Refuse to be terrorized (2006)

Five years latter, the U.S. has institutionalized a terrified attitude, at least with respect to air travel. At this point, the only thing that might compel me to put up with the useless, degrading, indignity of U.S. air travel would be a dire family obligation - like a funeral - which I couldn't meet in any other way. I am appalled that my fellow citizens demand this abasement.

Re: Refuse to be terrorized (2006)

#5

Post by jdp23 » Sun, Jul 17, 2011, 5:45 PM UTC

gegegege wrote: post #2

This is years old, maybe submitter should mention that.

Still incredibly relevant though. With Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and others confronting the TSA in the House, and last week's court decision requiring the TSA to have a comment period, this issue's going to be heating up again.

Re: Refuse to be terrorized (2006)

#6

Post by Iv » Sun, Jul 17, 2011, 5:54 PM UTC

jdp23 wrote: post #5

gegegege wrote: post #2

This is years old, maybe submitter should mention that.

Still incredibly relevant though. With Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and others confronting the TSA in the House, and last week's court decision requiring the TSA to have a comment period, this issue's going to be heating up again.

Relevant, yes, this opinion was put forward by rational people just after the 9/11 : terrorists want terror, don't give them that. Ten years later (yeah, 9/11 happened ten years ago, I feel old) this sensible opinion is still ignored.

Re: Refuse to be terrorized (2006)

#7

Post by cstavish » Sun, Jul 17, 2011, 5:57 PM UTC

It amazes me that people freak out when they see "Muslim-looking" people on flights. The politically-correct response is along the lines of "OMG That is highly prejudicial!", but that's irrelevant. From a purely practical perspective, why would a terrorist leader send an attacker whom many Americans immediately view as "suspicious", when he could send someone who appears more "normal"?

On another note, people these days still puff out their chests and say the terrorists couldn't change our way of life. Good one. Another fallacious line of reasoning is that we can destroy terrorism by military action alone. Tell that to the teenage boy who just lost his family to an errant US bomb in his Afghan village and now has a massive amount of pent up rage, and nothing to lose.

If the conditions are right, terrorism can always regenerate itself. The way to fight it is to alter the conditions. To do this we must understand why people hate America. Contrary to popular belief, it's not that we are secular or free. Osama bin Laden himself asked that if he wanted to attack secular, democratic states, why didn't he attack Sweden? I'm obviously not condoning terrorism, but the key to beating it is understanding it on at least a basic level. Unfortunately, our leaders in the past 10 years have been more inclined to drop bombs than to know the enemy.

edit: I'm not saying military action is inappropriate. It clearly has been effective in many cases.

Re: Refuse to be terrorized (2006)

#8

Post by acabal » Sun, Jul 17, 2011, 6:03 PM UTC

Good article but it'll never be read by those who need to read it most.

Unfortunately terror has now been institutionalized. The TSA is a massive bureaucracy that generates jobs and cash flow. It's not something that will ever be dismantled overnight. That's not even mentioning the political convenience it provides: with it politicians can keep us afraid, thus getting our votes when they promise to protect us.

It goes deeper than just fear of terrorism though. Having spent the last few years traveling the world and seeing how other people live, it's always shocking to return to the States to see how afraid everybody is of even the smallest things. Fear seems to have become a centerpiece in the American psyche, and long before 9/11. We even raise our kids to be afraid (see some of the vitriolic responses freerangekids.wordpress.com gets in response to advice like, "It's OK to let your kid ride the bus alone"). Fear of mundane things giving you cancer; existential fear about the economy, which many of us don't even understand and as individuals, have no control over; fear of walking the streets alone at night; fear of getting sick if we don't use antibacterial soap after each bathroom trip. Fear of someone spiking your Tylenol. Uncontrollable fear of a country across the ocean maybe having WMD's.

No, fear of terrorism is just the latest in a laundry list of things Americans have scared themselves with. Until we learn to control that basic fear response, the TSA will still be around and people will still be scared of sitting next to a dark-skinned man kneeling in prayer.

Re: Refuse to be terrorized (2006)

#9

Post by huhtenberg » Sun, Jul 17, 2011, 6:14 PM UTC

That's all great, but consider a situation.

I get on the plane and sit next to a guy who avoids eye contact, does not respond to Hi and then starts praying, seemingly detached from the reality. Shall I just ignore this and refuse to be terrorized?

I will tell you more. As someone who rode on a subway train that was next to the one blown up in a terrorist attack, I will walk out of a coffee shop if I see a person leaving a bag behind and stepping outside. I did that when I was single and I certainly still do it now when I have two kids. If there is a sliver of probability that I can be killed due to my inaction, I will act and I will do my best to avoid that risk. If it takes de-boarding someone from a plane, so be it.

Re: Refuse to be terrorized (2006)

#10

Post by tommyudo » Sun, Jul 17, 2011, 6:22 PM UTC

huhtenberg wrote: post #9

That's all great, but consider a situation. I get on the plane and sit next to a guy who avoids eye contact, does not respond to Hi and then starts praying, seemingly detached from the reality. Shall I just ignore this and refuse to be terrorized? I will tell you more. As someone who rode on a subway train that was next to the one blown up in a terrorist attack, I will walk out of a coffee shop if I see a person leav…

>I get on the plane and sit next to a guy who avoids eye contact, does not respond to Hi and then starts praying, seemingly detached from the reality. Shall I just ignore this and refuse to be terrorized?

That depends. Are his prayers Christian prayers, or Muslim prayers?