We Will Not Be Broken
It has not been a great few weeks.
The outlying extremists of the world want to divide us - they want us to fear them, and each other. They want us to turn on each other, and spread fear wherever they go. They want us to fall down and lose any will to fight back.
Here's the thing - Manchester stands for EVERYTHING that ISIS is against: Music, art, culture, history, community and variety are all integral to the Mancunian identity. Manchester is famed for its spirit, for its poetry and talent.
Manchester, in the days, hell, in the hours following the attack, fought back. And they didn't fight back with guns and pitchforks and violence - they fought back by doing the one thing that ISIS did not want them to do. They picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and started to help.
A homeless man sleeping near the venue ran over to check on people and take care of them.
First responders and police did an incredible job organising the chaos and attending to injured people.
A doctor who had by happenstance been at the concert helped on scene and then continued to work a full shift through the night, without telling anyone that he was also part of the crowd.
The mayor, Andy Burnham, gave a rousing speech the next morning thanking everyone who lent a hand, everyone who came together, condemning the actions of those who sought to kill people with that bomb, and called for everyone to remain vigilant in their compassion.
Tattoo parlours in Manchester and across the UK started offering cheaper Worker Bee tattoos with the proceeds going to the Manchester Arena Victim Fund. Worker bees are the symbol of Mancunian work ethic, particularly in the industrial revolution, but they have since come to represent the strength of community as hundreds of people flock to tattoo parlours all over the country to get the little symbol permanently etched to their skin.
We will not be broken. Manchester will not be broken. We will continue forward, striving for a better tomorrow. During WWII, during the Blitz, Londoners continued to eat family meals and behave mostly as normal. A few months ago when someone attacked politicians outside parliament, Londoners didn't blink - they even became more likely to approach people. I was on the tube a day after the incident, and a muslim man hopped on the train, piled up to his chin with bags and plant trays. It was clearly too much for him to handle, and rather than throwing hatred or vomiting racist bile, four people on the train went and offered to help. On a day when The Daily Mail told us to be terrified, when it decided that less tolerance was the answer, I watched real people defy that ideal, and it lifted my spirits.
We will not be broken. There is an election coming up and I do not want to vote conservative. But Jeremy Corbyn isn't really who I want in power either, although Labour seems the safest vote, and the most likely (although not terribly likely) party to beat the Tories. However my heart wants me to vote Greens, and even the Lib-Dems are looking better than a showdown between Tories and Labour. So despite the political divide in my country, despite my fear of extremist patriotism in the wake of all these attacks, and despite my resignation at Brexit's inevitability, I will not be broken. I will not let my hope dissapate, even if Theresa May gets in for the next five years, although it will be a little disheartening.
Good news can be found among the bad. The UK's reaction to the Manchester attack, everyone's outpouring of love, as well as the bringing together of people all over the world in unison against Trump. TIMELESS WAS RENEWED, BECAUSE PEOPLE BROUGHT IT BACK WITH THEIR SUPPORT.
It's hard. But we can continue. we will not be broken.
Movie of the Week: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
This movie is the BUSINESS.
Book of the Week: As You Wish - Cary Elwes
A book about the making of The Princess Bride written by Wesley. How are you not already on board?
Photo of the Week:
Positivity Goal of the Week: Try not to engage in political debate with people who are fundamentally opposed and immovable.
It will only seek to stress you out, and you will neither change their opinion nor will they affect yours. Just hope against hope that the future is bright.
- Actor Powers Boothe, musician Chris Cornell, and Jame Bond even to the last, Roger Moore have died.
- Zack Snyder has taken a step back from directing to grieve the suicide of his daughter which occurred in March.
- Bodyguards for the Turkish president attacked protesters in Washington DC.
- A man mocked and punched a guy with cerebral palsy in the face for no reason, completely unprompted, just because he could.
- Karl Oliver used the term "lynched" when describing the removal of racist monuments, apparently having never heard of the concept of irony:
- A man was only given 240 days in prison for drugging and raping his sister. Yes, that actually happened this week, because we apparently live in caveman times.
