Is there logic behind the mass coverage of Brussels attacks in comparison to Lahore?

We need to stop judging people for expressing support

#Brussels #Lahore #Istanbul #Ankara #UK #western #bias

Ever since the attacks on Paris in November, there seems to be an unrelenting stream of people discussing the unfairness of the media. 

And those who show their support on social media are criticized for having no care for anywhere outside of Europe when it comes to these devastating attacks.

I agree that all lives matter, and everyone deserves the same amount of respect. An untimely and painful death of any kind is a tragedy and my heart goes out to anyone who suffers at the hands of terrorism, however this Western bias is, most of the time, not a result of racism, and it’s something that I do understand.

The attacks on Paris and Brussels shook the people of the UK. And yes, there was definitely more coverage of it in the news than that of Ankara or Lahore, because, as horrible as all of those tragedies were, Paris and Brussels are much closer to home. Many British people have visited Paris and Brussels, they are each around an hour away and the reality of it is that if something like that could happen there, we are much more scared that it could happen here.

This could definitely be seen as a selfish attitude to take towards the problem. However, the outcry of people showing their support for the victims of the Brussels attacks, and not mentioning attacks in Istanbul last week, is most often not because of the colour of the victim’s skin, but of shock and fear. As appalled as they may be by attacks on Istanbul, or Pakistan, an attack on somewhere within the EU that is so close to England is bound to have an effect.

A life is a life, and whether it is near or far, they should all be mourned equally. I am devastated for anyone who has lost their own life or a family member due to terrorism, and for those who choose to show their support on social media – great. However I don’t think it is fair to condemn those who expressed their shock at what happened in Brussels last week, or Paris in November, as uncaring or racist. These attacks hit them harder because Brussels is a place that we as a country feel closer to. This is similar to the way that a death in the family or someone that you were acquainted with hits you harder than the death of somebody down the road from you – although you are saddened by their death and want to offer their family all the support that you can, you will naturally react to the death of someone that you knew in a different way.

Equally, if anybody has friends or family in Lahore or Turkey, they will possibly be more upset about these attacks than the one in Brussels. People’s stance on this is all about perspective, and I think it’s important that people stop turning on and judging others for the ways in which they express shock and support for the victims.