My Thoughts On Paris And The Refugees (WARNING – SOAPBOX SPEECH AHEAD)

…So, I thought I should go ahead and talk about what happened yesterday, the senseless violence, the terror spread to millions, and the resulting backlash. I’m not gonna go into detail about what happened, but if you’re online, you probably know that, yesterday, there were a number of coordinated attacks on Paris. Last I heard, 129 people were left dead as a result. The current word is that these attacks were orchestrated by ISIS, but I should note that I don’t know that for a fact or if they’ve even claimed responsibility. Maybe they have and I just missed it, or maybe it’s just people looking for someone to blame, but that’s the word making the rounds.

Regardless, I want everyone to know that I feel absolutely horrible for the people of Paris who have had to go through this terrifying event. I’d also like to point out how impressed and proud I am of the worldwide out-pour of support for Paris and France. Several locations had their lights changed to resemble the French flag, including the Sydney Opera House, the One World Trade Center, the Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square, and Mexico’s Senado de la República. Myself and SEVERAL others have had our icons and profile pictures on Facebook and Twitter changed to add a filter coloured like the French flag (although, on a dare, I put it over the LGBT filter I’d already had on my Twitter icon, lol). Also, I actually couldn’t help but notice that the song “Do You Hear The People Sing?” from Les Misérables was trending on Twitter. And obviously, I understand why. “It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again”. I think that applies to fear as well, and the desire to not be slaves to fear, to not surrender to it.

All of that is great… … …and then came the people pointing fingers at Muslim refugees in Paris, and I thought “Here we go again”…Well, I thought THAT first. Then I brought up the idea for a picture of Ms. Marvel hugging Asterix (which, if anyone wants to steal that idea, go right ahead), and then I started thinking of The Drumhead, and then finally I decided to spend the rest of the night off of social media. To everyone who has been suggesting that all nations need to close their borders or more attacks like these will happen, I have a couple of things to say. First off, it’s easy for us to point fingers at these people until you actually stop and think for a second and realize that most of them fled their old homes to get away from this exact kind of bullshit. Secondly, speaking of The Drumhead…

As well as…

One of the advantages of being a honking nerd is having access to so many relatable quotes. And he’s not even my favourite Captain in Star Trek. 😛 But yeah, ultimately, that’s the price of freedom. When you give freedom to everyone, you run this risk, that someone with bad intentions could slip through the cracks. However, when you limit freedom to a certain group of people….well, then it’s not really freedom anymore, is it? It’s called being careful and cautious. You can do that and still have freedom, it’s just a matter of finding the right balance. Is this easy? God help us, no. Really, it just comes down to a simple question: Is it worth finding that balance? Me personally, I would say yes. In fact, if I may make an assumption and thus risk making an ass out of myself, I’d say that a lot of people would. Just know that it won’t be an easy endeavour, but that just because it won’t be easy doesn’t mean you should be willing to give up at the first sign of trouble.

…The last thing I wanna say…well, okay, not exactly say, but touch on, is the current situation right now with ISIS, and whether or not this will lead to war. I don’t really have the words to deal with that right now. Fortunately, as I’ve indicated earlier, I know plenty of people who do, one in particular. And, keep in mind, this is not directed at either side of the conflict any more than the other.

Some people ask why I indulge in escapist and speculative fiction. I-I just don’t know what to tell them. lol Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter. Lemme know your own thoughts, although please try to avoid starting a political argument. Above all, however, I hope that you all at least consider my thoughts and opinions on this going forward from here on out. Ja né!