Are You Personally Concerned About Terrorism?
Thursday, September 21st, 2006 - 3:00pm
One of the things I've not been able to get my head around is people's personal fears of terror. I hear it all the time, and it dominates the news as though it is reasonably imminent that any one of us might suddenly die in a terror attack. Statistically speaking, worldwide, I'm far more likely to die of a rare disease, or be killed by lightning, or, as far as I know, be killed by a wild animal than I am to be killed by a terror attack. I feel like there's not just been a disproportionate response by the administration to an extremely limited, underfunded, and technically inferior threat, but more importantly by the media that is buying into the constant assurances by leaders on both sides of the aisle that were it not for their great and constant efforts, we might all be blown up tomorrow.
This is going to be extreme, and I apologize. I am offended by the cowardliness of Americans in the face of the threat. With the exception of our armed forces, who, despite my questions over what the administration has them do and the situations under which they are asked to do it, are almost universally trying to do good things for people who really need it, I feel that the American citizenry have allowed a vague fear to dominate them, and scared us into giving up liberty. That we are so frightened as to consider torture and racial and religious reactionism as not just something we would consider allowing, but endorsing is disgusting. These are stains on our character, and should we continue down this path, then we don't deserve to be a world leader either morally or militarily.
Now is the time when some people, possibly to rationalize themselves, would just dismiss me as another angry Democrat. Well, congratulations, I am pissed off! I'm pissed off at my own party who has been the most cowardly of all in not standing up to the most disgusting and unpatriotic actions and tactics of a party of morals without morals. I'm pissed off at people willing to dilute questions of torture into such minutia and subterfuge that the very reprehensible nature of the action is lost in quantum ambiguities, who find a single small point of the larger issue to defend and mark that as means of a universal defense. I'm pissed off at the factionalism of America, and a nation so busy arguing with itself that's its lost purpose and meaning as well as standing and integrity. I'm pissed off that one subject that barely touches most of our lives has become the smoke screen that allows a single administration to get away with endless corruption, the redefining of what is freedom, and the sacrifice of the middle class to the elite who would have us believe the nonsense of how they will reward the workers and the lower class once they have all the money. I am pissed off that there is a class war, and a social war, and a war on ideology, and I pissed off that those who are winning the war blame those who are fighting to keep things equal for daring to stand up, on the rare enough occasions when they do.
But, most of all I'm pissed off at the terrorists (believe it or not) who exposed us as cheerleaders for an American idea that seems far more tenuous than the 90's would have had us believe. Terrorism is a tactic, not an end. The end is the life of America now. The end is the nonsense reactionism, the sacrifice of our once strong moral authority. The terrorists do not want to take away our freedoms, themselves. They want us to be the arbiters of that decision, and we are helping them along in our shallow and pointless fears of what might be.
So, maybe I was wrong. Maybe I am frightened of terrorism, though not of dying in a plane crash, or an explosion. Maybe I am affected by terrorism every single day, not because of nuclear programs, but because this country is in the grips of terror. After all terrorism is about fear, and that's all I see of America anymore. Fear. So, yeah, I guess I am personally concerned.
(Apparently this has been bubbling below the surface for a while.)
"I think Elysium has the right of it" - Certis
I can say, in all honesty, that I'm not afraid of a terrorist attack. I wasn't on 9/10/2001, either. And I don't mean that to say that my lack of fear is naivete, but rather than I don't feel any safer for all the freedoms my government has taken from me in the name of making me safer.
I'm more afraid of having my life destroyed by the CIA or NSA than having it ended by a Jihadist.
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
Spore
I am more afraid of driving on the LIE everyday to go to work than I am of terrorists.
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Not concerned in the slightest for all the reasons that you outlined. Not getting into the fact that a war on terrorism is a silly concept because, like you said, terrorism is a tactic and not an enemy. It would be like declaring a war on trenches in 1914. Silly.
But, I think this type of absurd focus is built into the system. Nothing motivates a population to do what a government tells them like fear. So, how can you expect leaders not to use fear as much as they possibly can?
"I like to hear people talking when they're not talking to me," I said. "It's soothing to know that I don't have to listen." -- Bill Harris describing a truism.
I'm with ya. There was a pretty good article in the Atlantic last month entitled "We Win" that addressed parts of what you're saying. The long and short of it being that the "global threat" of Al Qaeda pretty much collapsed at the first push. What's left is a few disgruntled Tim McVeighs and some messes largely of our own creation (eg: Iraq).
