“W hat does this have to do with traveling?” Mike — a reader of The Gate — asked in the comments of this recent article I wrote about a woman from the Netherlands who alleged that she was raped and was jailed for almost three months in Qatar before she was convicted of committing adultery.
Why I Write About Topics Such as the Orlando Massacre and Rape Victims
To answer your question, Mike — that story has everything to do with traveling. That story was about a woman who traveled from the Netherlands to Qatar on vacation, which turned from a joyous to a horrible experience.
Travel is supposed to be about experiencing other cultures in a new place or enjoying a temporary escape from everyday life. It is not just about reviewing the champagne in the business class cabin of an airplane for the umpteenth time; seeing that same bed, television, desk and window configuration in a hotel room; or getting a complimentary double upgrade on that rental car. Just as there are pleasures and joy which are typically inherent in travel; so are there dangers.
“What’s been hard for a lot of people the last few days is realizing how many people don’t get it — don’t get how this attack isn’t just a news story — but how it gets at our sense of self and safety.” That is what FlyerTalk member Adam1222 posted about the massacre which occurred recently in Orlando, costing the lives of at least 49 people and injuring dozens more. It is not about gay Latino men who were killed. It is about people who were killed. “I’m not talking about social justice here; i’m talking about humanity.” Amen, Adam1222.
Yes, gay people have more of a possibility of being unfairly persecuted — and unfairly prosecuted — in countries such as Russia which purport to have strict values under the guise of religion or simple hatred…
…but no one on this planet is immune to discrimination — whether the person is a straight Asian male; a homosexual black female; or a white transsexual who is simply trying to figure out which bathroom or which dressing room in a department store to use. Everybody has the possibility of being a target of prejudice somewhere in this world — especially when they travel.
Summary
Travel is supposed to be about understanding each other better to promote a safer world for all — not to encourage injustice and perpetuate hatred and intolerance against fellow human beings…
…and if posting articles pertaining to these controversial issues — which do affect travel — helps in even the slightest way to bring about awareness to promote that understanding amongst people towards our planet becoming a better world, then I will continue to do so.
I hope that answers your question, Mike.
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
