"Outrage Fatigue" By Greg Hernandez

It's been quite the year hasn't it?

Donald Sterling, Ray Rice, Greg Hardy, Police Brutality, Ferguson, Sexual Assault of women in the military, colleges and throughout this country, Immigration, Student loan debt, the plethora of crises in the Middle East. The list just does not end. How much outrage can one populace take?

The news coverage of these various issues are ubiquitous. Yet, there is a major point behind all of them that is being missed.

What's the lesson behind all of this? Where are the solutions? We're outraged and disgusted. We proceed to judge, label, punish, lash out, ostracize and demand justice, but what do we learn from all of this?

Where is the progress - the change?

I still don't see it.

"We live in a post Donald Sterling and Ray Rice world." That is the phrase that we hear on the news.

Grown men articulating their frustration with domestic violence. They talk about fatherhood and what they would do to any man who hit their daughter.

Now, why solve one case of violence with another?

People who are shamming Mrs. Rice, with statements, such as, "She's still with him, for the money."

What if your worst moment was captured on video? How would you feel?

"We live in a fish bowl, Only God should be allowed to judge us." said Wide Receiver (Steve Smith) of the Baltimore Ravens.

I disagree, we should learn to judge each other efficiently, correctly.

A society where "God" only judges is a society, I want no part of. That mindset reminds me of North Korea. Only one opinion matters.

I enjoy the illusion, that my opinion matters. We have a "democracy" in place. This oligarchy is cute, I'd rather have it than the reality of being superfluous.

Moving on, we know the story of Donald Sterling and Ray Rice, but did you know that Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers was found guilty of assaulting and threatening to kill his former girlfriend? Well, now you do.

The NFL not only fumbled, they threw the ball into the stands on this issue. As they have had on many other occasions.

Here's the video of Jon Stewart on The Daily Show rhetorically eviscerating The NFL and its commissioner again. the-daily-show-skewers-the-nfl-yet-again

We all know hitting a woman is wrong, we all know racism is wrong, we all know sexually assaulting ANYONE is wrong, we all know that abandoning children at the border to starve and die or just be sent away is wrong, but where are the answers?

By "we all know," I mean most sensible human beings. This is exactly my point. We, the ones understand what is right in our hearts, must push the agenda of empathy, until it is center stage.

We need to erect change in our society. What change, you ask? A systematic change in the fundamental principles of society. Nobody is above the law. We're all equal. We cannot let issues get so bad, before we react, because once that happens we lose our humanity and suffer from "Outrage Fatigue."

Why do these issues persists with such a high volume?

Why do we blame the victims? Why is it when a black kid is shot and killed in Missouri, white people post stories about black cops shooting unarmed white men? Do they honestly believe that will solve the issue? Or do they feel they are putting things in perspective, to show that yes, a black man with a gun can kill an unarmed white man. They beseech Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss ALL manners of racism and violence. The Rev already a held a summit with the Black Caucus, on the issue of Urban Violence in Chicago, to try to put an end to black on black crime and all inner-city-violence. The groups continue to meet.

Why do colleges protect their brand, instead of the student? columbia-student-protests-universitys-response-alleged-rape-n197191


Where is the accountability?

We need to challenge ourselves as a human race.

It starts with the smaller phrases, such as, "You throw like a girl," "Be a man," "That's gay," etc.,

Our silence to these issues is maddening. When these issues erupt into cases of murder, suicide, domestic violence etc, we are only then outraged.

We must diffuse these problems at their conception. These problems that plague us, are on the forefront of our minds. We see it everywhere. It is in our faces, yet, we are all guilty of inaction.

We react one of two ways, passionately or sardonically. Why?

Are we just that fatigued by all of the wrong that has occurred this year?
Is attempting to amend things, just too hard?
Are we not up to the challenge, of drastically decreasing domestic violence, sexual assault, racism, gun violence, police brutality etc?

Why doesn't this country respect women?
kirsten_gillibrands_interview_with_jon_stewart_is_inspiring_and_refreshing/

Men, we must be better. We must treat women as equals. Ray Rice and Greg Hardy were wrong!

the-rate-of-domestic-violence-arrests-among-nfl-players/


Ray Rice's expulsion is not justified because of the league's incompetency. It's the correct decision, however it should have occurred, months ago. The NFL has muddled this issue and that of Greg Hardy's case. The fact that Mr. Hardy already faced due process, lost, yet continues to play is baffling. How is he still playing?

Parenting and general human decency needs to be improved.

The punishment of these violations needs to be swift and harsh. That way, people will fear the consequences of their actions.

I don't have the answers, but the discussion needs to start. If it does not, then we are enablers.

The challenge must be sent to the men who commit these heinous acts toward women, to our politicians who reject proposals that can significantly impact the lives of many people such as this, "senate-rejects-gillibrands-overhaul-military-sexua/?page=all."

I know my rant is an incoherent one, but I hope anyone reading this, gets the gist of it.

Thank you.