It was good news that the "Westerners" that were kidnapped in Egypt were freed.For those who missed the story (let's be honest - in amongst the death of capitalism it is easy to miss the other things happening in the world) 5 Italians, 5 Germans, 1 Romanian and 8 Egyptians were kidnapped and they were freed after the Italian Special Forces combined with local law enforcement to free them. The Egyptians are adamant that no ransom was paid.
What pisses me off most about the whole scenario is that every news bulletin I have heard (including the BBC, DW and my beloved ABC) and every newspaper headline I have seen celebrates the release of the '11 Kidnapped Westerners'. Even Al Jazeera's headline is "Freed Tourists Arrive in Cairo".
I understand that the Egyptians were "only" the guides. They were "only" there because they were paid for their services but don't they count?
Haven't their families and friends been just as concerned/worried/grieving as those of the "westerners"? Aren't their lives just as valuable? Do they not count because they aren't "western", or is it because they are Muslim, or because it happened in their own country?
It is an outrage that this sort of blatant racism is perpetuated in this day and age by the leading news services of the world.
3 comments:
Quite right, MM
It is awful...and a sad fact that all the mainstream news do it :(
I don't think it's racism, just disinterestedness. People living in other countries don't pay attention to every kidnapping/crime that takes place in Australia.
HOWEVER, if a bunch of kangaroos kidnapped some Mexican tourists, people in Mexico would want to hear that story. It relates to them.
Having fellow country-men (or women) in danger sells ad space.
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