Since shortly after 9-11, I've been telling folks that Al Qaeda wasn't and isn't any more dangerous or influential than the Pan-Slavic Anarchists like Mikhail Bakunin. I say that knowing full well that Gavrilo Princip's assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand provided the ignition for World War One. It is worth noting that Mohammed Atta's acts on 9-11 had the similar effect of giving interested parties the flimsy pretext to drag the world into war.
The danger of "global terrorism" isn't the ability of a few nutbars to fly a plane into another building. It is that folks will use the fear of such to justify just about anything (secret prisons, torture, domestic spying, suspension of due process, foreign invasion...). As we have seen, it works. And until it no longer does, we have much to fear from "terrorism".
This is the internet! In our natural environment, atheists run in packs and have dictionaries! --- JoeBeDurndurn
What moral superiority do you speak of? America has sold weapons to Sadam and his opponents, the Taliban and other terrorists/dictators before 9/11, have supported morbid regimes if it was in their best interest, have assasinated tons of people because they stood in their way. This has nothing to do with America as such, it is the sleazy tactics any superpower would use to stay on top.
The only difference now would be that Americans feel they have an excuse for it, where as before they just didn't want to know. Or that now Americans themselves are affected by the limitation of civil liberties and government terror, whereas it used to be whoever stood in America's way that suffered.
People don't want to know, they want to close their eyes. Do I sound like Jack Nicholson? Well, maybe he was right.
To be absolutely clear: I believe Belgium would to exactly the same, if we were the world's superpower.
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Those goddamn trenches... If you criticize the president, the trench diggers have won!
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
Spore
Sums up my feelings.
Unfortunately, if I slash my wrist with my lightsaber it cauterizes instantly. - PurEvil on emo Star Wars plots.
Thanks for putting it so eloquently as usual, Elysium. The rhetoric and actions of the general populace and news outlets proves one point: The terrorists have already won. Treating a threat whose statistical significance ranks BELOW being struck by lightning - TWICE - as a dire matter is not only ludicrous, it's downright ignorant. Even still, the power to prevent that statistical blip from occuring is within our reach; that's because like many societal problems, the root of this one is poor communication. They don't understand us, we don't understand them. Those too short-sighted to understand the importance of solid communication take the easy way out and label the other side as "evil." Simply put, no person has a fundamental desire to harm others; rather actions are a result of perceived self-interest.
More than anything, though, the ignorance on the part of our "leaders" isn't what offends me most. It's the fact that they take advantage of the ignorance of the populace for their own personal gain. A true leader, a real civil servant, would understand that just because 51% of people say "kill 'dem a-rabs!" doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. It's not in the long-term interest of the country that the leader purports to represent. Rather, they should understand the motivations of those who choose to oppose us, and work to rectify the issue so it doesn't lead to the same actions again. You can't declare a "war" on "terror" unless you truly *want* to lose before it begins.
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I grew up under the nuclear umbrella, so I'm always expecting random flaming death. Might be a car bomb, might be a Soviet nuke, might be a gas tanker with bad brakes. I've never expected to die of old age. My level of fear remains unchanged at zero, but my anger at the pointless gestures like banning drinks on airliners grows every day.
"Raise high the black flags, my children."
-- Gebhard von Blucher.
When you enjoy a tasty beverage on a flight, the trench diggers have won.
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
Spore
The irony that you're more likely to suffer from an infection due to your lack of hand sanitizer than you are of being inconvenienced by terrorists is just too much, isn't it?
This is the internet! In our natural environment, atheists run in packs and have dictionaries! --- JoeBeDurndurn
Exactly the same here, too. There are many things that I fear could harm me and/or my loved ones on a daily basis. Whether before or after 9/11, terrorist strikes still fall very, very far down near the bottom of the list. Though, since 9/11, I'm far more afraid of my government than I ever have been. Who knows when someone from the FBI, CIA, NSA, or whomever, might decide to use me or one of my loved ones as a scapegoat for something?
lol. My buddy at work (African American) just said, "you know it's gotten bad when WHITE folks are afraid of the government".
This is the internet! In our natural environment, atheists run in packs and have dictionaries! --- JoeBeDurndurn
I don't fear terrorism, there's no point in doing so. It's always been around and always will be so there's no sense in freaking out about it.
I do find it sad that so many people have suddenly decided that terrorism is the biggest threat in their lives. The same people who don't keep any spare food or water on hand for common natural disasters are concerned about preventing radiation poisoning from a dirty bomb. Too many people rely on their emotions instead of looking at the numbers and identifying the real problems that they should be preparing for.
The last disaster that greatly affected this country sure wasn't a terrorist attack. Not unless someone has found a way to control the weather that is.
