was that one, it made me quite emotional too. This must be so difficult for children to understand... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 19, 2015 I changed my picture and I do see that there is a point to it. I went to uni and shared a house with some international students, two of which were French and we became great friends. I also work with several people (both teachers and pupils) who are either French and/or have family in Paris at the moment. They changed their pictures and a lot of us who knew them also did the same thing as a show of support. I changed my picture because it simply felt like the tiniest, slightest right thing to do to show support for those in Paris. Yeah, agreed. Click a button and show your friends your empathy. 40 people were killed in Beirut on Thursday, who changed their Facebook picture then? Nobody, because Beirut is not the most popular tourist destination in the world. 224 Russians killed when a plane went down last month. Who put up a Russian flag? Nobody, because Russia is far away and terrorist involvement is not officially proven yet. Something really rubs me the wrong way about this sort of mentality. Because I'm seeing more about this discussion I'm seeing about those who lost their lives in Paris, Russia or Beirut. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 19, 2015 (edited) Something really rubs me the wrong way about this sort of mentality. Because I'm seeing more about this discussion I'm seeing about those who lost their lives in Paris, Russia or Beirut. I completely agree with this. I wrote out a long post about the issues I have with these complaints but I just came across these tweets from a US journo that I think describes my thoughts more succinctly. Should note that I didn't do the facebook thing - for the same reasons Goafer states, but nonetheless, I feel like it's generally a pretty positive way to express an emotional reaction and a sense of union to an event that was specifically designed to provoke very negative and polarising emotions across society. I would say that the criticism is more pertinent when in reference to the media covering news than it is to people expressing emotion in the immediate aftermath though. There's an obvious disparity in news reportage that needs to be addressed, but I don't think that translates to pointing fingers at people for caring reactions to such a horrific event. Edited November 19, 2015 by dan-likes-trees Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 20, 2015 Andrew Neil made a powerful speech last night on This Week. It's a must-watch: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3326732/Libert-galit-fraternit-cr-Brulee-versus-death-cult-barbarity-shame-middle-ages-Andrew-Neil-tells-Islamist-Scumbags-doesn-t-fancy-chances.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 20, 2015 (edited) Something really rubs me the wrong way about this sort of mentality. Because I'm seeing more about this discussion I'm seeing about those who lost their lives in Paris, Russia or Beirut. Don't get me wrong, I don't have an issue with anyone just because they clicked a button, that would be even more petty/cynical than I'm usually prone to being. My only point is that it's kinda strange Facebook made this automated, one-click process that gives some people a way to say "look, I care!". That's not to say the majority represents that stance or that I see it in the people around me, it's just a bitter taste in my mouth, a weird tie in between the flimsy, detached space of social media and the reality of "the world". You're right though, spiraling into a meta debate that starts to sound dangerously like who cares the most? is only compounding the issue. I wouldn't hold it against you or any one of my Facebook friends who donned the tricolore, it's your choice, your reasons. Edited November 20, 2015 by Shorty Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 21, 2015 I completely agree with this. I wrote out a long post about the issues I have with these complaints but I just came across these tweets from a US journo that I think describes my thoughts more succinctly. Should note that I didn't do the facebook thing - for the same reasons Goafer states, but nonetheless, I feel like it's generally a pretty positive way to express an emotional reaction and a sense of union to an event that was specifically designed to provoke very negative and polarising emotions across society. I would say that the criticism is more pertinent when in reference to the media covering news than it is to people expressing emotion in the immediate aftermath though. There's an obvious disparity in news reportage that needs to be addressed, but I don't think that translates to pointing fingers at people for caring reactions to such a horrific event. Whilst I can see the argument being made, I can't quite get it to sit with me the same as #alllivesmatter, though maybe that's because I've been one of the ones on the side of 'ok but how many people are dying over here, too?'. #alllivesmatter almost shifts the focus away from a notable issue of prejudice in Western society, whereas I don't think that's quite the same for acts of terrorism. I almost feel it is the reverse. I'm not telling anyone not to grieve for what happened in Paris, but I do find it a bit strange to see more grief expressed for that than another terrorist attack with similar amounts of lives lost in a different country, mostly through what I would put down to a difference in proximity. Of course, I recognise it as a natural response in some ways, but I don't know if I agree with it. Yet I'm flipping both ways in my head as I type this, and I'm not sure on which side I actually land. Hmm. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 21, 2015 (edited) To me it's sad that political correctness, for want of a better phrase, that is the 'judgement brigade'/thought police, has now invaded people's personal grief, and now people are judged on the level of grief they demonstrate, or not, and where they direct it, or don't. As if a social media account and the content there of is the totality of a person's mind, feelings and opinion, which it isn't. And thus the self-righteous scoring of points, both politically and socially, commences shifting attention from the atrocity itself. Instead it becomes about self importance and moral superiority of the judgemental, mind reading, thought policing, shame slinging, social justice guilt merchants dictating how everybody else should think, speak and act, the kind of fascism ISIS would be proud of. In the old days before social media, people just heard bad news (or didn't, there wasn't as much global media at our finger tips), and felt bad. Now if you don't express your grief publicly you're judged a bad person, and if you appear to selectively express your grief you're judged bad. You can't actually win, the reality is tragic loss of life is ever ongoing, therefore in order to truly express the sentiment "all lives matter" a person would be in a constant state of grief and their social media flag would be at half mast all the time. Oh and you'd be attending the funerals of random people you didn't even know, which I assume the people complaining do all the time, that is if as they say they value and grieve for all people equally. Just let people grieve as and when they choose, they're is no right or wrong answer. It's not as if anybody is actually stating white/european lives matter more, the perceived implication of such isn't enough for the level of condemnation being dished out. And it's hardly a shock that atrocities hit people more the closer to them they are, it's not racism or white/european superiority as has been argued. The people holding up terror atrocities in countries not even on most Western people's radar to shame the rest of us are probably just bragging about how geopolitically informed they are, well good for them, but maybe some of us are just 'grief-ed out' by the tragedy in our own lives to go hunting for more things to be upset about in the news. It may very well be to our credit that we publicly show any public grief for terrorist atrocities abroad at all, just because we don't all the time doesn't necessarily mean we don't care. Edited November 21, 2015 by pratty Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 22, 2015 Just spent the week at Disneyland Paris. Fuck terrorists. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 22, 2015 Just spent the week at Disneyland Paris. Fuck terrorists. I hear it was closed at the beginning of the week, did that effect you? How was the mood there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 22, 2015 People keep making comments like, "why didn't the news cover Baghdad?". Well actually the news did cover that, it's just that you didn't read or share it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted November 22, 2015 I hear it was closed at the beginning of the week, did that effect you? How was the mood there? The parks were closed until Wednesday. But luckily we could still go to the hotel and Disney Village. The mood was fairly somber and quiet those two days. But they put loads of characters in the hotels for the kids which was nice. Wednesday/Thursday/Friday was business as usual. But obviously with an increased security presence. Got to email them about reimbursement for two days park tickets and an excursion to the city which was cancelled. All in all though it was very safe and we had a great time considering the circumstances. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
