French-flag profile pictures are like digital bumper stickers
Some Facebook friends have changed their profile pictures to show their solidarity with Parisians.
I love Paris, but I won’t be changing my own profile picture anytime soon.
Why? Because the gesture is about as effective as slapping a Free Tibet bumper sticker on your car. (You know, in case the leader of the People’s Republic of China visits Santa Cruz, California. In this fantasy, President Xi Jinping happens to be stuck in traffic behind your little Honda. He sees your Free Tibet bumper sticker and the light bulb comes on. “What a great idea,” he says with boyish enthusiasm. “Why didn’t I think of that?” Then he turns to his military aide and says, “General Han, call the Dalai Lama on the secure line. Tell him he’s free to return to his Himalayan monastery.”)
I’d rather ask my Congressman and Senators to do whatever they can to support France. This is a sad moment in history. Multiply the number of dead by seven or eight and you’ll have some idea of the enormity of this tragedy. That’s about how many bereaved family members had their lives shattered by this crime.
I can’t imagine dealing with their grief. So I’m all for expressing sympathy and demonstrating solidarity and so on. But life goes on, and the French need to hunt down and punish the cretins who planned this terrible deed. Changing profile pictures won’t help them do that.
If people on Facebook want to change their pictures, I understand. I can’t fault my friends for putting the French flag or the Eiffel Tower peace symbol on their profiles. It’s one way to make a statement and show the world what they stand for. It’s just not mine.
