Say Something!

Every week for the past 18 months or so, I have posted something here generally related to aging or ageism.

Most of those posts have been well received—and some even reposted—responses for which I am extremely grateful.

But this week my mind has been elsewhere.

It has been with the Jewish community in Boulder, CO, who were walking peacefully on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to express their support for the 55 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza—only to be firebombed by a man throwing Molotov cocktails.

It has been with a young Jewish couple in Washington, D.C. who was ambushed outside a Jewish museum and murdered at point-blank range.

It has been with the migrants who have been taken prisoner—without due process of law—from their homes, schools, workplaces, and even asylum appointments by armed, masked federal “officials” who refuse to present either ID OR arrest warrants.

And it has been with a Target cashier who was seven hours into her nine-hour shift and lamenting the fact that she would love to be able to retire—but simply can’t afford to.

While it may not appear as though these real-life scenarios have much in common, to me, they do:

INJUSTICE.

It seems to have reached epidemic proportions.

Driven by fear. Driven by hate. Driven by anger. Driven by ignorance. Driven by silence.

Jew Hatred. Racism. Sexism. Homophobia. Transphobia. Islamophobia. Xenophobia of any kind. They’re all forms of injustice.

Perpetuating a world in which economic inequality continues to widen and deepen.

A world in which those in power demonize those in need.

A world in which earned benefits like Social Security and Medicare are on the verge of going bankrupt and/or under constant threat of dissolution.

These are all forms of injustice—as is AGEISM.

When human rights—or human beings, for that matter—are threatened, that’s injustice.

When they’re treated as less than because of who they are, what they believe, who they love, where they came from, or how long they’ve lived, that’s injustice.

Since 9/11, we’ve been told, “If you see something, say something.”

Well, these forms of injustice are unfolding before our very eyes—and right in our own backyards.

So I urge you to join me in SAYING SOMETHING. Right now.

Arm yourself with the facts. Contact your elected officials. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Write a Letter to the Editor. Post on social media. Heck, share this post if you like.

But SAY SOMETHING.

Because as author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wrote:

“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe.”