jamieaziz-dcglobaltv-blog

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Life and Death the Reality of Education

Here we are again. Once again the faces of young victims and their grief stricken family and friends are splashed across the media as the nation morns yet another mass shooting at a school. Again people raise up their hands in anger and frustration while the politicians, the media, and the masses offer up thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families, thoughts and prayers but not action. These shootings have become so common in the United States that the responses of the people, the politicians, and the media have become almost routine, and the people are no longer surprised to see them in the daily news. The shock factor is gone, it has become just one of the risks young people are expected to assume while attempting to obtain an education.

The story of this shooting is so similar to previous shootings if you took out the names, dates, and locations, it would be nearly impossible to determine which mass school shooting is being discussed. The shooter, a teenaged white male who frequented white supremacy websites and posted comments praising Hitler and Trump, and comments glorifying violence and guns, armed with a feeling of entitlement, and combined with a recent rejection from a female classmate who was repeatedly harassed or stalked by the shooter; angry, embarased, and entitled, he takes to the school for revenge against those who failed to recognize his privilege. The school shooter profile is so specific the only thing surprising about the shooters is that the FBI and local police were not aware of the threat.

This shooting however, has an additional element, the US is not alone in mourning the loss of these students. Sabika Sheikh a Pakistani exchange student was among the victims. Her death has resulted in a great many comparisons, a young Pakistani girl shot in a high profile attack while trying to receive an education. The media has begun to compare her to Malala Yousafzai, and they fear that unlike Malala she will be forgotten.

The sad reality is that Sabika will likely be forgotten, not out of hypocracy, but out of the very different circumstances. The first notable difference is that Sabika was not an activist before the shooting, the attack was not politically motivated to silence her, and it was not even primarily directed at her. Sabika was a victim but not a specific target. This muddies the attempts of mourners to make her a symbol of the political movement against school shootings in America.

The second notable difference is that unfortunately, unlike Malala, Sabika did not survive the shooting. Those who do not survive are often forgotten, while it is the survivors who receive public attention to speak about a cause. Malala reminds people of what happened to her everyday, just by existing, when people see her they remember. Sabika's image will fade from the media, and without her presence to reignite the memory, eventually people will forget. This dynamic remains even when we look at previous school shootings in America, there have been so many victims, we recall how many were shot at each location, we remember the shooters, but tragically the names of the victims are lost to the public memory. Most people would have trouble remember the name or the story of any particular victim from the previous shootings, the dead have become a number, and their stories forgotten by a public so routinely confronted with these losses they are numb to the pain of the victims or feel helpless in the face of so much loss. If the people of Pakistan want Sabika remembered they must take up the effort of keeping her in the public eye, she will be remembered if she becomes a symbol for change.

#schoolshooting #SantaFe #GunViolence #remember #Parkland #TexasShooting #FliridaShooting #Guns #GunControl #Sabika #SabikaSheikh #Pakistan #Karachi #America #Education #WhiteSupremacists #Incel #Mentalillness #Malala #MalalaYousafzai #DavidHogg #EmmaGonzalez #Atchison #ThoughtsAndPrayers

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"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special." - Stephen Hawking "One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away." - Stephen Hawking Often called the greatest mind of our time Stephen Hawkins was humble about his brilliance and eternal in his optimism in the capacity of humanity. He looked to the stars and applied the wisdom he unraveled from the universe to all of human existence. He had a profound influence on humanity and the accessibility of his work had a profound influence on my own understanding of life and the universe. He was loved and he will be greatly missed. #StephenHawking #restinpeace #physics #theuniverse #humanity

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It’s raining hard in Washington, DC today, so I decided to share these three beautiful paintings by my husband @SardarArts. They are oil on canvas and a part of his DC in the Rain series. These paintings can brighten up any rainy day and give it a touch of romance instead of gloom. Two of these are currently hanging in my living room, the third was sold. It is always bitter sweet when he sells a painting I have come to love.

Have a happy Saturday and may the Rain bring you more romance than gloom.