Lowell, MA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLRsRxes-F4&feature=share

While browsing various news forums and blogs, I came across the preceding video about what is being perceived as a hate crime that recently occurred in Lowell, MA. From what I can understand, the video demonstrates the response of the local Iraqi veterans and their reaction to the crimes being committed against this local business that is bringing in jobs for the community and supporting the American Dream. I love this country and find that the opportunities that abound here truly cannot be achieved in like manner in any other place on Earth, and it only saddens me to think that we still cannot be tolerant of others in their desire to achieve success and pursue happiness – a right that this country holds as one of its founding principles.

Politics aside, I find that this story humanizes what is often portrayed in other forms of more mainstream media as a dark, conflicting, or heavily politicized debate by all sides, when in reality, this video is able to portray the more human side of compassion that the veterans feel towards a people that they spent time fighting for in their country, and even now stand up at home for those same beliefs that they struggled to help others with overseas.

By utilizing a modern social media platform to convey this message, there is no overhead, and simply instead a story to be told. It is a story about tolerance and respect for all people – people should be respected simply by being who they are first, with a general level of human decency that should dictate our societal norms from which a more profound understanding and love can develop for other people. If we fail to understand such a principle, we can slowly become misanthropes, despising others for their achievements due to our own jealousy or ignorance.

That’s just one point of view on the subject, and by no means the most complete or accurate. What do you think?