By Political Editor - Iara Kaiser
Politicians, social media sites, mainstream news outlets, where is the global outrage following the horrific attack on a hotel in Bamako a few days ago?
A safety ‘check-in’ feature was added to Social Media site Facebook in light of the Paris terror attacks on the 13th November. Twitter contributed in its own way with the #PrayForParis hashtag. As the horrific events unfolded in the French Capital on that sinister day, no-one held back on voicing their opinions. People from each social rank, country and religion stood in unity to condemn the inhumane killings of so many innocent civilians. Even online activist group Anonymous swore they would singlehandedly take down ISIS.
Following that rhetoric, where then was the international disgust and rage towards the slaughter that occurred in Bamako just a few days ago? Where were the celebrities speaking out, the #PrayForMali hashtag; the Facebook ‘safety check’ feature; the round the hour news coverage? Time after time, people are reminded that the lives of those born in the privileged safety of the West are more important than those in third world countries.
Hashtag #PrayForParis compared to #PrayForMali on Twitter:
Following that rhetoric, where then was the international disgust and rage towards the slaughter that occurred in Bamako just a few days ago? Where were the celebrities speaking out, the #PrayForMali hashtag; the Facebook ‘safety check’ feature; the round the hour news coverage? Time after time, people are reminded that the lives of those born in the privileged safety of the West are more important than those in third world countries.
Hashtag #PrayForParis compared to #PrayForMali on Twitter:
A simple analysis of the above statistics is enough proof to conclude that the lives of those killed in Paris were ten times more important than those in Mali.
Similarly, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg faced strong controversy when his safety ‘check-in’ feature wasn’t turned on for the attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel which involved the killing of 21 civilians by popular terrorist group Al-Qaeda. Zuckerberg had this to say about his decision: "Safety Check remains a work in progress. We are learning to make the tool and policies behind it better as we go...we're still understanding how it can best be used and in what instances."
In Zuckerbergs’ own words and deducing by the above analysis, it seems though the bloodshed the Malian population had to endure didn’t make the cut.
Similarly, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg faced strong controversy when his safety ‘check-in’ feature wasn’t turned on for the attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel which involved the killing of 21 civilians by popular terrorist group Al-Qaeda. Zuckerberg had this to say about his decision: "Safety Check remains a work in progress. We are learning to make the tool and policies behind it better as we go...we're still understanding how it can best be used and in what instances."
In Zuckerbergs’ own words and deducing by the above analysis, it seems though the bloodshed the Malian population had to endure didn’t make the cut.