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Peek into personal media's positive humanity. It's more than selfies, y'all

Published November 29th, 2015 - 06:42 GMT

Weary of all the frightening news? Since 1896, the banner of the New York Times has declared “All the News That’s Fit to Print.” A noble ambition, but impossible task. The irony at the core of all media is that objective reporting is beholden to subjective editorial decisions. So what gets reported?

Humans of New York blogger Brandon Stanton sees a public appetite for sex, violence, conflict and puppies - and mainstream media delivers on all four. But personal videos, tweets, blogs, a dedicated radio show (the Pope), and a satirical news show (Trevor Noah) offer alternative points of view. Come see some positive humanity. Drop a comment if you know of others.

 
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Dan Holloway

Nineteen year old Dan Holloway tweeted these two sentences after the Paris attacks, wanting to counter knee-jerk hatred with a simple fact. His words attracted strong support and also loud abuse. People tracked him down on Facebook to post that he's "the reason terrorists attack us". Happily, most disagree. His post has nearly 80,000 retweets.

Trevor Noah

US presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said the US should “wake up and smell the falafel”, referring to the risks of immigration. Daily Show host Trevor Noah replied, “There are a few things wrong with that statement. Number 1: falafel is not a breakfast food; number 2: it doesn’t really smell like anything; and number 3: the racism.”

Prince EA

The labels we slap on ourselves and others gets the Macklemore treatment in a provocative video produced by St. Louis-born poet and activist Prince Ea. "No babies are born rascist, yet every baby cries when it hears the cries of another." He urges everyone to connect and care for each other. See it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0qD2K2RWkc.

Pope Francis made a poignant appeal on behalf of refugees last week on Vatican Radio reminding listeners that Jesus was a refugee who "had to flee to save his life, with Saint Joseph and Mary...tof Egypt," adding, "Let us be their neighbors, share their fears and uncertainty about the future, and take concrete steps to reduce their suffering."

Pope Francis made a poignant appeal on behalf of refugees last week on Vatican Radio reminding listeners that Jesus was a refugee who "had to flee to save his life, with Saint Joseph and Mary...tof Egypt," adding, "Let us be their neighbors, share their fears and uncertainty about the future, and take concrete steps to reduce their suffering."

Nicole Arbour

Canadian writer, actress, former professional cheerleader and Youtuber, Nicole Arbour posted a hilarious and R-rated video rant in which she skewers North American reaction to the refugee crisis. Says this performer nick-named "The World's Sexiest Comedian,"Anyone who’s ever breathed air has a responsibility to help." She's on Youtube.

Generation Y Not

After the Paris attacks, four friends in Montreal made a powerful video with a simple message: THEY CANNOT SEPARATE US. Matt Dajer, Ammar Kandil, Thomas Brag and Derin Emre shot the clip inside a métro station where they stood holding hands, dressed in T-shirts tagged with their birthplaces (Paris, Turkey, Egypt, NYC). See it on Youtube.

Imgur

A disabled US veteran slammed conservative Congressmen with her Imgur post, “Don’t use me as your f*cking excuse when a week ago you were happily voting away my benefits and healthcare.” Amanda Bissell's post quickly went viral, criticizing politicians who argue that vets should be helped before refugees, yet repeatedly deny vet benefits.

Steve Jobs

So maybe you're feeling a bit better, but still not sure of the upside of immigration? Consider a world if Syrians were always kept out of America. Can you conjure up life without your iPhone, iPod, and the raft of now-indispensable Apple products? Apple founder Steve Jobs was the son of Abdulfattah Jandal, a Syrian refugee.

Dan Holloway
Trevor Noah
Prince EA
Pope Francis made a poignant appeal on behalf of refugees last week on Vatican Radio reminding listeners that Jesus was a refugee who "had to flee to save his life, with Saint Joseph and Mary...tof Egypt," adding, "Let us be their neighbors, share their fears and uncertainty about the future, and take concrete steps to reduce their suffering."
Nicole Arbour
Generation Y Not
Imgur
Steve Jobs
Dan Holloway
Nineteen year old Dan Holloway tweeted these two sentences after the Paris attacks, wanting to counter knee-jerk hatred with a simple fact. His words attracted strong support and also loud abuse. People tracked him down on Facebook to post that he's "the reason terrorists attack us". Happily, most disagree. His post has nearly 80,000 retweets.
Trevor Noah
US presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said the US should “wake up and smell the falafel”, referring to the risks of immigration. Daily Show host Trevor Noah replied, “There are a few things wrong with that statement. Number 1: falafel is not a breakfast food; number 2: it doesn’t really smell like anything; and number 3: the racism.”
Prince EA
The labels we slap on ourselves and others gets the Macklemore treatment in a provocative video produced by St. Louis-born poet and activist Prince Ea. "No babies are born rascist, yet every baby cries when it hears the cries of another." He urges everyone to connect and care for each other. See it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0qD2K2RWkc.
Pope Francis made a poignant appeal on behalf of refugees last week on Vatican Radio reminding listeners that Jesus was a refugee who "had to flee to save his life, with Saint Joseph and Mary...tof Egypt," adding, "Let us be their neighbors, share their fears and uncertainty about the future, and take concrete steps to reduce their suffering."
Pope Francis made a poignant appeal on behalf of refugees last week on Vatican Radio reminding listeners that Jesus was a refugee who "had to flee to save his life, with Saint Joseph and Mary...tof Egypt," adding, "Let us be their neighbors, share their fears and uncertainty about the future, and take concrete steps to reduce their suffering."
Nicole Arbour
Canadian writer, actress, former professional cheerleader and Youtuber, Nicole Arbour posted a hilarious and R-rated video rant in which she skewers North American reaction to the refugee crisis. Says this performer nick-named "The World's Sexiest Comedian,"Anyone who’s ever breathed air has a responsibility to help." She's on Youtube.
Generation Y Not
After the Paris attacks, four friends in Montreal made a powerful video with a simple message: THEY CANNOT SEPARATE US. Matt Dajer, Ammar Kandil, Thomas Brag and Derin Emre shot the clip inside a métro station where they stood holding hands, dressed in T-shirts tagged with their birthplaces (Paris, Turkey, Egypt, NYC). See it on Youtube.
Imgur
A disabled US veteran slammed conservative Congressmen with her Imgur post, “Don’t use me as your f*cking excuse when a week ago you were happily voting away my benefits and healthcare.” Amanda Bissell's post quickly went viral, criticizing politicians who argue that vets should be helped before refugees, yet repeatedly deny vet benefits.
Steve Jobs
So maybe you're feeling a bit better, but still not sure of the upside of immigration? Consider a world if Syrians were always kept out of America. Can you conjure up life without your iPhone, iPod, and the raft of now-indispensable Apple products? Apple founder Steve Jobs was the son of Abdulfattah Jandal, a Syrian refugee.

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