Je Suis Nigeria

The international response to the horrific events of last week in France has been over-wheming, and moving. From world leaders to movie stars to average citizens, the cry has been one of unity in the face of terrorism. Muslim, Jew, Christian, Atheist, etc. have spoken out in solidarity that violence is never the answer, and freedom is worth protecting. The rallying cry has been "Je Suis Charlie" in honor of Charlie Hebdo, the satirical newspaper where the violence began. This response has been powerful, justified, and good.

But...

At the same time last week, there was a terrorist attack on several villages in Northern Nigeria. As many as 2,000 people were killed: men, women, children, babies. If you watched major news outlets last week, you might not have caught this "smaller" story. "As many as 2000 have been killed in Nigeria by terrorists. Now, back to the top story of the day where 17 have been killed in France by terrorists." This should cause us to pause, and ponder, and ask a few questions:

How much are we allowing the "news" (I use that term loosely) to guide our emotions and responses?
Why is noone asking why the President hasn't been to Nigeria, but they all want to know why he hasn't been to France?
Do we value particular human life above other human life?
Are we simpy desensitized to violence in certain parts of the world?
Do we care about France because it is "too close to home", but not care about Nigeria because it's "not about us"?
How much does race play a role in this? Class? Religious intolerance?