Where is north on your moral compass? How well does it calibrate with the idea of a government official, someone acting in your name, forcefully separating a child from his or her mother? Language was where it began. Instead of referring to someone as a person, we forced them into the tight confines of labels like “immigrant,” “Hispanic,” or “illegal”. Once their humanity was displaced it became easier for these people to be treated in ways that are, said simply, inhumane.
In a healthy society, inhumane treatment should be rejected. When it is done by the government, that rejection should become protest. CNN has many faults. However, much of yesterday they dedicated their front page to humanizing the consequences of Trump’s policy of separating immigrant children from their parents. One article’s particularly heartbreaking headline: “She says federal officials took her daughter while she breastfed the child in a detention center”. The story contained details that deepened the cruelty: “When the woman resisted, she was handcuffed”. This is sickening.
In my mind, I want mothers to feed their children. It is natural and right that children are cared for by their parents. How do we justify breaking this bond? We hide behind legal terminology. The language of the law becomes a buffer between our actions and our moral compass. We need to reconnect to those morals and act accordingly.
CNN appears to be trying. This morning’s front page focuses on the same issues. This cruelty began with words. Let’s hope that more words can push us back towards our humanity.
In a healthy society, inhumane treatment should be rejected. When it is done by the government, that rejection should become protest. CNN has many faults. However, much of yesterday they dedicated their front page to humanizing the consequences of Trump’s policy of separating immigrant children from their parents. One article’s particularly heartbreaking headline: “She says federal officials took her daughter while she breastfed the child in a detention center”. The story contained details that deepened the cruelty: “When the woman resisted, she was handcuffed”. This is sickening.
In my mind, I want mothers to feed their children. It is natural and right that children are cared for by their parents. How do we justify breaking this bond? We hide behind legal terminology. The language of the law becomes a buffer between our actions and our moral compass. We need to reconnect to those morals and act accordingly.
CNN appears to be trying. This morning’s front page focuses on the same issues. This cruelty began with words. Let’s hope that more words can push us back towards our humanity.
