post, post-11/13 thoughts

It's been just about a month since the attacks, and I've bounced back from where I was the last time I posted -- back to my overly-optimistic and at times naive self. I'm still quite cautious, jumping at loud noises or shrieks, and the constant sight of military personnel with large guns in the streets of Paris has been both reassuring and an unpleasant reminder. I've been staying in touch with many of the participants from Women2Women Belgium, who have been dealing with their own difficult situation in Brussels and beyond, and learning about the steps that they are taking to change their own communities, be it in education, philanthropy, or waste management. It can often be overwhelming to me to hear all the time about horrible people doing horrible things, an often unavoidable topic in the study of international relations. I think it's important that I work to focus equally on the people that are doing amazing things all over the world. I truly believe that the good outweighs the evil; just, sometimes, it gets a little hard to remember. I struggled a lot to find the goodness in people following the attacks, but I am lucky to know so many people who are doing life-changing things that it didn't last too long.

I've just returned from Paris back to Amherst, and now Maine, and am happily back in the throes of small-town life. The online debates about politics, welfare, social services still continue, though, and it's getting hard not to get disheartened or emotional about every insensitive comment made.

I babysit for a French family in Paris, and one day the father and I were talking about American politics versus French politics. He said that while he disagreed with many of the things Donald Trump said, he appreciated the fact that Trump's candor highlighted the true freedom of speech that exists in America. While Trump's statements are deliberately inflammatory, it starts off a discussion of real issues that are not restricted by political correctness. Conversely, in France, he believes that there is a real limitation of what is acceptable to be discussed and what is not. He says that because of these norms, there is not real freedom of speech. I thought that this was a really interesting perspective that I hadn't considered. So now, when I hear about Trump's daily antics, I try to focus on that importance of freedom of speech and push myself to consider the heart of the issues and disagreements instead immediately reacting emotionally. (Though it is hard sometimes to consider the opposite perspective -- for instance, 6 out of 10 GOP supporters agree with the ban on accepting Muslims into the US. Tell me again how that solves the current issue of extremism?)

All in all, the past year has been a very interesting time to be living internationally, studying politics, and really living the hot-button issues: from the 2014 Scottish referendum, to the refugee crisis at local camps in Paris and in the heart of Vienna, to the extremism seen in November. I feel very fortunate to be experiencing these controversies first-hand, to have my ideas consistently challenged, and to able to begin to understand these issues in a practical and realistic setting -- not just in a textbook. I am unmistakably lucky to have the education and support system that I do in order to process and reflect on these experiences.