I remember when I was thirteen back in ‘03. It was my first time in the United States. My first impression of the country was, that it was full of people who can freely engage in small talk to each other regardless of whatever ethnicity or social background that you came from. I travelled with my parents from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and New York. It was a country that has its ideals set on diversity and equality, or maybe it was just on those places that I have been to. From whites, blacks, Latin-Americans, Italian Americans, Vietnamese, Filipino-Americans, Indians, Chinese (Yes, I went to two Chinatowns!) and even Jews! Back in Saudi Arabia where I came from, Jews were often demonized on newspapers, and yet I am eating breakfast with them (the orthodox kind with the curly sideburns) on a Sbarro’s joint near Times Square every morning. From Disneyland, Universal Studios, Six Flags to the Smithsonian Museums, Ground Zero, the Empire State Building to being able to watch a Broadway play, it was a life changing experience. I have learned a lot. From that trip, there was this song that I cannot get off my mind. It was new, and it had a good beat. I first heard of that song as my uncle played it from his computer. I told myself, I got to download that song as soon as I get home and be the first one to have it among my classmates so that I can be cool.
As I got back home and downloaded the song, the message of the lyrics became more apparent. I just came from the most diverse place that I have ever been to, and the Holocaust Museum gave me the chills about a certain group of people hating and dehumanizing another one. I had this realization that I must dig deeper into the history of the United States to understand how they came to be. It then brought me to study how it was founded, from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Reconstruction, and the Civil Rights movement during the 60’s. It took them a while before they came to be the country that they are. I admired that country because their people had the conviction of their founding fathers about freedom and how all men are created equal and how it seems that among all countries, they valued human life the most. At some point I even envied them and wanted to be an American myself. That was all a long time ago.
I was supposed to visit the country again but then the coronavirus pandemic happened. I was really looking forward to it. However, just today I have come across some videos that were otherwise disturbing. The first time I heard about the Black Lives Matter movement and George Floyd, I first thought that the cops were being harsh because of the looting and all that. But now despite all the issues regarding racism and equality, there is something else missing. On the videos, I have seen cops push around protesters and even bystanders; despite of race, age, and color that even reporters covering the protests are being treated harshly. Perhaps the Americans are not too far ahead from what the Philippines is experiencing right now. That kind of police brutality that I saw was just alarming that I somehow could not stay silent.
All I am saying right now is that despite the issues, the cops that were supposed to serve and protect are clearly doing the contradictory of that under the guise of preventing terrorism. Of course, there should be law and order, but there should be some love and compassion towards the citizens that they are supposed to serve. Was this all because of the current leadership? It is not for me to tell.
And yeah, that question mark came from the music video of The Black Eyed Peas’ 2003, hit song Where Is The Love? After all these years, I would have not thought that this song would still be significant.