America is known around the world as an ignorant nation. It's unfortunate, but true. According to a 2014 Ipsos-MORI study, the US ranks 2nd (behind Italy) on a list of the most ignorant developed nations.
I used to be comfortable inside my bubble of ignorance. I was focused on my suburban life and it was working just fine for me. But, following the attacks of September 11th, that all changed. I remember watching the news obsessively in the days that followed the attack, taking in every word and wondering how this could happen. I was living 15 miles from the World Trade Center and it was difficult for me to process the truth with the emotions and perspective I had at that time. Something inside of me needed to see it firsthand to believe it.
I decided to volunteer in the clean up efforts, although I had to lie about my age to do so. To date, I still remember the anxiety, the fear, the smell. I was present in my body and mind more than ever before. There was no censorship, no third party filter. It was the first time I experienced, what I believed, to be reality in its truest form.
This sense of "true reality" was eye opening, but at 16 years old, I was still too young to fully understand the big picture. I was raised Jewish and I remember feeling anger and distrust towards Muslims after 9/11. I wasn't raised to hate, but the environment we were living in and the media that covered it, created a bias in which it felt appropriate. And this environment is still very much alive today.
"While the level of anti-Muslim sentiment increased precipitously in the months after 9/11, it has not subsided in the 14 years since then. The environment created by discriminatory government policies, xenophobic rhetoric and biased media representations remains a reality that many members of these communities contend with daily." - The Guardian, 2015
It wasn't until after the US invaded Iraq that my idea of American exceptionalism began to fade. I became aware of the lies we were sold and began to question everything that was presented as truth. I was ashamed for generalizing an entire population, but in retrospect, it was easy to get caught up. I was determined to never let myself be deceived again in such a manner. From then on, I was only interested in living within the true reality of the world. I would base my beliefs on personal experiences, unmediated and unbiased dialogues, and remain well-informed on global issues from a variety of outlets.
Ironically, my quest for true reality took a big detour and led me towards a career of producing television… reality television. Building a career in reality TV was never one of my childhood dreams, but it was an exciting way of life. It gave me the opportunity to travel while learning a lot about producing and, most importantly, it paid the bills. I was fortunate to work with incredibly smart people on some of the biggest shows in the world from "Dancing With the Stars," "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette".
As a reality producer, I became increasingly aware of my hypocrisy. In my mind, the content I was creating was entertaining, but was doing nothing to improve our society. And to think that I was providing millions of domestic and foreign viewers with an inaccurate view of the world and a misguided moral compass weighed heavily on me. Especially when so many people perceive it as truth.
"Reality TV and pop culture presented in magazines and online sites claim to provide useful information about the importance of The Housewives of [you name the city] that can somehow enrich our lives. After all, how else can one explain the insipid and pointless stories that tout divorces, cheating and weight gain? How else can we explain how the Kardashians, or Paris Hilton are known for being famous without actually contributing anything worthy of discussion? The artificial events of their lives become the mainstay of populist media to distract people from the real issues and concerns facing us.
The current trend of increasing anti-intellectualism now establishing itself in politics and business leadership, and supported by a declining education system should be a cause for concern for leaders and the general population, one that needs to be addressed now." - Psychology Today, 2014
As a way to find balance and to continue expanding my worldview, I would use my time off work to travel to what some of my friends would describe as, "the worst vacations imaginable." For example, my curiosity with climate change led me to the northernmost part of Alaska in wintertime. There I spoke with Inupiats who were experiencing food shortages from premature ice melt and a constant battle with big oil trying to take their land.
I ventured to Svalbard and met with scientists who explained their first-hand research into the decline of polar bear populations there. I traveled to Maidan Square in Kyiv, Ukraine shortly after the 2014 revolution to listen to the perspectives of the revolutionaries. I broke bread with Bedouins in the Western Desert of Egypt and we discussed politics and world affairs.
My adventures were exciting and informative. I was fortunate to meet people from all backgrounds who opened my eyes to new cultures and ideas. I witnessed the results of failed policies and the price of inaction, and although it was far away from home, it was real. And these were just a few of the real-world issues that get drowned out, if not flat out ignored, by our media. But what was me experiencing any of this doing to actually resolve the issues? My next trip helped me answer that.
I saw a photograph of refugees in Syria that was taken by the Associated Press. Thousands of people were standing in the street of a bombed out neighborhood waiting in a queue for food. The image haunted me and it blew me away that our media wasn't providing coverage to such a horrific crisis.
If the media doesn't report it, did it even happen?
I decided to see the crisis for myself and arranged for a visit to the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, 8 miles from the border of Syria. My goal was a simple one. I wanted to have a dialogue with refugees to get their perspective on what was happening and why the US media was failing to cover it. I spent a few days at the camp and spoke with refugees of all ages and professions. Their stories were unlike anything I'd heard before.
The refugees at Zaatari lost everything. Yet still, they invited me into their tents, insisted on preparing coffee and food for me, and spoke with me as a friend. I discovered, as many in America have an image of who the refugees are, the refugees I chatted with had an idea of who we are based upon misinformation.
Some of the people I spoke with were under the impression all Americans hate Muslims. Many refugees were surprised to learn there were many mosques all over America. You pair those ideas with footage of American's holding signs saying "Death to Muslims" and armed civilians surrounding a mosque with guns and quotes of politicians calling for a ban of all Muslims and voila! The gears of the propaganda machine are turning.
Unfortunately, that machine is also fully operational in America. Even with all of our freedom of speech and press (for the most part), we still see select footage of scary looking Arab men burning an American flag or how the media puts a "terrorist" label on Muslims and not white extremists. This all contributes to a narrative designed to attract and build audiences, not educate them. The result creates an environment of fear and a false sense of justified aggression.
"Since 9/11, white right-wing terrorists have killed almost twice as many Americans in homegrown attacks than radical Islamists have, according to research by the New America Foundation.
In their June study, the foundation decided to examine groups “engaged in violent extremist activity” and found that white extremists were by far the most dangerous." - Time, 2015
My encounter with refugees at the Zaatari camp gave me the opportunity to connect on a personal level, directly with the people so many are unjustifiably afraid of. Americans must understand that the Syrian people are on the front lines fighting and dying against Daesh (ISIS). They are fleeing the same violence and extremism that Americans are trying to protect itself from.
I have since been led away from the world of reality television and towards producing a project that aims to recreate the experience I went through at the refugee camp. I now travel the country and film resettled Syrian refugees who share their personal stories. The goal is to introduce, educate and inspire everyday Americans by listening to the Syrian people without the bias and clout of corporate media (www.storiesofsyria.org).
The Syrians I've met in the United States were all extremely kind, generous and hard-working people. They express gratitude and even a sense of patriotism for the country that took them in and provided safety for them and their children. The scapegoating and Islamophobia must come to an end. Following the UK's vote to leave the EU and leading up to the US election, now more than ever, Americans must fight the ignorance that has plagued our country. We are at a historic moment in time where our ignorance will not leave us in bliss.
I'm not writing this to say everyone must go out into the world and do as I have done. I am writing this to tell you that we all have the power and freedom to find the truth, but you must be open to discovering it. It is up to us as individuals to not just accept the reality that is presented to us, but to determine it for ourselves.
