This past Friday as my mom and I were on our way home, we heard about the recent terrorist attack in Paris through the radio. We gasped and were at a loss for words. The attack left hundreds dead and even more severely wounded. I couldn’t believe my ears because the ISIS attack never felt so real until that very moment. In the past few years, I’ve read countless articles of ISIS members violently murdering innocent civiliansin Middle Eastern countries.

I was fully aware of what atrocious actions ISIS was committing. However, I was guilty of being desensitized to these mass murders. I was constantly bombarded with bold headlines of a high number of people dying in Syria and Iran, so as a result I became used to hearingabout these horrible incidents. The recent Paris attack made me realize that this terrorist group is more real than ever. In my mind, ISIS was so far removed from my narrow lens, and the fact that I had come to this conclusion as a result of the Paris attack is a problem that many privileged people, like me, face on a daily basis.

France a romanticized country that is known for its rich culture, art, fashion, and tourism. The United States and France have a deep connection and have been strong alliesfor centuries. It is viewed as a “Westernized” country and most Americans are very familiar with the European state. Unfortunately, the political and social events in France are covered significantly more than the current news of Lebanon. Many people, including myself, were unaware that only a day before the ISIS attack on Paris, there was a bombing in Beirut in a crowded marketplace, resulting in the loss of over 50 innocentlives. This tragic event was not as widely covered in the press and various social media platforms in comparison to the Paris attack. Even Snapchat and Facebook had special temporary features that allowed users to show solidarity with the people in Paris.

However, there were no social features that could raise awareness of the terrible situation in Lebanon. This creates a negative impact because the Beirut attack is being trivialized and ignored by the global community. Since Lebanon’s location, culture, and society is not as familiar to the eyes of Westerners as France is, major terrorist attacks go unnoticed by a majority of people. I believe that both tragediesdeserve our deepest prayers and solidarity. My hope is that the Eurocentric view of a variety of media platforms will expand in the future, so that it will include the stories and voices of all groups of people.


<Sorah Park>