Just read through this thread and wanted to share something.
Last Sunday, I passed by Nohemi Gonzalez's vigil on my campus. There were over 2,000 people there. The amount of support that I saw there was just unbelievable to me. To be honest, it got me emotional. All of those people were there for this one student. This particular student was at the wrong place at the wrong time. She was Mexican-American. She was a design student. She had a story. That horrific event hit me once I realized someone from my own community was wrongfully killed. But also, something else hit me: She wasn't alone. There were over a 100 people that were killed in France. Everything was put into perspective once I saw those two thousand people at the vigil. This type of an event affects thousands. They all had stories.
Then, when I got home that night, I logged onto this place called the Internet. On Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and even Instagram, I saw several posts about the other horrific events that were occurring in the world (most of which have already been mentioned on this thread). These events have been killing thousands of innocent souls for years. People in third world countries are continuously being killed, yet their stories are often not shown in the media, particularly in America.
I'm sure that this pin did not have any ill intentions. Am I offended by this pin? No. It's a freaking heart pin. What does bother me though, is that Paris isn't the only one suffering. There are real people being killed out there, just like Nohemi. As much as we would like, we cannot just create a pin for every single atrocity that occurs in the real world. Show your support by going to these memorial services, offering aid, being involved in the political process, raising awareness on other global events like the one in Paris. This is heavy stuff that deserves more attention, but we shouldn't be giving attention to just a small portion of those affected. A world pin would be a better alternative, imo.