Semper Delectatio
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I don't think anyone is worried about terrorism affecting them directly. Most people are concerned about a nebulous terrorist attack that might affect some equally nebulous group of other Americans. In fact, the only thing about terrorists that worries me is the fact that they might acquire WMDs.
"It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem." - Malcolm Forbes
Amen to that.
I find it funny that folks that give me crap about carrying around a pocketknife and flashlight are likely to vote for asshats because they are afraid of terrorism.
This is the internet! In our natural environment, atheists run in packs and have dictionaries! --- JoeBeDurndurn
And do what with them, exactly? If I lived in Jereusalem I'd be concerned about nuclear weapons. I don't believe the practicality of the situation will see the extreme groups that might consider using a nuke in the US even being able to manufacture and acquire that kind of weapon, or even get themselves into the country much less a weapon. And, before we go congratulating the current administration for that, I believe a more measured and targeted response would have made that protection far more guaranteed. After all, we're talking about the party that loves talking about homeland security as they are drafting bills that take money from the actual homeland security.
"I think Elysium has the right of it" - Certis
When you carry a flashlight, you give aid and comfort to the trench diggers.
Because, umm... it's dark in trenches. Flashlights help them dig even deeper.
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
Spore
Yeah, sorry JMJ, you lost me there. You can be afraid of just about anything happening. But is it really worth your time?
I generated a virtual world in the toilet bowl this morning.
-- Podunk on the PS3's mystical, magical abilities
Oh, I don't know. I think the millions of illegal immigrants are a testament to our inability to keep people out of the country. If it simply is a matter of you not thinking they will get their hands on WMD's, then we are arguing possibilities and risk,
"It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem." - Malcolm Forbes
I think we have more to fear, in this country, of abortion clinic bombers and white separatists than we do from Arab terrorists.
This is the internet! In our natural environment, atheists run in packs and have dictionaries! --- JoeBeDurndurn
WMDs are scarier than normal terrorist attacks because Iraq.
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
Spore
That got a nice real-world LOL from me, because it's sad but true!
I'm far more worried that most of them won't wash their hands before fixing a burger at McDonalds spreading eColi than I am about one of them hauling a nuclear device over the fence. Let's be practical, the guys who might pull a stunt like this aren't sailing in on a raft from Haiti, and shoring up the borders will do virtually nothing to stop your fears.
It's always possibilities and risk. There is an infinitesimal chance that I might accidentally fall through the spaces between atoms while walking on the second floor and break my leg in the fall.
Out of curiosity, then, does it bother you the scare tactics used on the US if you are willing to recognize the severely unlikely event that almost any of us are going to die or be harmed by terrorism? Do you agree that there is disproportionate coverage of an extremely limited event. I may disagree with you on economic, corporate, and education policy, but shouldn't we both agree that the economy will have far more of an effect on both our lives, and should be discussed in the public forum far more than some nebulous threat?
Is this administration sensationalizing fear to safeguard its own power? Is that what you want from American politics?
"I think Elysium has the right of it" - Certis
Of course it is. Politicians care about two things: their own power and keeping that power. Terrorism is to the Right what class-warfare is to the Left.
We should just agree that they both suck and stop falling for them over and over.
I have plenty of gripes about the government, and have for most of my adult life. Too much meddling all the way around.
"It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem." - Malcolm Forbes
See, you and I always manage to come to some middle ground! We're tight like that.
"I think Elysium has the right of it" - Certis
Also too many turtles. Turtles... all the way down.
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
Spore
I'm not terribly worried about "terrorists". What I am worried about is finding myself living in a police state, with an administration that thinks is A-OK to torture people, and a secret list that citizens can't get off of that keeps you from being able to travel without being harassed. I'm pissed that our history of being independent free thinking citizens has been modified into a cowardly crouch behind a flag. I'm pissed that we're being led by a Crusader with the intelligence of a soda bottle. I'm pissed that we've made things So Much Worse because of said crusader and his theocratic buddies.
Terrorists? Nah, I don't worry about terrorists. I worry about the fascists instead.
*Legion* wrote:
I live in central NJ and have never thought twice about changing my plans or not doing something because of a possible threat of terrorism. There is no way to know if/when/where an attack will happen so I'm not going to waste time dwelling on it. I think the color coded threat system is a joke and the government purposely instills fear in the country to divert their attention away from the actions in their taking in this supposed "War on Terror" and direct them instead to phony stories about attacks that were thwarted and such.
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Being surrounded by turtles is the first sign that the trench diggers have won.
"I like to hear people talking when they're not talking to me," I said. "It's soothing to know that I don't have to listen." -- Bill Harris describing a truism.