By Mr. Abuelito
The United States has been on fire recently. After several police incidents throughout the country, from Miami to Ferguson, Baltimore is America’s latest inferno. The city is portrayed in the media as a place riddled by riots and excessive police enforcement, as African Americans are protesting against the racial segregation that still takes place in the USA.
The source of this massive upheaval in Baltimore – a city with high indices of poverty and homelessness – can be traced back to the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African-American resident who died during police custody.
Initially, peaceful demonstrations were organized with the intention to raise more awareness to the misdeed of American police officers. However, a small part of this group of protestors escalated the situation by showing aggressive behavior to civil servants and public and private property. Now, at least 250 people have been arrested, thousands of National Guards have been deployed, and a state of emergency was declared within the city limits of Baltimore, putting a curfew on the whole city during the night.
At the same time, it is important to note that thousands of people are still peacefully protesting in the streets. They do so to demand a greater respect to human dignity, regardless of your race, socio-economic status, or your appearance on the street. The intriguing part about this riot, and also the other upheavals that took place over the past year, is the domestic and international media portrayal.
One example would be “the mom of the year”. In an amateur video, it was shown how a mother figured out that her son was participating with one of the violent riots, and decided on a rather amusing and compelling way to stop her son of doing so. The video went viral globally, and the woman received a lot of appraisal of her parental skills. However, the problem that arises with this example is that, although being representative of a part of the scenery that is currently taking place in Baltimore, it also stereotypes the situation. And this is what we see frequently in numerous news outlets.
Media literacy plays a crucial role in this, because if we would fully base our opinion on what we see passing by on our Facebook timelines, the opinion we would create from this troublesome event would not be unequivocal. One should bear in mind that the demonstrations started in a peaceful way, and to large extent still continue pacifically. Moreover, focusing solely on the violent fringes of the riots as some news agencies have, also overshadows the true problem that is taking place right now: enduring racial conflicts and abuse of police force to the civil population. This is, evidently, not only applicable to the Baltimore unrests, but to all kinds of information we receive through several channels.
Be aware of what you read, where the source comes from, and whether it is representative of the overall situation. Of course, what is happening in Baltimore is grave, and it clearly reflects the struggles the USA is still experiencing within its society, but also keep in mind what the real causes were, and how the majority of the people expresses their discontent in a civilized and appropriate manner.
Mr. Abuelito is a student who wishes to remain anonymous for this issue of TR.
