The past few days have really given me voice to say something that's been building in me for a long time. Where is our compassion?
Over the weekend, there was a tragic incident at the Cincinnati Zoo in which a beautiful gorilla named, Harambe was shot to death because a small child had breached the enclosure and was in potential danger with the gorilla, who at first seemed gentle with the child. Zoo officials and others who are experts at this sort of thing said the zoo had no real choice because to not act was putting the child's life in grave danger. Because I am not an expert, unlike so many arm chair "experts" on social media, I accept what they say. It's sad and tragic, but I have to accept it and Lord knows I typically like animals more than most people, but I accept the loss.
What gets me is the huge vitriol that has been stirred up against this boy's mother. Maybe before spending some time lately with a toddler, I might have been one of the townspeople carrying a torch, but my experience has changed my perspective. Here's a newsflash:
Toddlers move fast and they're curious and we sometimes turn our head's for just a second and that's all it takes.
Lighten up, people! Accidents happen. Are we so ready to vilify anyone we perceive as imperfect that this is our only course of action? We want to burn this woman at the stake?
What I find most disturbing about this is that many of the people I see causing this uproar are our very own liberals. I understand it when conservatives do this, it's kind of what they do. The liberals are supposed to be the compassionate ones. We feed the hungry, go to yoga and say "namaste". I guess "namaste" means save the animals, but fuck the humans!
I'm starting to understand why Donald Trump is leading in the polls to become our next President of the United States. If the uproar over this accident is any indication of the kind of President we deserve, maybe it is him.
Maybe I'm the one who doesn't belong here anymore.
