I was going to write this blog post about U.S.
humanitarian aid. Coming into this discussion, my views were resolute and cynical, and I was insistent that U.S. aid, from both
governmental and not for profit agencies, was something that did more harm than
good.
In doing research on aid, however, I discovered the Syrian crisis.
By “discovered” I do not mean to say that I was
unaware that something was happening in a place called Syria. I knew that that was so, but that was all that I knew. Through subsequent research, I was repeatedly
beaten down by my ignorance. At the risk
of sounding melodramatic, that is actually what it felt like: a mental beating
in which the weapon of choice was my own (national and ethnic) privilege. Before “discovering” Syria, I would have said
that the U.S. needs to dramatically change or reduce its aid efforts. Now, however, I realize that that view reflects my
ability to disconnect myself from others' problems.
I once heard that when people are confronted by
their privilege, they go through something analogous to the seven stages of grief. The first four stages apply to my
understanding of Syria:
1. Shock and Denial
In my other course this semester, I learned about
the war in Bosnia for the first time.
My professor mentioned Syria a few times
and cited some of the figures about what is currently happening, but I did nothing
to learn more. Syria was in the
periphery.
2. Pain and Guilt
Then, this week, I actually took the time to read a
few news articles about the crisis. I
learned that over 90,000 people have been killed and almost two million have
been displaced; about half of the population of Syria is currently in need of
aid. I was so frustrated by the fact
that although I pride myself on being someone who is aware of what is happening
in the world, I allowed myself to be completely ignorant of immense
suffering. I did not educate myself, and
I took no action. I realize just how
small and comfortable my “world” really is.
3. Anger and Bargaining
Then I got angry at the United States, the source of
my privilege and ignorance. First, I was
angry that the system is set up in such a way that if I do not have access to
information or choose to ignore it, that I can be so unaware of something that
is so immensely critical and could lead to yet another regional war – one that
the U.S. would almost certainly be involved with. Additionally, this week, the U.S. government
pledged 300 million additional dollars to Syria and neighboring countries,
bringing the total U.S. government assistance to the Syrian humanitarian crisis
to over 814 million dollars. I am angry
that I do not know how much the government is spending and where it is going,
which speaks to greater issues beyond just this crisis and spending on
aid. Second, I am angry at the U.S.
government and national media for what seems to be biased and sensationalist
information.
4. Depression, Reflection, and Loneliness
Really, I was ashamed of myself and my lack of
knowledge. The U.S. has been at war in
the Middle East for more than half of my lifetime; yet, until yesterday, I
would not have been able to point out Syria on a map. I was unaware of the cause or reasoning
behind all of the killing and displacement. Bashar al-Assad who? Subsequently, I also did not know that Syria
was part of the Arab Spring; in fact, I would not have been able to (and still
cannot) name the countries involved in the Arab Spring or what that even means
exactly. Additionally, I am worried,
because if I am so unaware of these things, then there are probably many, many
more young Americans who are in the same position, or worse. Actually, like I said in class, if it weren’t
for Facebook and my CNN app, I would know absolutely nothing about this
situation or other uprisings in places like Turkey or Brazil. That is so frustrating to me, but I don’t
know what other actions to take other than to lock myself away in the library
for the rest of the summer to catch up with world events. Even then, where would that leave me?
I don’t know what to make of Syria, or even
humanitarian aid for that matter, but I do know that global unrest is only
going to get worse, and our generation will be the ones to deal with it. We can no longer allow ourselves to be
ignorant of things like the Syrian crisis.
**In the roughly three and a half minutes it took to
read this post, almost fifty-five people were displaced or became a new refugee
somewhere in the world.
