The death of George Floyd will be remembered for many reasons; one of them being how the event sparked outrage and important societal discussions not just in the United States, but worldwide. While Geroge Floyd’s death is considered an issue of race relations in America, it is also an issue about policing. As the NPR podcast, “The Global Legacy of George Floyd” reveals, debates over policing are hardly unique to America. In the aftermath of his death, countries such as New Zealand, Brazil, and Kenya have once again started discussing the role of police in their nations.
I believe people around the world have connected to the Black Lives Matter movement because Floyd’s death appeals to the humanity in people. Throughout the podcast, guest speakers described how they either did not watch the video of Floyd’s death or they forced themselves to watch it. Nearly everyone around the world can relate to the wish to not die in such a brutal manner, nonetheless by the people who are supposed to protect us. Every country has its own unique cultural and belief system, but I believe there is one idea that unites us: that we all wish to die peacfully surrounded by friends and family. George Floyd was robbed of that in a way that could have been prevented, and that resonates with billions of people around the world.
One recent movement that started in a single country and spread to others was the Arab Spring in 2011. The pro democracy movement began in Tunisia with people protesting against an oppressive regime. The protestors were successful in pressuring their President to flee to Saudi Arabia after holding power for 20 years. Seeing the success of the movement in Tunisia, many other Arab countries revolted against their oppressive leaders. Regime changes followed in Egypt and Libya, the latter successfully overthrowing infamous dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Similarly to George Floyd’s death, the Arab Spring gained international attention through the use of social media, something which had not been done before. In its short existence, social media has revolutionized the way people around the world communicate. In the same manner that George Floyd’s death was shared across social media, protestors in the Arab Spring used Twitter to share news of their plight with people who otherwise would have known very little. Social media is now crucial to determining which news stories are discussed internationally.
I think because there was a video, there was a greater meaning because you can see Geroge Floyd’s life slowly being ripped away from him as the police officer nonchalantly kneels on his neck. It is proof for those who don’t believe that racism and police brutality exist in America. Also, I like how you mentioned that people of all different societies and backgrounds wish to die peacefully around friends and family, and I think because George Floyd didn’t, it gave a connection to people of different backgrounds, making them more enraged.
The fragility of human life was depicted through the murder of George Floyd. With other black people and other POC’s being killed by police, usually you see or hear them getting shot. With the line between life and death fading for 9 minutes, you can truly grasp, just how helpless he felt. A lot of people dread that feeling, helplessness. Globally, too many feel a sense of that, as well as those who lead them don’t care about them. So these other systemic racist issues see this issue as their own. It’s even worse considering the history of America and what it ‘stands for. I think that has led to people getting behind it as well as social media.