On Tragedies, Death, and What Is Normal

Today, two bombs went off in Boston killing three people and injuring over a hundred more. The perpetrator has yet to be caught or identified, but this is a horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to all those who have suffered from this.

...And, yet, I can't help but think of elsewhere. Yes, this is a horrible tragedy, but, elsewhere, this is, well, normal. Things like this happen every day. In Iraq, there were several bombings today all across the country killing far more people than the one in Boston. In Somalia, there was an attack on its capital today. We all heard of the bombing in Boston, but who heard about the one that went off in Thailand? We all are shocked by the deaths in Boston, but what about the one in Mali? People call for justice for the person who set this off, yet why don't we do that for the one that went off in Afghanistan? All of these happened in the same day. All of these had at least the death toll of the one in Boston, and many had a much higher death toll, but only the one in Boston got coverage all day, with speculations from conspiracy nuts of it being a false flag operation and calls for retribution. Why is it that this one is so special?

Some might say it's because it hit close to home, and, while there's certainly some truth to that, but there was a ton of news coverage of the Madrid train bombings in 12004 HE, and that's certainly not close to home. However, they are more close than Afghanistan or Mali culturally and their seen as allies. That's certainly an element, but there's more to it.

Others might say that it was because of the civilians involved, but the victims in the bombing in Afghanistan were all civilians, as were many of the victims in the one in Iraq and Somalia. So, no, it's not because of civilians, unless people don't count them as civilians.

So what do I suspect? Well, in places like Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, or even Mali or Thailand, such attacks are more, well, normal.  In Boston, bombs blowing up in the streets is likely a once in a lifetime ordeal while, in Baghdad, it's a daily occurrence. People don't think it's special when a bomb goes off in someplace like Iraq because there are always bombs going off in Iraq. What's a tragedy here is normal there, and that is the true tragedy.

Rosie DiManno, Rape Culture, and Misandry

For those of you who haven't been keeping up with the news, recently four women sexually assaulted a 19 year old man in Toronto. This is a horrible crime and should be taken seriously. Unfortunately, some are treating this frivolously. Rosie DiManno's article doesn't treat it seriously at all. To her, this is all a joke, apparently. Her article says stuff like,

"They could be sex molls or sex maulers." 

"Last seen teetering around in high heels and short black dresses — typical clubbing attire — their estimated age 30 to 36, so not cougars on the prowl." 

"Of course, one man’s sexual assault is another man’s sexual fantasy come true." 

"Sexual assault, you say? Lucky guy others say, nudge-nudge, a fivesome and didn’t even have to pay for it." 

"Wanted: Bad girls in black minidresses and stilettos, approach with caution."

In addition, she used "allegedly" or "alleged" five times, as well as describing the crime as "purported" and "a bizarre anomaly." She also put assault in quotes when describing it. In addition, she says,

"We do instinctively think of sexual assault as something done to women by men because the stats bear that out: 90 per cent of victims are female and 99 per cent of the offenders are male."

Which is a false statistic. In addition, she has a history of reporting on sexual assault in bad ways.

Of course, she's not alone in this. There were some gems,

"LMFAO THESE WOMEN ARE THIRSTY"

"every mans dream"

"haha Ya ok!!! #callingbullshit"

"He was probably wearing skinny pants and showing off his ass."

"It never entered my mind that it may not have been a real man. As in a man that adores female flesh."

The assault was horrible, but the response made it worse. This is misandry and a result of the rape culture. Men can get raped. There's nothing funny about it. It is not his fault. He was not lucky. These responses were disgusting. I am disappointed in everyone who has responded in this way.