By Nate SoissonIt seems as if every other week now there is another tragedy that we are forced to face. But are we facing it in the wrong way? Politicizing a tragedy is pulling political views into the event to in some way place blame or deny responsibility. Many try blaming the NRA for the terrible act of school shootings, or blaming the republican party for the Los Vegas shooting. This is very harmful to a family suffering from the loss of a loved one because it makes them feel dehumanized. (Courtesy of Vox) Most of us are aware of what happened at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida where fifty people were murdered and fifty-three were injured while enjoying themselves. Writer Katy Waldman wrote, “Often people invoke policy goals in order to get things done; what’s at stake is whether these tragedies should be regarded as irreducible lightning strikes or problems with potential solutions. As these lethal incidents recur, echoing each other down the years, Americans should put their pieties on hold and honor human pain through actions, not just words.” The human can be a nasty creature. We will go to many extremes to not only prove to ourselves that our opinion is the “right opinion” but also to attack somebody’s political ideology for being the “cause” or the “reason” for the death of another. Waldman speaks of putting aside our pieties and holding the respect for those who have felt the cold hammer of violence. This isn’t just visible in mass shootings but also more common, terrible occurrences. Another example worth looking at is that of Seth Rich. The story of Seth Rich is a tragic one. Seth became a part of Hillary Clinton's campaign and shortly after, was shot dead. In the days following conspiracy theorists from the right began to ponder if this was because he was related to the leaking of emails. The parents condemned these theorists because they were exploiting their son’s death for political gain. Rich’s parents even went as far as calling the theorists “disgusting sociopaths” because of these accusations and rightfully so. Tragedy will always be around. Some bring our nation closer together, while others separate us. When we blame these events on those who do not have the same political identity as us, then we are already beginning to separate. We are all humans. Whether we stand up against the storm together or we point fingers is up to us. Nobody wants their trauma to be belittled and sullied by politics. Why is it that we are so political by nature that we will go out of our way to point a tragedy out as a fault of a certain person or group? We all can and will do better but only when we open our eyes and come together as one people. Only when we come together as one country.
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Elena Caputo
Hi! My name is Elena, and I'm a senior at Wilson and one of the Editors of the Editorial section. If you have any questions or ideas or if you want to write, email me at [email protected]! Olivia MonosHello! My name is Olivia and I'm a junior this year, and one of the editors of the Editorial section! I'm really excited to write for the Paw Print again this year!
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