George Floyd’s death had an impact on the world that was unspeakable. It caused various global movements because it was one of the first times where a video clearly depicting the issue of police brutality and racism had spread like wildfire. For many years, people would hear about the issue, mourn, and move on. But for the first time, there was clear proof of an innocent black man being killed slowly and bitterly on camera by a white police officer who showed no remorse, and to this day, delayed consequences. Furthermore, the manner in which the officer conducted the murder was in a calm state, making the issue even more alarming. Once seeing the video, people around the world from different countries realized they could identify with the reactions that the video brought upon here in the USA. Although the video clearly showed murder, there were people who defended the officer. It made them realize that the USA was not the only one suffering from racism and police brutality. It was an issue that was worldwide and needed to be tackled.  

In the case of George Floyd and many other tragedies, one society’s movements can spur change in another when clear parallels are seen. The US was not the sole nation where the issue of police brutality and murder were prevalent, and it had to go as far as an infamous death of a single man for people with identical views and stories to come together and fight the issue.  

In terms of the podcast, it didn’t come as too much of a shock to me, but I found it extremely interesting that there were other countries, such as New Zealand, whose officers did not carry weapons. Pre-George Floyd the government had been trying to pass a program that allowed for armed officers. However, with the death of George Floyd as well as other innocent black men being shot by the police, the public was extremely opposed to this idea. These horrors allowed them to stand up to their government against an issue that they shared with the USA and so many other countries.  

The domino effect from the issues in the US all the way to New Zealand reminded me of the #MeToo movement that sparked in 2017 when Alyssa Milano tweeted that she had been sexually assaulted by Hollywood’s most powerful. Through her tweet and responses from more famous names that had been taken advantage of, the message was able to reach millions of people from all around the world. The #MeToo movement was extremely powerful. Through widespread media coverage, and the start of discussion on the issue of sexual harassment (especially in Hollywood), justice could finally be served. Respected and well- known directors were punished, heavily criticized, and received enormous amounts of backlash. These movements, as well as the many we will most likely have in the future, have shown me that when the world has an issue and decides to come together to fix it, it can be an extremely powerful thing for humanity.