George Floyd’s death sparked so many global movements because the manner in which he died is a powerful example of the blatant disregard for the lives of those who are being systematically oppressed by government officials. Floyd clearly states he cannot breathe yet received no restraint in response to his pleas nor the pleas of bystanders. This death so clearly could and should have been prevented but it was allowed to happen. These circumstances are applicable to many situations in foreign countries because many other countries are also dealing with systematic racism, which is why so many of them felt impacted by George Floyd’s death. Foreigners are acknowledging that what happened to George Floyd could have happened anywhere else in the world to anyone else’s child, sibling, friend, or parent and that cannot be acceptable. A Kenyan woman from the podcast states, “the George Floyd protests give us a legitimate language to articulate what is wrong with police brutality.” When a person watches or listens to the video of George Floyd being killed it is obvious to them what is going wrong, and it is because the issues are so plain to see and hear in this scenario that many countries are using it as a way of forcing their governments to own up to and resolve whatever similar issues they are having with their own safety and justice systems. 

The example from the podcast that surprised me the most is the lawyer from Amsterdam. I always thought of the Netherlands as similar to Scandinavian countries, meaning they were very progressive and happy to be living in their own Northern paradise. However, this lawyer is a man of color and shared that his white male client instantly received respect and conversation from a judge yet the judge had no interest in hearing from the actual lawyer because of the color of skin. I always assumed that places like the Netherlands were very progressive and open-minded but they too have deeply rooted institutional racism. Systematic racism is such a complex issue that has been going on for so long it seems it has been an issue since practically the beginning of civilization. It is the complexity of this issue and its long history which only makes it harder to combat in today’s society.

Being the godawful history student that I am, the only connection I can think to make to this global impact is during World War II and the Cold War when the United States had to ally with other countries in order to contain the expansion of communism. The United States recognized that communism is a form of governing that directly goes against what the United States believes in and fights for, which is basic human rights and the right for individuals to have the freedom to flourish due to the allowance of social mobility. When you are looking at a foreign country or foreign situation it can be easier to see it in black and white and not get caught up and lost in the gray area. The faults of communism were plain to see for the United States, which prompted action to combat the spread of these faulty methods of governing. Similarly, when people hear of George Floyd they easily recognize the treatment and behavior that they do not want from authority figures in their nation. They easily see the events that they do not want to occur in their own home country or home town. People fear that the institutionalized and systematic racism in their country will over time develop to be just as twisted in its roots and explosive as it is in the United States.  It is because the faults are so obvious yet the legal actions in response are not nearly drastic enough that people world-wide are connecting to George Floyd and demanding change.