Speak Up!

"Sunset at the White House, Fences still up from the inauguration stands" by Ted Eytan

Trump, Putin, Ukraine, Israel, Refugees, War, Death…

It is so easy to turn your TV on and flick away from the news. It is so easy to scroll past an article on Facebook. It is so easy to ignore what is going on when it isn't right next to you.

With all the terror, hatred and pain in the world at the moment, it's easy to understand why people want to escape. Throwing themselves into award season, Twitter feuds, celebrity gossip and more, we try to avoid the reality around us.

A few months ago, Facebook was flooded with articles about refugees, discussing how horrible the situation is, that something "should be done to help." Months before that we changed our Facebook pictures to show the french flag, we shared hashtags to support others in their time of need. Yet now, now we see people being attacked in the street for their sexuality, told to "go home" because of the colour of their skin or the difference in their voice.

Where did the solidarity go?

We cannot pretend that these things are not happening, we cannot choose which wars to put as front page news and which to push to the back. We may choose to stay silent in an attempt to avoid comment, yet our silence is the loudest comment we could make. Those who believe that there is no need to speak because others will do it for you, that time is over!

Every single voice counts and right now we are letting the cries of hatred fill the silence. It is time to speak up!