Tragedy
Myanmar:
Red Cross fears death toll may be as high as 128,000
2.5 million in need of food, water, shelter and medical care.
China :At least 14,000 still buried
At least 4.8 million homeless
When tragedies like these happen, it seems to bring up all kinds of questions. I want to focus on just one of those questions right now - Why in the hell don’t we care? These statistics are so staggering that it’s impossible to really get our mind around it. Maybe that’s why we don’t even try. That’s just what they are to us – statistics. Somehow we’ve numbed ourselves or learned to turn a blind eye to the reality of the pain and suffering that people around the world are enduring.
I’ve started doing some observations whenever disasters or tragedy happens. I’ve started observing the media and their coverage of these things. It’s really amazing. Whenever an American tragedy occurs, the coverage dominates every headline and news program for weeks, even though the death tolls from these events (9/11 = 2752; Katrina = 4081; Iraq = 4078) pale in comparison to the staggering numbers from these other disasters. However, when an event that is even more catastrophic occurs somewhere else, after a day or two, it usually makes the headlines right between the latest American Idol cut and the top ten ways to secure a better career. My guess is it’s because these American events hit so close to home. These events make Americans realize that our country is not invincible or untouchable, and that we’re not above it all. It shakes up our nice, comfortable little lives and makes us realize for a moment that we’re not as secure as we thought.
I don’t even know where I’m going with all this. I just know this freakin’ country makes me sick. We’re so arrogant and caught up in our own little worlds, that we don’t even want to think about the pain and suffering going on elsewhere, let alone actually give up some of our own luxuries to make a difference. At least we’ll all be in church Sunday morning, singing to Jesus, thanking him for all the ‘blessings’ he’s given us. We are a ‘Christian’ country after all, right? Or that’s what the statistics say, with 78.5% of Americans considering themselves Christians. I know I’m making a lot of judgemental, blanket statements, and I know that this doesn’t apply to everyone, but overall I’m just sick of our ‘Christian’ culture and the American Jesus we’ve created. I wonder what the real Jesus would’ve thought about America.
May 22, 2008 at 6:56 am
[...] Published May 22, 2008 life , social justice , thoughts my friend ryan hewitt just wrote a blog about America, tragedies involving America, and the amount of attention we give these tragedies..he [...]
May 22, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I totally agree with this. It just always seems easier to look the other way, to just keep living my own life. It is NOT easy to go against the ‘rhythm’ of America and help out the rest of the world. It is scary how callous we have become to the tragedies of this world.
May 22, 2008 at 1:53 pm
hey, just came over from bush’s corner.
honestly, i kinda think the media does it on purpose. Not sure why, but i always think that.
Something will change soon, but i get the feeling its going to hurt.
May 22, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I’m a little nervous to know what Jesus would think of our country. In the same breath, I’d have to say that about my own life though. I think sometimes if a tragedy doesn’t affect our country, we’re not as moved to get involved. You can bet your ass that if these recent tragedies affected our food supply or oil we’d be allot more concerned.
May 22, 2008 at 5:01 pm
one of the sad things about humanity. if you consider the media to be america’s “concience”, it really comes down to america as a whole not really caring about those on the outside. the thought is “well, its not us. that would suck if it were, but its not” and eventually the mind shifts to more pleasant and immediately personal things. its the same kind of thing as when a person has a friend experiencing hardship. they’ll do what they can to help, even feel for the person for a bit, but depending on the character of the person, will let their mind return to their own business.
just a few thoughts, but hopefully they make sense. not that its good, just that somehow its how the culture works.
May 22, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I think it helps when you have been to some of these places. I was in China last summer and I am going again twice this summer. When I heard about the earthquake it felt a little closer to home because I know people there. It is still something we are de-sensitized to though for sure. Good post!
May 22, 2008 at 11:36 pm
If I recall correctly, I think the Myanmar (formerly Burma) government was not allowing outside aid.
Nevertheless, what data do you have that suggests Americans are not providing significant aid? If America makes you sick because you think it is not giving, then please tell me what other country is providing significant aid to Myanmar? If you discovered a country provided more aid per capita would you rather live in that country?
Is there a big difference between aid americans provide to america tragedies compared to tragedies in other countries? I don’t know and I think that is a fair question. But if your standard of measuring a country’s worth is related to what amount of money a country donates, then I think you are misguided. We live in a fallen world, not Utopia.
May 23, 2008 at 1:21 am
I appreciate all the responses, it really keeps me thinking:
rlh27 – I definitely feel the same way….something’s gonna change soon and that scares me…. a lot!
jimmieingram – I have been wondering a lot lately what Jesus would think about me personally as well, I know I’ve totally given into the culture and been a part of the problem, not the solution. I constantly wonder how to make the jump to the latter.
amoslanka – I wonder if it’s a part of our human nature to avoid and look away from pain because we feel helpless. I definitely feel the media has a part in it too, we trust the media but forget it’s a business. How many people will watch the news every night if it’s nothing but the pain and suffering of the world?
Setliffe – I agree, when part of our heart is attached then we definitely feel the pain in a personal way. That’s part of my desire my journey to Sierra Leone this fall…to personally experience life and pain from the other side.
Mike – The Myanmar government’s response has definitely been a tragedy in itself, but that’s not my point. I don’t have the statistics on foreign aid, but the physical response I believe is secondary. I used the term “America” referring more so to our culture rather than the country itself. I know that’s a generalization that doesn’t include everyone, but I would say it is the majority. Our culture has trained us to look out for #1 and simply accept the pain and suffering in the world as a part of life. Christ didn’t just accept it and he definitely wasn’t looking out for #1. I just wonder how Christ would react to tragedy in our world. I don’t believe it’s by turning away and I feel the majority of our culture does that. I don’t have answers, only questions at this point. Thanks for the thoughts.
May 23, 2008 at 3:21 am
Great post Ryan. Thanks for your thoughts! It is so good for us to sort through all of this and find our place in it.
May 24, 2008 at 3:37 am
it reminds me of the line from Hotel Rwanda by the reporter there spoken to the hotel manager. he said, i think that americans will watch the news of the genocide, say o.m.g. how horrible. change the channel and go back to their dinners. it was a very thought-provoking line. that movie was impactful. i was so glad to have seen it, as i watched joyce meyer’s show the last few days about exactly what they’re doing in Rwandan communities & prisons. it made me so proud (in a humbling way) to have made the decision this yr. to give monthly to causes like that and to help get my 5 yr old involved in sponsoring a boy thru compassion international. Jesus would do all he could do to ease the suffering of as many people as possible. it is not his will that any perish but that all have eternal life…& enjoy it to its fullest.