When I was 21 I quit my Masters program, packed up and headed to the states by myself on my OE.  I initially spent three months as an au pair in California before I headed south-east to Florida where I would remain for three years – and meet my future husband for the first time.

I really consider these years in the south to be the most formative, and some of the best in my life so far.  I met so many amazing people, many of whom I consider to be some of my best friends, people with beliefs and backgrounds so fundamentally different to my own that there were certain subjects that could never, ever be broached for fear of our differences coming between our friendship.

One of these people is a lovely guy, ex-military, very far right-conservative {whereas I am an Obama loving liberal!}.  A couple of weeks ago he posted a video on FB showing IS soldiers torturing tiny naked babies, probably murdering them but there is no way I could watch until the end.  I didn’t choose to watch this btw, Facebook’s autoplay feature was enabled so I glimpsed enough to bring me to tears before I was able to hide this obscene footage from my timeline.

I have thought about this every day.  It shreds my heart a little more each time I think of what those sick bastards are doing over there.  I wholeheartedly support the USA in their efforts to obliterate this terrorist threat that is recruiting soldiers from every corner of this world.  I am proud that the New Zealand Prime Minister is committing troops to the war effort – we don’t have military so they can sit around twiddling their thumbs after all!  I am aware.  I watch the news daily, I read the papers daily, I KNOW what those sick f*cks are doing to women, children and other innocent civilians.  My head is not in the sand.

What I do not need, is to see my friends post videos of women being stoned to death and babies being murdered.

No-one in the world should have to bear witness to the murder of another human being.  No-one.

I should not have to witness this via trivial, arbitrary social media.  Reposting footage of someones death, even in times of war is no different to watching a snuff film – except it’s free.  Death is not cheap.  Life is not cheap.  Sharing these videos does not increase peoples ‘awareness’ of the issues, all it does is numb us all , relegating someones life to a measure equal to grumpy cat and ice bucket challenges.

You were almost incensed by my message to you, in which I implored you to stop posting these videos, suggesting I unfriend you.

So I have.  I know you don’t care, that you see me as ‘close-minded’ or whatever.

You’re still my friend, just not on Facebook x

Comments

comments