My latest for Ricochet on why we mourn for Charlie Hebdo, yet seem to care much less for other far-away tragedies. I understand that proximity plays a role too. For most of us in the West, being rounded up by Nigerian rebels and burned to death is probably not something that keeps us up at night. But a business tower being bombed in a city we live in, or a plane being hijacked, or someone blowing themselves up on a subway we once rode as a tourist? That hits closer to home. That outrage, that grief, that knot in the pit of our stomachs? Sure, that’s empathy. But it’s mainly fear.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:06:33 +0000
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