The Orlando Massacre Should Not Be Universalized

It began with thoughts and prayers. It always does. Donald Trump tweeted, “Praying for all the victims & their families.” Paul Ryan said, “It is horrifying to see so many innocent lives cut short by such cowardice.” Mitch McConnell said, “The nation’s prayers are with the victims and their families in the wake of this terrible tragedy.” Ted Cruz wrote, “Our hearts go out to those killed and wounded last night. Our prayers are with their families, and with all their grieving loved ones.”

These statements, though sincere, were downright vague: Who, exactly, were the victims? As details emerged about Orlando, the American right would not specify which innocent lives had been lost. The tragedy quickly became one chapter within a larger narrative: the struggle against Islamist extremism, a collective enemy. “From 9/11 to the Boston Marathon, from Fort Hood to Chattanooga, from San Bernardino to last night’s horrific attack in Orlando, radical Islamic terrorism has declared jihad on America,” Cruz said. The massacre in Orlando became nationalized and universalized thereby subsuming another narrative: the murder of gay men and women.

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