Prayers and thoughts speak louder than actions. These memes illustrate that prayers and thoughts alone aren’t enough in the wake of preventable tragedy.
May 25, 2022, Released at 4
Many people criticize the catch-all term “prayers and thoughts” as a way for individuals to pretend to care about preventing tragedies while taking no actual steps to stop them from happening again. However, there are active solutions that people can use to prevent certain tragedies, and it is important to show support for those affected by a tragedy in whatever way you can. It’s become divisive when the term “prayers and thoughts” is used as a term to simply avoid taking action.
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If you want to actively support more gun control, check out this list of advocacy nonprofit groups. These memes serve as poignant reminders that words alone do not equate to action, especially for those in positions of power who have the ability to prevent tragedy and chaos. Prayers and thoughts are not sufficient. When it comes to the epidemic of mass shootings in the United States, prayers and thoughts are especially insufficient.
Providing thoughts and prayers in the wake of a tragedy is often “deeply hypocritical.”
This Yale professor attempted to vocalize it sufficiently for the individuals situated behind. Prayers and thoughts are devoid of meaning when an individual also declines to engage in proactive measures.
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That time of year in the United States …
Similar to a contagion, thoughts and prayers have probably been circulating during that period. Each occurrence in schools has led to casualties and/or fatalities, with a total of twenty-seven incidents reported. A recent NPR report states that over 212 mass shootings have taken place throughout the country in the initial five months of 2022.
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Can’t solve a problem by creating more problems.
The CDC reports that overdose-related drug deaths quadrupled in 2019 due to the illicit manufacture of Fentanyl. Prayers and thoughts won’t solve this crisis, but they also won’t prevent anything. Instead, legitimate solutions are needed.
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The numbers don’t lie.
After the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022, Senator Ted Cruz was one of many Republican politicians who offered his “prayers” to the mourning families. He already knows that it is feasible to impose stricter gun regulations and transactions on gun-rights profits, so he could stand to lose his fortune.
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“Horrified and heartbroken” isn’t much better.
We’re all horrified and heartbroken, not just trying to stop it from happening but also reacting to the tragedy. However, it’s not nearly as effective as we would like it to be. Instead, many Republican politicians have taken the phrase “horrified and heartbroken” and used it as an empty enough phrase. Similarly, “prayers and thoughts” has also been used by them in a hollow manner.