Ramy: Tackling Tragedies

In the show Ramy, we learn more through the lens of our titular character as he grapples with the trauma of this tragedy, believing one false deed made the whole world go upside down.

Let me set the scene.

It’s September 11th, 2001... Ramy enters the classroom and is influenced by a non-PC thing this article isn't at liberty to discuss. And because of this influence, he decides to act upon those temptations, and the moment he does... 

the first plane hits... 

and then the second… 

As Ramy enters the room, he is stunned by the cataclysmic [impact] one act can have, and he believes for a long time that it was his fault. Now the show treats this self-blame as comedic, but as Pablo Picasso once noted, “art is the lie that tells the truth.”

In that moment, the self-blame didn’t just come from his actions; it also came from the lack of safety and assurance that all the bias and prejudice would corner his everyday moves because he was Muslim. And that might’ve been another tragedy wrapped in a bigger tragedy. That with such a senseless act of violence, killing thousands of people, with some recovering, and some not. Tragedies become even more tragic when we shift our blame towards the marginalized as opposed to making sure it never happens again.

In psychological terms, a national tragedy tends to unite many of us when it occurs. Social psychologist Joy Bustrum describes this as “social identity theory,” where we “organize ourselves into groups as a vital part of our self-esteem” (Gipson, 2013). But for Ramy, his feelings of otherness became a pressure point, as if his ethnic background told his entire story. 

When the soil you were born in becomes the characteristics you are prescribed to have, the tragedy of feeling like these tragedies are your fault makes the out-group unnecessarily isolated and alone.  My one wish for all of us is to recognize our strength and courage when tragedies on multiple scales can make our hearts sink, and understand that we’re all in this together. As Dr. Rosemary Schwartzbard describes, “we want to remember [but] we don’t want to go back and experience the same emotions.” 

So my condolences to all the firefighters, children, employees, and families who had to undergo such heavy burdens during those attacks. But in light of the moments that came after, the gentle arms, the pats on the back, and the smiles on the faces of those who wanted to make sure that everyone was ok, make sure to extend this to anyone who might be different from you, especially when they’re doing the same.