I was thinking about how sad the day was while listening to a Justin Beiber playlist on youtube, when I realised that several of his songs had lines that summed up how I felt about everything. It's funny how things change isn't it? A year ago, you could have pulled out one of my testicles and I wouldn't have admitted that I knew who Justin Beiber was let alone that I was familiar with his musical repertoire. Now that his music has lost some of its tween essence, I find that I no longer consider being a fan of his to be an assault on my masculinity.
So without further ado here are some Justin Beiber lines that say how I felt on the day that IS/ISIS/DAESH/ISIL carried out that terrible attack on Paris.
"What do you mean?" from What do you mean... by Beiber
I said those words whenever any leader spoke about an attack on the French way of life which was also their country's way of life. There's some very ambiguous wording there. Does it imply that the Muslim way of life isn't compatible with the French, American, or British ones? I also said it when I heard them say cultural values because we don't all share cultural values. I'm black and Nigerian. There are many ways that my values differ from those in the West. Do you know that I cringe whenever I find myself handing something to someone with my left hand? That example is fairly bizarre so I'll give a better one. Donald Trump said that if the French had guns, Friday the 13th wouldn't have happened. In that regard, I look at America, then I look at the United Kingdom, and then I look at France, and one of those countries is not like the others.
That being said it isn't the first time that Donald Trump has chosen to use French Tragedy in his pro-gun propaganda. After the Charlie Hebdo killings the following exchange happened.
And there you have it folks. If it looks like a Vulture, talks like a vulture, and says vulture like things, then it probably is a vulture.
For more on what I mean I would recommend that you read this opinion piece by Hamid Dabashi.
He says it far better than I ever could.
"Is it too late now to say sorry?" from Sorry.
This one isn't that hard to relate to. The vast majority of us were so distracted by the events in Paris that we turned a blind eye to other tragic events that happened around the world. For those of you that do not know, I shall tell you of the people you failed to pray for.
The Japanese: There was an earthquake off the coast Japan on Friday. It measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale, luckily there was no major damage or loss of life. Now, thank God/Allah (Buddha, the universe, the grass, your penis, whatever God you pray to whenever you tweet #prayforsomewhere) that it was off the coast and not on the island. People didn't die, and this too is a reason for prayer.
Beirut: There was a twin suicide bombing there that killed 40 on Thursday but we were silent. Not a hashtag trended and not a was building lit in solidarity. Also Facebook's I'm safe button wasn't activated.
Borno: Things are terrible there, but to be honest I haven't tweeted #prayers towards Borno in months. Nigerians weren't too pleased about their brethren ignoring the tragic events happening within their border and praying for people who share neither language nor passport.
Baghdad: 26 people were killed and dozens left wounded when a suicide bomber detonated himself at a memorial service held for a Shiite militia fighter killed in battle against the Islamic State on Friday. The attack was carried out by the Islamic State. This story was also largely ignored by the media.
I am sorry for having Western tinted goggles when looking at the news. I will endeavour to leave them off my face in the future.
"Like Baby, Baby, Baby No!" From the record breaking Beiber hit, Baby.
After Paris. 'We need to snap out of our multicultural fantasies'. Me in the Telegraph today: https://t.co/FFDziGXdu9
— Douglas Murray (@DouglasKMurray) November 14, 2015
That article is incredibly divisive, and division isn't something that the world needs right now. If Islam is presented as incompatible with Europe then you put several Muslims at risk of violence, persecution and hatred. It is both uncalled for and unnecessary. As journalists we have to think about the consequences of our words, and I don't think that his were very well considered.Over the weekend there was a suspicious fire in a Mosque in Peterborough in Canada that caused about $80,000 worth of damage. We have a right to free speech but we mustn't abuse that right. There is power in the letters we use. We must be responsible.
"It's a cruel world" from As Long as You Love me.
That's how I feel about everything really. France looks to be committed to an all out war against IS, and over the course of this crusade there will be casualties. We can't say how many, but we know that the dead will number hundreds or even thousands. This is sad. War is sad.
"The sky's our point of view" also from As Long as You Love me.
This should be how we think about the world. When it comes down to it, we are all human and death means something. All massacres matter regardless of where they are. The safe will always owe the the unsafe their empathy if not their sympathy and our empathy should never be bound by geography.
Happy Days,
Afam
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