Mostly Me

A Yazidi rape survivor wants the international community to care about ISIS’s crimes against women

International human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and her client Nadia Murad are teaming up to sue ISIS. "Why is a survivor like me knocking on the door of the International Court of Justice to get justice?“ Murad said.

Gifs: Fusion

Take a facet of crime, and then look at television shows/movies that feature those criminals as protagonists.

White mobs.

White pirates.

White serial killers.

White political corruption

White drug dealers

I mostly want to talk about this as a TV phenomenon, but pick a crime, any crime, and Western media has probably made a movie/TV series/play/etc. with a white person that romanticizes the criminal activity. No matter what, a white person can do whatever terrible crimes and still have a TV/movie fanbase that loves them.

When you see black or brown people committing crimes on screen, you are to see them thugs and criminal masterminds and people to be beat down.

When you see white people committing crimes on screen, you see a three-dimensional portrait of why someone might commit that crime, how criminals are people too, and how you should even love them for the crimes that they commit because they’re just providing for their families or they’ve wronged or they’re just people and not perfect. This is particularly a luxury given to white male characters, since there few white female criminals as protagonists.

If and of the above shows were about black or brown folks, there would be a backlash of (white) people claiming that TV and movies are romanticizing criminals and are treating them too much like heroes and that it will affect viewers and encourage violence and “thuggish” behavior. And yet fictional white criminals get to have a deep fanbase who loves these white criminals, receive accolades and awards, get called amazing television that portray the complexities of human nature. Viewers of these characters see past the atrocious crimes and into their humanity, a luxury that white characters always have while characters of color rarely do. The closest that mainstream TV has come to showing black criminals as main characters is probably The Wire, and even then, the criminals share equal screen time and equal status as main characters as the police trying to stop them.

When rap music started its rise to in popularity in the 80s, it was performed almost exclusively by black people. It and the performers were vilified by the media, people tried to ban it and place restrictions on it. The same reaction they had when Jazz (also invented by black people) rose in popularity, when rock music got popular and now rap music. Notice that these musical styles only go mainstream once they’ve been adopted by white performers.

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https://www.gofundme.com/please-help-save-my-sweet-girl 

 Two days ago I came home to find my cat Fish in serious distress. She was having trouble walking and she wouldn’t lift her head. I immediately took her to an emergency clinic, and after 3 hours there, I was told to transfer her to an intensive care unit. I have been told that it appears that she was born with deformed kidneys and has been living with them for 9 years. She has developed kidney disease because of it. She also has a mass in her left kidney that requires further testing to determine exactly what it is. She’s severely dehydrated and has been on fluids and pain killers. 

 She’s a very tiny cat and has developed a heart murmur, they need to medicate and rehydrate her slowly, so they don’t flood her kidneys and make her condition worse. She has been in the ICU for the last 24 hours, and so far her treatment and care has cost me around $3200 The next 48 hours are going to be around another $3000. 

In the next few weeks Fish will need ongoing tests, medication and medical care. I don’t know how much the next few weeks will cost me, and I can probably handle long term care costs like special food and medicine but this was so sudden and unexpected. 

 I am only 22 years old and any savings I had will be gone. I need the funds as soon as possible, I’ve already had to pay 85% of the immediate costs as a deposit. Fish has been a part of my family for 9 years, since she was 4 weeks old, I raised her myself and I love her more than anything in the world. It’s so hard for me to put into words how important she is to me. And how much I love her. The relationship we have is very special. She has gotten me through middle school, high school and university. She is essentially a therapy cat for me.

 I have had anxiety and depression since I was a child, but having her with me has helped me more than anything else. I am so devastated and I can’t imagine losing her this suddenly (let alone at all). Everyone that has met her knows how sweet and loving she is, and they know what we mean to each other. 

 It is very possible that she can live another 5-10 years with this kidney disease, but for her to be able to live the long life she deserves, she needs this care right now. I am so grateful for anything you are able to donate. I don’t know how else I can pay for the treatment she needs immediately and in the near future and so I am reaching out to anyone who is willing to help. Every little bit will help and I would be so appreciative. thank you so much

 -Haley

https://www.gofundme.com/please-help-save-my-sweet-girl

We all struggle with wanting to do more, but part of the challenge is to recognize our own limitations and maximize what we can do. My advice is to pursue a three-fold strategy: Donate, Educate, Advocate.

DONATE: There are some amazing organizations doing work in Syria and with Syrian refugees. Support them. In particular, those that are started by the Syrian diaspora. One of my favorites is Karam Foundation (www.karamfoundation.org). Others like Sunrise USA (www.sunrise-usa.org) and the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS - www.sams-usa.net) also do great work. All these folks have teams on the ground in Syria and in refugee camps. I would also add the White Helmets (www.whitehelmets.org), an amazing group of volunteer rescue workers inside Syria. Their work is inspirational. Others exist, small and large, so find whatever you are comfortable with.

EDUCATE yourself about the situation in Syria. Read. But do so wisely. In particular, learn what Syrians and people intimately involved with the situation are saying and writing. ISIS is *not* the biggest threat in Syria; the Syrian regime is. Assad is. Don’t fall prey to those who equivocate on this fact. They are either grossly misinformed or willfully advocating for an authoritarian ruler. Equip yourself with information. There are folks like Hadi Abdullah and Leila al-Shami providing witness from on the ground. Find them on social media and follow them.

Other people have been writing on the conflict. Here are a few authors I would recommend: Idrees Ahmad, Robin Yassin-Kassab, Hassan Hassan, Rania Abouzeid, Samar Yazbek, Rami Jarrah, Yassin al-Haj Saleh, Sam Charles Hamad, Fred Hoff, Charles Lister, Moses Brown, Janine di Giovanni and Deborah Amos. They write articles, books, take pictures and some blog. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Read. Then teach others.