I Am Done... so Done

[MADem]

29. That's not what the poster is saying. It's like making everything about MEEEEEE instead of giving

a shit about what was going on to the people in the thick of it.

Let me try to give you an example--I have a niece who IS in Paris right now--she's there on business, and it's kind of a big deal for her career, without going into details. I was on the stupid facebook giving her the virtual pat on the back (Yay, we are so proud, etc.) right before all this carnage went down. When the bad news hit, I shit bricks and got back on the facebook to check her status (she very thoughtfully put one up immediately saying "I am fine and was no where near any of the danger areas&quot and we all said "Thank heavens! Stay safe!" and moved on.

I could have spun that into a big old thread about MEEEEEE and my FEEEEELINGS about my CONCERNS, etc., but really--it's not about MEEEE, it's not about my lucky, safe niece, and it IS about a hundred plus grieving families who have to bury their dead and a city that is traumatized--rightfully so, too.

I mean, "I" give a shit about my niece, but she's fine, in her hotel, with her travel companions, and she's OK. It's not about her, nor is it about me. But that is how we tend to process stuff these days--proximity gives people a wrong idea that they have ownership and speak for the pain of those who have been affected, when they don't.

Mourning, or even reflecting on a tragedy, has somehow turned into a team sport.