Thursday, 7 May 2020

Don’t Look Away: Why Ahmaud Arbery’s Tragedy Must Be Addressed Head On

The unfortunate truth is that even in our ability to retreat into ignorance, we betray the disparity in our experiences and the systemic injustice in our culture.

This morning we ran an important piece by my friend John Richards. John grew up in the same town as Ahmaud Arbery and what he is saying needs to be heard. Below is a reflection from Andrew MacDonald, who works with me at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. Those of us in places of privilege need to stand alongside our friends who are singled out because of their race, faith, gender, socio-economic status, etc. We must continue to fight for justice and pray for those who are victimized for any reason.

For many in America, responding to the seemingly-endless shootings of African Americans has become a horrific form of muscle memory. After yet another tragedy like the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery occurs, we see similar patterns: an initial burst of reporting, followed quickly by social media commentary, followed by think-pieces across various platforms, followed by social media commentary on the think-pieces.

Within a week, however, the entire matter is tied up nicely and everyone is able to move on. Most of us forget as we return to being engrossed in our lives, only to be thrust back into this cycle when another new shooting is jarring enough to penetrate the blaring noise of our daily news-cycle.

The fact that Arbery was killed in February and many didn’t know until May speaks to our dependence upon images to incite response—a dependency that, as many have pointed out, dehumanizes victims and establishes a bar of proof we don’t demand of others.

Moreover, the fact that only images push us to take seriously these stories underlines the frenetic nature of our media landscape. So few stories not drenched in the political and culture wars theming our day are able to rise above the chaos to capture our attention. ...

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from Christianity Today Magazine https://ift.tt/2yCUOgL

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