Raise your hand if you've heard about today's bombings in Bangladesh. Anyone? No? More than 300 explosions took place in over 50 cities across the country, and the story is nowhere to be found on the CNN or FoxNews websites.

A few weeks ago, the mainstream media was plastered with news of the London bombings. Regular programming was interrupted for special broadcasts; blogs stopped their usual partisan bickering to post about the tragedy and display little yellow ribbon icons that said "We support you London." It was a big deal.

But when an Egyptian resort was bombed a few days later, there were no "We support you Egypt" ribbons to be found. And now when a similar attack happens in Bangladesh, it barely registers on the media's radar. The only place I found coverage was on BBC (via Fark.com).

What is it that makes one so much more tragic than the other? Why do the London bombings impact people emotionally more than the Bangladesh bombings? Is it because one nation is our ally and the other not? Is it because one nation is developed and the other not? Is it because one nation is predominantely white and the other not?

I'm not making accusations of overt racism or predjudice. But I am suggesting that one of the above, or a combination, makes it easier for Americans to extend our collective identity toward Londoners, to include them in the collective "we". If it can happen in London, it could happen hear, the line of thinking goes. But if it happens in Bangladesh... well... where the hell is that?

It is in no way wrong to express sympathy for European victims of terrorist attacks. But to completely ignore brown people getting blown up sends a troubling message. This is why I don't wear the little yellow ribbons. I refuse to distinguish morally between a civilian from London dying and a civilian from Bangaldesh dying and a civilian from Iraq dying (whether by terrorist attack or American bomb). It's not that I don't empathize with each of these victims, but I don't have room on my shirt for that many ribbons.

The global struggle against violent extremism formerly known as the war on terror is supposed to be global. If America wants to convince the world that this is not a war against Islam, or another war against "brown people", then perhaps we should step back and ask why the media (and the public) doesn't seem to care as much when these acts of violent extremism happen outside the United States or Europe.