“Terrorist”

There’s been a terror attack in Tel Aviv. I am sending prayers for peace and warm wishes for comfort to the victims’ loved ones. People were simply out enjoying a meal at a popular restaurant with their family and friends, just like any one of us would do on a lovely summer Wednesday night.

I think what adds to the tragedy of this attack, is knowing that most of the world will hear this news with a different set of ears, and a different set of eyes and judgment than if it had happened elsewhere. I don’t claim to know and understand the full spectrum of the double standard, but it exists and it’s time to address it.

When I went to CNN.com to learn details of the situation, I noticed the headlines and the body of the article included quotation marks around the word, “terrorists.” Those four tiny little marks send a very loud message. I’m not quite sure what that very loud message was meant to be, but I do know that it was a message I received in anger and confusion. CNN does not make typos. It’s CNN.

I did some research and some say, “If no one has claimed responsibility, or if an independent party didn’t validate the facts, sometimes newspapers put quotes.”

Personally, I would assume that is why we have the word “possible.” (without quotes.) But since I’m not a fan of making up or assuming intentions, @CNN, perhaps you can share with us your reasoning? Because in this case, those four little marks feel pretty insensitive given the circumstance. They devalue and diminish the enormity of what has happened.

Beyond the quotations, perhaps another reason for the double standard is that tonight is not the first attack in Israel. Sadly, I’m afraid that it will not be the last. Have we just become too desensitized to connect to the fact that terror is terror no matter where? The unimaginable nightmare of fear, pain, chaos and anxiety it stirs within a community…whether it is Paris or Tel Aviv is the same.

Tonight’s tragedy is a sobering reminder of how powerfully persuasive the media can be when it comes to our perspectives on this world. Thankfully, in being here – I don’t have to rely on the news to let me know what the reality is. The reality is that being in Israel reminds me to never to take the gift of peace for granted. It also reminds me that we can’t have peace until we all value it as something worth “fighting” for. ‪#‎TerrorisTerror‬ and ‪#‎LoveIsLove‬. ‪#‎Israel‬‪#‎TelAviv‬