Post by themoneytree on Sept 2, 2015 20:41:36 GMT -5
It's all over Facebook. I don't know how to feel about it. I don't want to see it either but that child deserves to be seen. It's heartbreaking beyond measure.
Earlier today the Washington Post had a "warning, disturbing photos are attached to this story" blurb that you had to click through in order to see those pictures, but by this afternoon they were on the front page of the online edition. I read the article, but I didn't want to see the photos.
Post by imojoebunny on Sept 2, 2015 21:01:16 GMT -5
I saw it this morning. It was posted by a friend of mine who is from Greece. I did not realize the extent of the problem of people fleeing Syria, 2M people.
And The Donald want to waste money building a wall to keep people out. Yeah, people are willing to die to get out of the hell they live in. A wall is a joke. My friends 9 year old DD climbed a 50 foot tall wall today for fun. How tall is this wall suppose to be? Aint nothing compared to, say, Starvation.
I feel selfish because his story should be told but I'm really upset. I don't handle this shit very well. I just wasn't expecting to see that.
Selfish is a good way to describe it. I feel the same way. And I always question whether I'm viewing things like that with the appropriate reflection and respect. I think how would I feel if it were me/my child. Would it be okay that someone was looking at it while drinking their pleasant cup of coffee? What would I want them to do next? You know? Very self involved thoughts that typically ultimately lead to me not looking/viewing, but reading a lot.
I saw it this morning. It was posted by a friend of mine who is from Greece. I did not realize the extent of the problem of people fleeing Syria, 2M people.
And The Donald want to waste money building a wall to keep people out. Yeah, people are willing to die to get out of the hell they live in. A wall is a joke. My friends 9 year old DD climbed a 50 foot tall wall today for fun. How tall is this wall suppose to be? Aint nothing compared to, say, Starvation.
Not 2 million. 9 million displaced Syrians. Most of them children.
There are a lot of different number out there. 2-3M seems to be the number that have fled to other countries. syrianrefugees.eu
Post by LeggsBenedict on Sept 2, 2015 21:44:51 GMT -5
the nightly news opened with one of the pictures, and then later showed it again but that time with a warning. like, great thanks, but you already showed me.
Note, some are supporting Syria per se (though very minimally, it's incredibly complicated to send humanitarian convoys in country, and most are not allowed by guidelines of the org, they must ensure the safety of their staff above all) but many others are supporting neighboring countries with welcoming and supporting migrant refugees in other countries.
Note, some are supporting Syria per se (though very minimally, it's incredibly complicated to send humanitarian convoys in country, and most are not allowed by guidelines of the org, they must ensure the safety of their staff above all) but many others are supporting neighboring countries with welcoming and supporting migrant refugees in other countries.
I haven't seen it, but read the story of the refugee selling pens to feed his daughter.
How can we help? Is there a good, reputable organization to donate to? My heart breaks for these people.
I work for a nonprofit that provides mentoring, educational opportunities (most have never been in formal schooling before), and counseling to new refugee girls. We have a bunch of new Syrian girls. There are several US based agencies you could give to, some that support solely Syrians and others that work with refugees from all over the world. I can PM you a list tomorrow if you would like.
Wanting a warning so you can look away? Fine. Seeing the image and wishing you hadn't? Ok. Thinking that they shouldn't have been shown in the first place, regardless of whether you even saw them? Stop it.
I can get behind wishing people wouldn't post them to FB, just for the slactivism piece of it. That's almost always hollow voyeurism, IMO.
Note, some are supporting Syria per se (though very minimally, it's incredibly complicated to send humanitarian convoys in country, and most are not allowed by guidelines of the org, they must ensure the safety of their staff above all) but many others are supporting neighboring countries with welcoming and supporting migrant refugees in other countries.
Thank you for these.
Knowing that this might sound too used car salesman 1am infomercial - truly really, any little bit helps.
Unfortunately Syria, like many other refugee communities, suffer from donor exhaustion. Syria started with an incredible handicap given it's political situation (that continues) but any refugee community has 6-12 months of "attention span" from donor aid perspective. The US based iNGOs all exhausted the USAID money that was originally allotted for this crisis, as have other foreign countries done the same thing, even if the UN, WFP and others are constantly increasing their ask from the international community. that said, because there's so much ask, the money is just decreasing, simple as that. The private sector has stepped up, particularly those with Middle East businesses, but not enough to cover the continuous cost to cover this extraordinary humanitarian aid effort.
INGOs are struggling. Especially with this crisis that requires so much. and whose attention has dwindled since it first started four years ago, regardless of our tremendous efforts to keep screaming about it front and center.
Wanting a warning so you can look away? Fine. Seeing the image and wishing you hadn't? Ok. Thinking that they shouldn't have been shown in the first place, regardless of whether you even saw them? Stop it.
I can get behind wishing people wouldn't post them to FB, just for the slactivism piece of it. That's almost always hollow voyeurism, IMO.
If I am reading an article I expect to see the pictures. When I am flipping through Facebook and looking at stupid memes it is just a shock to the system.
I admit, I'm feeling like an asshole right now. Please don't take my comments as a any disrespect.
sorry, Puddle. I was actually trying to agree with you. I've been hearing that no one should be publishing the photos, which is what I have a problem with. Don't feel like an asshole on my account!
Wanting a warning so you can look away? Fine. Seeing the image and wishing you hadn't? Ok. Thinking that they shouldn't have been shown in the first place, regardless of whether you even saw them? Stop it.
I can get behind wishing people wouldn't post them to FB, just for the slactivism piece of it. That's almost always hollow voyeurism, IMO.
Yes, I agree. Unlike that Daily News cover of the newsanchor's last moments (exploitation to sell papers) this is actually bringing news to light in a way that many (most?) people didn't understand before.
Post by underwaterrhymes on Sept 2, 2015 23:12:24 GMT -5
It's heartbreaking, but it's necessary.
We have, as a society, turned our backs on our fellow humans so many times. What would the course of history have looked like if we'd seen images like this during the Holocaust or the Rwandan genocide? Would we have intervened sooner? Could we have saved more people?
These refugees need us to see them and to know what is happening and to care about them.
I give the people reporting on this a hell of a lot of credit. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to maintain the kind of disconnect that is necessary to report on this. They're doing a tremendous service that often goes overlooked.
Note, some are supporting Syria per se (though very minimally, it's incredibly complicated to send humanitarian convoys in country, and most are not allowed by guidelines of the org, they must ensure the safety of their staff above all) but many others are supporting neighboring countries with welcoming and supporting migrant refugees in other countries.
Thank you. I did some googling the other day (after seeing the #buypens story) but it was hard to tell who was legit and really in the thick of trying to aid the refugees.
My fear with showing this extreme (and very much real) situation is... What's next?
If it was needed to resort to this to get people to notice (and trust that many have actively been continuing sharing the Syrian crisis, including featuring the Children of Syria), and by next week everyone forgets, what's next?
I need dinner with you soon to discuss this very topic. We were just discussing this the other night and what it means re: the sensitivity of the global audience.
These pictures are all over the news in most European countries. No way to avoid them and we shouldn't.
Because of them, people are finally reacting, collecting clothes etc for these people in most cities in Europe. Because of the pressure, countries are changing their policies on refugees. This morning, I read in the newspaper that the Czech Republic is opening its borders/railway stations to let people from Syria in. European leaders are finally working together to find a way to care for them as a group and not leaving them behind on beaches in Italy and Greece.