Freedom of Expression: Why I am not Charlie

This is what I meant to say yesterday, especially the last line of the quote below:

'We lose our ability to imagine political solutions when we stop thinking critically, when we let emotional identifications sweep us into factitious substitutes for solidarity and action. We lose our ability to respond to atrocity when we start seeing people not as individuals, but as symbols. Changing avatars on social media is a pathetic distraction from changing realities in society. To combat violence you must look unflinchingly at the concrete inequities and practices that breed it. You won’t stop it with acts of self-styled courage on your computer screen that neither risk nor alter anything. To protect expression that’s endangered you have to engage with the substance of what was said, not deny it. That means attempting dialogue with those who peacefully condemn or disagree,'

Illustration by Cartoon by Sudanese artist Khalid Albaih, from Aljazeera.com.

#freedomofexpression #media #solidarity