I am not the type to compare tragedies, or to say that one situation is more awful than another. A tragedy is a tragedy, and any life taken is a tremendous loss. However, social media displays a noticeable pattern: Disastrous situations in countries where mostly white people reside garner more attention and compassion than similar events in countries influenced by the African diaspora. This phenomenon does not come as a surprise in light of race relations in the United States.
In November 2015, some gunmen and suicide bombers attacked several heavily populated buildings and areas in France. About 130 innocent people died, with many more injured, and for weeks Facebook was flooded with messages of condolences, sympathy and anger. In response, Facebook created a French flag filter for its users’ profile pictures. At the time, I felt compelled to add the filter to show that I was just as angered by the events that occurred. However, I was not aware of the disparity between this display of support and displays of support for other countries facing similar issues.
Months before the France attacks, in April, Garissa University in Kenya experienced atrocious attacks by gunmen. The death toll reached at least 147 people, with the number of those otherwise injured at 79 or more. The number of lives directly affected by these two horrific acts of terrorism were similar, yet the media coverage and sympathy shown was drastically different.
After noticing this, I realized that people and the media are selective with their empathies and understandings. It is evident that representation of minorities in different media outlets is abysmal, as many media outlets are owned by corporations run mostly by white people. Because of this, we get discriminatory exhibitions of support in situations that deserve equal treatment. This doesn’t go to say white people are completely out of touch, but it is worth noting people will speak on behalf of what they find familiar.
During the past week, the news has been riddled with information and reports about Hurricane Matthew and its potential effects on Florida and other coastal states. While many news outlets covered the possibility of extreme winds and flooding devastating Florida, Haiti actually experienced it.
Entire villages and towns have been wiped out due to the hurricane’s strength and severity, and the death toll has reached at least 330, though it is projected to be about 1,000 now, according to a Reuters tally. The remaining survivors are homeless, and have immense trouble finding shelter because very few houses remain standing. An abundance of crops and livestock have been destroyed, and cholera is surging throughout the population.
So where is the Facebook filter? Where is the sympathy for the hundreds of innocent people who have died so far and those who are still suffering? Something tells me we won’t see it in the same volume we saw for France. We have gotten to a point in our society where even our compassion for others is racialized. Some people have allowed prejudices and preconceived notions about groups of people to rule the way they view others in need. We are living in a world that has turned a blind eye to people in desperate need of connection because they don’t fit the right physical appearance.
What we need now more than ever is kindheartedness and action to help the people stranded in a nightmare amid a terrifying reality. There are ways to reach out and donate to organizations that are genuine in their efforts to assist the people of Haiti in their time of need (not the Red Cross, please). Even though we cannot necessarily rely on the media to accurately show support for people of color in need, we can do our due diligence to at least acknowledge the disparities they face daily, especially in their time of need.
Hope Hynson is a sophomore psychology major and a member of UMD’s chapter of the NAACP. She can be reached at hopehynson@gmail.com.
