George Floyd’s death seems to have sparked so many global movements because the event itself was so graphic and it was publicized so that everyone could see what happened and see themselves in his shoes. The event was so outrageous and cruel that people were forced to confront police brutality and systemic racism. For example, in the podcast, Don Cedar says “I saw George there, but it could have been me. I saw my uncle. I saw my dad. I saw my cousin. And that kind of broke me”, in response to seeing George Floyd images on Twitter. In a way, the pictures of George Floyd employ pathos by appealing emotionally to those who are also victims of systemic racism because it makes them wonder if that will be themselves one day. It also has an impact on those who may not directly relate because it was so gruesome and graphic.
One surprising pattern I found among the other countries is that they all face some sort of systemic racism, but never acknowledged it. After George Floyd, they saw this event that happened in the United States as a reason to push the government to address issues with police brutality and to start being more vocal about problems in their own community. Surprisingly, in New Zealand, the Maori and Pacific people have been struggling with the government sending armed police to their communities, putting their lives at an increased risk. Whaipooti, a Maori resident, states that George Floyd was the reason that people in New Zealand were suddenly against the arming of police. George Floyd has also brought attention to the police brutality in Brazil, in which the traces of slavery were still present. George Floyd was so publicized that it was aired on TV, which allowed Brazilians to give recognition to their own citizens who also lost their lives to police brutality. While some people were against paying so much attention to issues in the United States, many were also forced to realize that police brutality and systemic racism is a very international issue.
An example of another instance in which a movement in one country sparked a movement in another country was the influence of the American Revolution on the French Revolution. The French realized that they were suffering from the same economic struggles and unequal rights as the Americans under British Rule. After seeing the successful uprising in America, the French launched their own revolution from 1789-1799. The National Assembly in France also used the American Declaration of Independence as inspiration for their own Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. Much like George Floyd, the spark of action in America inspired other countries to fuel their flames as well.
I’m glad that you mentioned publicity was one of the things that made George Floyd so influential. It’s something I wasn’t thinking about when writing my post, but I now get how technology played a big role in spreading this message. I also wrote about how the French Revolution was inspired by the American Revolution, though others’ posts reminded me that even very recently, big movements were being spread across societies like the LGBTQ movement and woman’s suffrage. Your writing flows nicely, and you made good connections with stuff we learned so far. Good job!
I like that you talk about George Floyd’s death and impact through the media. Specifically, you described the connection between the images of George Floyd on Twitter and how it relates to something we learned in class, pathos. I remember seeing the photos and feeling so many emotions like shock, sadness, and anger towards the racism and police brutality present in our country. I didn’t even think of the correlation between the American Revolution and French Revolution when writing my post, as I thinking about more recent movements. I enjoyed reading the comparison you made between the two revolutions and how it connected to George Floyd.
I agree with you that one of the reason why his death resonated with so much people is also because of how gruesome and blatant disregard that cop had for Gorge Floy’s life was.