Posts Tagged ‘selective outrage’
So many outrageous events and such a small time-span to tend to them: 7 Minutes Indignation Syndrome: SMIS
Posted by: adonis49 on: April 4, 2016
The selective outrage of Lebanese
Lebenon is a tiny country with so many dailies and magazines (mostly funded by foreign countries) and a dozen TV channels.
In other countries, people tend to local media for their local news. In Lebanon, we have to cover the political spectrum of the entire world and little events that happened in unknown countries.
Like a derailed train that didn’t generate any injuries (simply because we dismantled our train system 5 decades ago)
Like a place of Qatar that was forced to land in Russia because of bad weather.
Not to mention the heavy war events in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya…
Or the elections in every country, however small and insignificant is the country.
Or rerunning the suicide attacks in Belgium and Paris for weeks, knowing that these countries barely covered a single of the suicide bombing that we suffered at a greater scale…
Claude El Khal posted this April 3, 2016 .
How easy it is to be outraged by a stupid comment made by a silly celebrity named Ahlam or by a not-so-clever cartoon published by some Saudi newspaper calling Lebanon a lie.
But what about the 8 years old Lebanese girl that was killed by a stray bullet only a few days ago, because some moron was celebrating something and thought it would be a good idea the fire some shots in the air? Anyone? No? Really?
What about the Ethiopian domestic worker that was found dead in south Lebanon, after allegedly committing suicide by stabbing herself in the throat?
Not to mention the other Ethiopian domestic worker that threw herself off a balcony in north Lebanon, just a few weeks ago. Still nothing? Ok…
Then what about the recently busted Beirut sex slave ring that used and abused underage Syrian girls? Also nothing?
What? These stories don’t inspire patriotic poems vehemently posted on social media? They don’t drive the urge to shout out “I’m proud to be Lebanese” or to sing “koullouna lil watan” in a sunny private garden, before rushing to some chic lunch somewhere?
I’m very sorry but I can’t continue writing any further. I urgently need to find a pharmacy open on Sunday so I can get something, anything, to fight off the overwhelming nausea many of my fellow Lebanese inspire me.
Are you familiar with SMIS? http://claudeelkhal.blogspot.com/…/seven-minutes…
SMIS: Seven Minutes Indignation Syndrome. This new syndrome can be easily diagnosed as most Lebanese suffer from it.
SMIS can only be detected when something shocking, unfair or unjust makes the evening news or creates a buzz on the Internet.
Everyone takes up the cause, raises its flag, and swears he or she will do everything in their power to ensure that this horrendous thing, whatever it is, will never be allowed to happen again.
On Facebook for example, you should never try to reason or debate during a SMIS crisis.
You should keep “liking” until it passes. You can even join the outcry by throwing in some offended comments or be a sycophant and post your own fierce status.
But you should be careful not to overdo it, as the blaze of indignation burns out as fast as it lights up.
You don’t want be the one who keeps ranting, do you?
Seven minutes after the call for revolution, everyone calms down, then simply forgets, until the next crisis comes along, the next shocking, unfair or unjust thing makes the news or creates a buzz.
Of course, between one SMIS crisis and the next, no one does a thing to right the wrongs, and the shocking, unfair and unjust remains as shocking, as unfair and as unjust.
Adonis Diaries 