It Took AOC No Time To Mock 'Thoughts and Prayers' for Victims of Christchurch Massacre
As of early Friday morning, 49 worshipping Muslims are dead after two coordinated mass shootings at mosques in the Christchurch, New Zealand, area during Friday prayers. Clearly, this is a time for somberly reflecting on lives cut down and condemning the hatred that led to such an act.
Or, if you’re Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, scoring political points.
In a tweet Thursday night, as the news was barely breaking, the New York Democrat mocked the idea of “thoughts and prayers” being given to victims of the shooting and criticized the National Rifle Association, even though the event happened in a country with stringent gun control.
“At 1st I thought of saying, ‘Imagine being told your house of faith isn’t safe anymore,'” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “But I couldn’t say ‘imagine.’
“Because of Charleston. Pittsburgh. Sutherland Springs.
“What good are your thoughts & prayers when they don’t even keep the pews safe?” she concluded.
At 1st I thought of saying, “Imagine being told your house of faith isn’t safe anymore.”
But I couldn’t say “imagine.”
Because of Charleston.
Pittsburgh.
Sutherland Springs.What good are your thoughts & prayers when they don’t even keep the pews safe?pic.twitter.com/2mSw0azDN8
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 15, 2019
Just so you knew what exactly she was referring to: “‘Thoughts and prayers’ is reference to the NRA’s phrase used to deflect conversation away from policy change during tragedies. Not directed to (New Zealand) PM (Jacinda) Ardern, who I greatly admire.”
(“Thoughts and prayers” is reference to the NRA’s phrase used to deflect conversation away from policy change during tragedies. Not directed to PM Ardern, who I greatly admire.)
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 15, 2019
This seems like an unusual response, considering the fact that the attack happened in New Zealand, where the National Rifle Association decidedly doesn’t operate.
This didn’t go over particularly well with users:
If one of your first 1000 thoughts after a horrific mass shooting is to go dunk on a person, a religious belief or an organization on Twitter, you should delete your account.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) March 15, 2019
These poor, innocent people were murdered by a despicable terrorist in their house of prayer, and you choose to denigrate prayer in the aftermath? What is wrong with you?
— Chet Cannon (@Chet_Cannon) March 15, 2019
And perhaps one of the most spot-on responses:
Prayer is the reason for places of worship.
— jon gabriel (@exjon) March 15, 2019
It’s profoundly tin-eared to talk about the uselessness of “thoughts & prayers” in an instance where the individuals who were killed were praying. It also makes the assumption that prayers are mutually exclusive of any other action. Is Ocasio-Cortez under the impression that religious people only pray and leave it at that? That seems indicative of someone who is anti-faith or who has little idea of what faith is.
It’s also worth noting that using this as an analog to the United States and as an argument for gun control is an extremely poor one. New Zealand has relatively strict gun laws and prohibits owning one for reasons of self-defense. It might be significantly more accurate to say that the men and women inside these mosques would have been better served by a country with gun laws more like ours, which would allow for concealed carry and gun ownership for self-defense.
Of course, mentioning this would be called improper politicizing on the right by left-wing Twitter. However, it would be factual. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s political point-scoring in the face of a tragedy couldn’t even rise to that low bar.
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