Understanding the Similarities

In Miriam Ticktin’s, What’s Wrong with Innocence, I was able to understand some of the deeper roots of sympathy and reasons for political and personal apathy. Ticktin emphasizes how innocence can often strike a cord in many people when it comes to feeling sympathy, additionally she makes note that appearance matters and allows for a gateway to guilt. In today’s incredibly public and social world I believe a person needs to physically see vulnerability, suffering and innocence to act. It is not enough to hear and read about the matter anymore, one must see a young boy like Aylan in order to act. This puts a huge pressure and trust in the media when it comes to understand the severity of a global crisis. I think a great example is the American and Mexico border crisis. I hear less and less accounts of why people are fleeing to America from Mexico and their stories. But perhaps if come tomorrow there was photos and articles emphasizing the vulnerability and inability to live a life in Mexico people would immediately not only feel more vested in such a conflict, but also feel more sympathetic. As Tickin mentions, “focusing on these exceptional cases deflects attention from the real problems that lead to such mass movements of people.” We live in a country who is notorious for focusing on the crimes, and ill standings Mexican will have in America. But clearly there is deeper issues forcing Mexicans, and many others to leave their home. Instead of waiting to hear about the exceptional cases, we have to remember real people like us have very similar and very pressing needs.