- Dani Mathers, who you may remember a year ago took a picture of a naked 71-year-old woman in a locker room with the caption "If I can't unsee this, you can't either", went to court to plead her case. Because what she did is actually a crime. Because the woman was naked, and unaware. However, she only received 30 days of community service and 3 years probation, as well as $60 paid to the victim.
- Men got excessively outraged at a cinema which screened a one-night-only ALL WOMEN showing of the new Wonder Woman movie... I bet those are the same men who call lefty liberals like me "snowflakes" and "cucks" because I don't like racism and homophobia.
- Donald Trump is still the president of the United States.
- And of course, the horrific bombing of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, killing 22 people and injuring many more.
The outlying extremists of the world want to divide us - they want us to fear them, and each other. They want us to turn on each other, and spread fear wherever they go. They want us to fall down and lose any will to fight back.
Here's the thing - Manchester stands for EVERYTHING that ISIS is against: Music, art, culture, history, community and variety are all integral to the Mancunian identity. Manchester is famed for its spirit, for its poetry and talent.
Manchester, in the days, hell, in the hours following the attack, fought back. And they didn't fight back with guns and pitchforks and violence - they fought back by doing the one thing that ISIS did not want them to do. They picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and started to help.
A homeless man sleeping near the venue ran over to check on people and take care of them.
First responders and police did an incredible job organising the chaos and attending to injured people.
A doctor who had by happenstance been at the concert helped on scene and then continued to work a full shift through the night, without telling anyone that he was also part of the crowd.
The mayor, Andy Burnham, gave a rousing speech the next morning thanking everyone who lent a hand, everyone who came together, condemning the actions of those who sought to kill people with that bomb, and called for everyone to remain vigilant in their compassion.
Tattoo parlours in Manchester and across the UK started offering cheaper Worker Bee tattoos with the proceeds going to the Manchester Arena Victim Fund. Worker bees are the symbol of Mancunian work ethic, particularly in the industrial revolution, but they have since come to represent the strength of community as hundreds of people flock to tattoo parlours all over the country to get the little symbol permanently etched to their skin.
We will not be broken. Manchester will not be broken. We will continue forward, striving for a better tomorrow. During WWII, during the Blitz, Londoners continued to eat family meals and behave mostly as normal. A few months ago when someone attacked politicians outside parliament, Londoners didn't blink - they even became more likely to approach people. I was on the tube a day after the incident, and a muslim man hopped on the train, piled up to his chin with bags and plant trays. It was clearly too much for him to handle, and rather than throwing hatred or vomiting racist bile, four people on the train went and offered to help. On a day when The Daily Mail told us to be terrified, when it decided that less tolerance was the answer, I watched real people defy that ideal, and it lifted my spirits.
We will not be broken. There is an election coming up and I do not want to vote conservative. But Jeremy Corbyn isn't really who I want in power either, although Labour seems the safest vote, and the most likely (although not terribly likely) party to beat the Tories. However my heart wants me to vote Greens, and even the Lib-Dems are looking better than a showdown between Tories and Labour. So despite the political divide in my country, despite my fear of extremist patriotism in the wake of all these attacks, and despite my resignation at Brexit's inevitability, I will not be broken. I will not let my hope dissapate, even if Theresa May gets in for the next five years, although it will be a little disheartening.
Good news can be found among the bad. The UK's reaction to the Manchester attack, everyone's outpouring of love, as well as the bringing together of people all over the world in unison against Trump. TIMELESS WAS RENEWED, BECAUSE PEOPLE BROUGHT IT BACK WITH THEIR SUPPORT.
It's hard. But we can continue. we will not be broken.
Movie of the Week: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
This movie is the BUSINESS.
Book of the Week: As You Wish - Cary Elwes
A book about the making of The Princess Bride written by Wesley. How are you not already on board?
Photo of the Week:
Positivity Goal of the Week: Try not to engage in political debate with people who are fundamentally opposed and immovable.
It will only seek to stress you out, and you will neither change their opinion nor will they affect yours. Just hope against hope that the future is bright.
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