The last two months have been tragic indeed. Beginning with the Dhaka cafe siege in Bangladesh to the deaths of two United States black men — Alton Sterling and Philando Castile — at the hands of police officers, things just took a turn for the worse.
The violence escalated with more killings, with each incident getting worse.
Human nature takes a strong stand against injustices, no matter how twisted they end up being perceived.
Every act deemed oppressive serves as a conduit to exact justice, which satisfies the desire to emerge victorious.
These are a few observations from the incidents.
Sharing will illicit powerful responses
Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, now everybody can, and wants to see live developments.
Not sales promotions or product launches, but sensational ones like suicide and violent acts.
The July 6 live video of Castile’s blood-soaked white T-shirt as he sat dying in his car seat, with a policeman spewing expletives and gun pointed at him, is seared in the minds of Americans.
That was made worst with the rough treatment endured by his girlfriend (who live-fed the incident) while she was arrested, and the poignant moment when the voice of a little girl, believed to be the girlfriend’s daughter who also witnessed the shooting, could be heard comforting her.
Such gory scenes would never pass media censorship anywhere, but they bore the ugly truth to what really happened. And through social media platforms, they can be laid bare for the world to see. Ultimately, it is up to viewers to interpret the scenario.
Unfortunately, within 24 hours, retaliation came in the form of Micah Johnson, 25, who ambushed and fatally shot five policemen at a Black Lives Matter march in Dallas, Texas.
On July 17, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where Sterling was shot dead, three policemen, including one who is black, were killed by US Marine veteran Gavin Long.
In Europe, the Islamic State group was busy airing its violent activities.
The live-streaming of the Paris police couple’s murder on June 13 would satisfy militants who want to serve death to unbelievers.
According to reports, Larossi Abballa, after killing the couple, began toying with the fate of his victims’ little son, who survived the ordeal. Abballa was shot dead by police.
One month later, as the French were celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel mowed down 84 revellers with a truck. He, too, was shot dead, but not before inflicting a major psychological toll on the country.
Heart-wrenching reports of relatives wailing at the hospital upon learning of the deaths of their loved ones, especially children, began filling the media.
And, four days later in Germany, teen refugee Muhammad Riyad carried out a knife-and-axe attack in a train. This was followed by David Ali Sonboly, who killed nine people in a mall because he was obsessed with a Norwegian mass killer, and the intended bombing of a music festival by an IS-inspired Syrian immigrant.
Videos of these incidents are widely circulated. Who knows if they have instilled boldness in Malaysian militants to make their moves.
Hatred doesn’t manifest overnight
Since 2012, the Black Lives Matter movement began to gain traction with the killing of Trayvon Martin.
This was aggravated by the 2014 killings of Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, 12, who was shot within two seconds of police arrival.
What frustrated those who subscribe to the movement is not because the shooters got away scot-free, but the justice system that let them down by acquitting or declining to charge the killers.
This raised ire over racial biasness that often led to fatal outcomes in law enforcement. It reinforced the perception among young black men in the US that their lives are cheap, and statistically, they have a higher chance of getting killed when encountering lawmen.
Much has also been said about the mental state of Aballa, Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, Riyad, Sonboly and the Syrian migrant. What they shared is a deranged streak and self-infused anger that had reached a boiling point.
This newspaper did carry a report on the opinion of analysts, who say terror outfits like IS, which propagates violent videos, can serve as a conduit for psychos to commit mass murder.
Terrorists capitalise on avenging the frustration and suffering of a certain group of people, and are trying to create the same impression on youth and children.
They hope the younger generation will grow up relishing in the hatred they purvey.
Discrimination in its ugliest form
During chaos, many parties have come under the microscope — black men, white policemen, Middle East immigrants and Muslims.
They are divided along racial and religious lines.
According to reports, Johnson’s payback was chillingly specific. He didn’t just want to kill any policeman, but white policemen.
In Europe and the US presidential election, far-right politicians are having a field day debating immigrants and religious tolerance.
As the atmosphere of fear prevails, people begin to feel under siege and become suspicious of everybody who looks, talks and lives like the perpetrators of violence.
In response, those on the other side will feel threatened and harden their stance to reconciliation.
In the end, negative perceptions are reinforced and each side becomes synonymous with what they are labelled as — classic stereotyping and discrimination to the fullest.
All examples in this article occurred outside the borders of our country. But we must remember that Malaysia is not immune to the fallacies of the world. We must realise that similar situations may or have happened in the country.
For example, if we share videos of a roadside argument or spread the picture of a person whom we suspect hasn’t had his diphtheria shots, which we do so to seek “justice” from the masses, it can have far-reaching consequences.
The question is whether it is justice or oppression that has been served.
Kenny Goh is an NST subeditor