Events in Paris on Friday, November 13 shocked the world as terrorists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), formerly known as ISIS, attacked various Parisian sites, including two restaurants, a concert venue, and the Stade de France, a major soccer hub. According to French officials, the extremists toted AK-47s and bombs, causing the death of at least 129 citizens.

The violence warranted a significant reaction from the international society, with countries condemning the organization and showing their support for Paris. Nevertheless, media responses to the attacks lacked sincerity as Americans focus solely on Western countries, ignoring other terrorist attacks across the globe, including Beirut the day before.

Beginning Friday afternoon, social media sprouted with reports of the attacks and citizens across the world claimed their support for France. Phrases like “ma coeur est avec Paris,” translated as “my heart is with Paris,” and profile pictures layered with the French flag filled Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The messages, while meaning well, did not appear when other attacks occurred in non-Western countries, like Beirut which suffered a bombing the day before.

The unity of the online world in supporting France shines bright, but a problem arises when tragedies experienced by Beirut and other cities lack the same attention. No one claimed they stood with Beirut or reflected the Lebanese flag in their profile pictures. Even large companies like Amazon, Airbnb, and Apple showed their support for France, but stayed silent during and since the Beirut bombings.

The mass amount of attention given solely to France by Western media creates a predicament. The media fails to call other global terrorism attacks to attention and seems to turn a blind eye to the racial violence in Paris. It seems as if Americans neglect countries not directly benefiting the United States and ignore citizens in need, a disturbing trend.

While showing support for France certainly helps the inflicted party, and any well wishes help the Parisian citizens, America and the media should provide the same support when other countries experience the same violence.