Gabby Petito: "She Touched The World." Others Not So Much

 Gabby Petito has been found! 

Thank the gods she has been located. Well her body has been located. The family can at least have that much. Still the boyfriend needs to answer what happened. The incident is not a good one; girl goes missing and last one to see her is the boy friend. The boyfriend being cagey. The media gets a hold of the story.  There are pictures being painted daily by both the main stream media and the social media universe.  Gabby is shown to be a happy full of life woman who may have been with a shallow controlling boyfriend. The last picture we see is a distraught woman dealing with an abusive possessive traveling companion. The Parents of Gabby reported her missing on September 11.  Numerous stories came out and helped lead to the successful find of her dead body. People took a deep interest and made it personal.  Some reason the masses connected with Gabby and her family. It is the one redeeming aspect of the tragedy, people showed that they care. The search result is not what anyone wanted. The family is seeking to grieve in private after the news of Gabby's found body. 

Gabby represents the ugly in what can happen to a young woman.  She was vlogging and sharing her life with the world. She went on a hiking trip with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend is missing (I expect them to find him dead at his own hand, but time will tell) and believed to be in the bush somewhere in Florida.  She represents the young, the possibilities of life and all what it can offer the young population. Her death is awful and there are many who mourn for her and her family. 

So why am I writing about a story when it is so wildly covered? It is precisely for the reason, everyone is talking about it. I want to jump on the train as well, who wouldn't? The story is compelling. You have a mystery, the anticipation of what is to come, some hope, a villainess twist, a distraught loving family, a fair maiden, you can feel empathy for the characters in this tale. How can you not? We have daughters, sisters, friends, friends of friends who could star in this story. A GoFundMe page is likely to be set up (one was set up for the search) for the family. The woman could be someone you likely know. This is what seemingly gravitates folks to a situation, a story; the connection it has to us, the familiar, Gabby could be someone you know or Gabby could be us (really you). Her parents could be you, or someone you are close with. It all comes down to us (me). 

This is why I think all the other Women, girls are not thought of, because they do not resonate with you. They are not the girl next door to you, the neighbour, the friends of yours. The media doesn't recognize them as the Gabbys of the world. The main stream audience doesn't affiliate with them, doesn't empathize with them, can't understand them. The media also does a weird thing when the "other" women go missing or are murdered. The media doesn't paint a nice picture. The woman is not pictured as an angel with a full life going on and ahead for her. Nope, the "other women" are not angels, in fact, accordingly to the media,  these Women could have been seeking their own demise. Who are these "other women" and why are they not being found? Why is there no media blitz, no social media frenzy? Why is there no search?  As Joy Reid said "No one is looking for us." 

The "other Women" are the Native Women, the Black Women, Asian Women, Latino Women, Trans Women, Gay Women, Women of Colour and Poor Women. 

No one wants Women to go missing, to go be killed, no one. The Gabbys of the world should be looked for, should be spoken about, should be grieved. The same could be said of 18 year old Jennifer Catcheway a beautiful young Woman. The Jennifers of the world should be granted the same attention, the same empathy, the same concern. Thing is, Jennifer is Indigenous.