Is There a Better Way to Respond to Domestic Terror Attacks?

One of the most frustrating things after tragedies like yesterday’s attack in Dallas or Orlando’s Pulse nightclub shooting is seeing all…

One of the most frustrating things after tragedies like yesterday’s attack in Dallas or Orlando’s Pulse nightclub shooting is seeing all the impotent, narcissistic posts people rush to publish in the aftermath.

It’s like people say to themselves: “Only my heartbreakingly-poignant tweet will help the nation make sense of all this madness. Without my vague, hallow lament beseeching anyone within digital earshot ‘to come together as a community’ and ‘love each other’ how will our society heal itself?”

The self-indulgent, overly-simplistic mini-lectures about the causes of our problems and how we can fix them are stale to the point of being nausea-inducing. It’s mental health. It’s guns. It’s video games. It’s this. It’s that. There’s not much difference between playing armchair sociologist and sending “thoughts and prayers.”

It does no one any good.

If all of us care so much why don’t we actually do something? Instead of praying and posting, how about we stand up and act? Social media can be a starting point for change but if we don’t act it’s all just talk, talk, talk.

This article from Paste Magazine sums it up my feelings pretty well: To Hell With Social Media Activism.