Liberté, égalité, fraternité

Je suis Paris

A terrible thing happened in France. We all know that. Terrible things have happened in Lebanon, Syria, Kenya, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and pretty much every other country in the world. We all know that too. 
Facebook has erupted in the last few days with articles, thoughts & prayers, and a profile picture overlay in support of France. A good number of people are upset about this because they feel it belittles all of the other places and the problems going on there. I disagree with this. Of course part of the reason Paris is getting so much attention is the media coverage--but media coverage can be blamed for a lot of things. However, I think there's another, possibly bigger, reason for it: people have more of a connection to Paris. 

Before you call me an ignorant American, hear me out. Think about how many people you know who have visited Paris. Now think about how many people you know who've visited Lebanon, Syria, Kenya, Iran, Iraq, or Afghanistan. I would be willing to bet those are vastly different numbers. 
I, for one, have visited Paris...which you already know since I write about it a *little* obsessively. I walked on those streets, ate the food, and (attempted) to be part of that culture for a while. These are tangible things for my brain to comprehend. I took a part of Paris with me, and left a part of my heart there. So when that city gets hurt, it hurts my heart. Ew, that's kind of a sickening romanticization. Apparently that's not a word, but I'm leaving it. 

I haven't ever been to Lebanon, Syria, Kenya, Iran, Iraq, or Afghanistan. I haven't smelled the air, tasted the food, or walked on the streets; I don't really have anything concrete to attach to those places. And if you compare media coverage of the different locations, Paris is mostly good and the others are mostly bad. For not having any real experience there, it's hard to counteract those stories. (Just for the record, I don't at all think these are completely bad places filled with solely bad people. This is just one part of my argument.)

Here's the other part of my argument: showing support for Paris doesn't mean people don't support those in other countries. There's a general saying that, when something bad happens to someone, they should remember there are people who have it worse. In the reverse of that, when something good happens, we don't tell them to remember there are people who have it better. There are always people who have it better, and always people who have it worse...that doesn't mean we aren't allowed to feel happy or sad. 

I, for one, hate all of it. I can't fathom opening fire and killing a bunch of random strangers, and it makes me sick to try and make sense of it. I have that feeling no matter where it takes place, but it's worse when it's a place I've gotten to know and love. 
I don't have any say in the layover options Facebook has. Is it fair who/where/when that attention is given? Probably not. Does that mean I should be stingy about it to make a point? I don't think so. When we were given the rainbow option in support of the US Supreme Court decision for gay marriage, of course I took part. Not because that decision directly affected me, but because I wanted my gay and lesbian friends to know that I support and am happy that they're now allowed those rights. 

I do support all the innocent people that are being affected by all the violence in the world. My heart goes out to them. But, given the opportunity, did I put the French flag over my picture to show my solidarity? Oui. Parce que, je suis Paris.