What is Solidarity?

Disclaimer:

It doesn't bother me that other people post political things, etc., in fact I'm glad that some of my friends frequently share.  Hashtag activism also doesn't bother me at its basics. I'm pretty certain that I wrote more than one article defending it for the college newspaper. People want to know that others care, people want to feel they've done something, they've shown support...people want to be like other people.  I think that if I weren't so opposed to creating conflict and my life didn't already focus on politics I might have been more inclined to be a poster myself.
If it weren't for my paranoia in not sharing on every important issue and so deciding I don't need to be another one to just share for the sake of sharing, I avoid posting on every issue. 

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So, I didn't think to post #jesuischarlie. I didn't think much of it at first when it filled my feeds. But it made me uncomfortable for some reason.  On the one hand, I was glad to see that everyone felt some sort of solidarity with,well, people. But there's something wrong with how it was being represented. Not, "I stand with the victims and their loved ones," but, "I stand with this publication with which I probably don't actually relate or understand, or even know, because it is a symbol of western society," a western society being attacked, by others, who don't share our ideals.  I agree with the notion of protecting the rights of those I disagree with most to say and write what they wish, so I understood why some people saw the act of posting the hashtag as not political, and even those who would never say anything on a potentially inflammatory subject went along with this one, and I didn't feel badly towards anyone who expressed solidarity in this way. 

But why is it that this is the only case in which everyone can see supporting the victims, in the name of liberty, as a non-political act?

Not only does characterizing this as an attack on Western ideals and an issue of incompatibility misrepresent it, by making it one of clashing values, and therefore creating further division, and misplaced fear and hate, but it casts importance off of other devastations which command our attention just as well.  Yes, we (our leaders) should address the issue of extremism, and how and why it draws people in (but we can't forget that politics and power struggles always play a part). No, we shouldn't compare tragedies. However, we should be aware of what's most likely to genuinely infringe on our western, democratic ideals.  We should reflect on why we believe that human rights are universal, but ascribe the ability to believe in those rights only to westerners.  We should reflect on whether our leaders truly adhere to those rights in the politics they push, and hold them accountable.  We should reflect on why we can't bring ourselves to identify with Every Man who calls for action in the name of those ideals.