Genocide in Darfur
“Never again” was
a promise after World War Two to prevent future genocides from happening. Yet,
sixty three years later, genocide is occurring in Darfur,
Sudan. Genocide is the
systematic killing of one category of people by another. This conflict has been
occurring in Darfur since 2003, and was declared
genocide by the House of Representatives unanimously.
The United States, according to the U.S. Department of State, has helped provide 85 percent of the food distributions to Sudan by the World Food Program in 2006 alone. We have also contributed over $220 million since 2004. Though; the mass media in the United States fail to give this genocide the attention it deserves. According to the Tyndall Report, in 2005, the three network nightly newscasts of NBC, CBS, and ABC had a combined coverage time of 26 minutes on the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. While Martha Stewart's legal troubles received 130 minutes of coverage. So, why would such a trivial pop culture event such as Martha Stewart's insider trading overshadow the intentional mass slaughter of fellow human beings? The media has monetary reasons behind its slack of coverage. The media corporations realize they will draw a bigger audience with stories on pop culture, and do so because of the money in advertising. The larger the audience one has, the more a news station can charge for their commercial time.
So what causes the American public to have so little interest? Racism, xenophobia and nationalism, may be the reasons behind the lack of interest and concern by the American audience. But, I believe the main reason is the public has little or no knowledge on this issue due to this lack of coverage. I hope Americans will go become more informed on this issue and send emails to the national news corporations urging a more “fair and balanced” coverage on this issue. Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets." This emphasizes the power words your words can have. Just one voice can make a difference. Just one person can cause change. Quoting the Reverend Niemöller, a German pastor, "First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me." Will you speak up for the genocide Darfur, Sudan? Or enjoy the blissful ignorance.
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A Limerick about the Genocide in Darfur
Children dead murdered in Darfur
Senseless actions brought by war
Peace troops have no guns
United we can stand as one
Stop this Genocide's bloody gore