I simply had to post this to our blog, to lighten things up a bit.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
What is a Terrorist?
No, really. What is a terrorist?
Think about it. What is it?
The image brought to mind, for most Americans, is an Arabic man who hates the US or US interests and attacks US Nationals to fight against those interests and powers. A frightening visage of Osama Bin Laden comes to mind.
But let's look at this term logically, shall we? The root of the word is, of course, terror. Terror-ism. "The suffix -ism denotes a distinctive system of beliefs, myth, doctrine or theory that guides a social movement, institution, class or group" - thank you wikipedia.
So, a terrorist is someone who believes that the best way to accomplish their aims is through the use of fear and intimidation, to fill one's enemy with terror.
Thoughts of the Bush Administration come to mind, coupled with thoughts of the new Obama administration. Both use/used well-positioned fear and terror to accomplish political aims. Obama's campaign was largely successful because it was effective at comparing John McCain's positions to George W Bush's disastrous policies, thus inducing in the public a sense of terror that the last 8 years would be extended. It was subtle fearmongering.
Our elected leaders are, and have been for several years now, terrorists. The enemy they terrorize is us. Rather than promising us fantastic dreams and goals (visions of going to the moon with JFK come to mind), they give us dire consequences if we do not do what they say. They exploit the power of the nightmare, rather than the power of the dream.
Ok, I've gone off on a tangent here. But terrorist is a loaded, complex word. There's a lot of places you can go with it.
Another possible definition of terrorist is: a criminal who causes/uses terror. By that definition, what kind of criminal isn't a terrorist? Any violent crime has a feeling of terror associated with it. Bank robbery? Terrorism. Rape? Terrorism. Murder? Terrorism. Forcing an adult to listen to the Jonas Brothers? Definitely terrorism.
A terrorist is a politician who insinuates that horrible things will happen if his opponent is elected. A terrorist is a man who walks into a bank with a gun. A terrorist is a man who straps a bomb to his chest and boards a bus. A terrorist is someone who bombs a third world country that did not, actually, attack his country first. A terrorist is a soldier who performs a midnight raid in a civilian house within the country he is stationed in. A terrorist is a mercenary who opens fire on a crowd of unarmed civilians. A terrorist is someone with no weapons, just a frightening/unorthodox idea. A terrorist is someone who supports a third party candidate (Missouri declared that supporters of Ron Paul and Bob Barr were domestic extremists just a few months back). A terrorist is a schoolyard bully.
A terrorist is you, and a terrorist is me.
Terror is one of the most base emotions a human being can feel. Fear.
We're fighting the war on terror in completely the wrong way - we're bombing countries. This can never solve the problem of terror (of course, stopping terrorism has never been the aim of the war on terror anyway). Terror will be stopped when we stop fearing death. When we open ourselves to the possibilities of the universe. When we realize that all people, Christian, Muslim, Rich, Poor, are essentially the same. Same essential needs and desires. When we realize that the Earth has always been, simultaneously, a frightening and a nurturing place.
The true war on terror is a war to be fought internally, within each of our minds and souls. It cannot be won on the battlefield. Because we are all terrorists, just as we are all loving human beings.
Think about it. What is it?
The image brought to mind, for most Americans, is an Arabic man who hates the US or US interests and attacks US Nationals to fight against those interests and powers. A frightening visage of Osama Bin Laden comes to mind.
But let's look at this term logically, shall we? The root of the word is, of course, terror. Terror-ism. "The suffix -ism denotes a distinctive system of beliefs, myth, doctrine or theory that guides a social movement, institution, class or group" - thank you wikipedia.
So, a terrorist is someone who believes that the best way to accomplish their aims is through the use of fear and intimidation, to fill one's enemy with terror.
Thoughts of the Bush Administration come to mind, coupled with thoughts of the new Obama administration. Both use/used well-positioned fear and terror to accomplish political aims. Obama's campaign was largely successful because it was effective at comparing John McCain's positions to George W Bush's disastrous policies, thus inducing in the public a sense of terror that the last 8 years would be extended. It was subtle fearmongering.
Our elected leaders are, and have been for several years now, terrorists. The enemy they terrorize is us. Rather than promising us fantastic dreams and goals (visions of going to the moon with JFK come to mind), they give us dire consequences if we do not do what they say. They exploit the power of the nightmare, rather than the power of the dream.
Ok, I've gone off on a tangent here. But terrorist is a loaded, complex word. There's a lot of places you can go with it.
Another possible definition of terrorist is: a criminal who causes/uses terror. By that definition, what kind of criminal isn't a terrorist? Any violent crime has a feeling of terror associated with it. Bank robbery? Terrorism. Rape? Terrorism. Murder? Terrorism. Forcing an adult to listen to the Jonas Brothers? Definitely terrorism.
A terrorist is a politician who insinuates that horrible things will happen if his opponent is elected. A terrorist is a man who walks into a bank with a gun. A terrorist is a man who straps a bomb to his chest and boards a bus. A terrorist is someone who bombs a third world country that did not, actually, attack his country first. A terrorist is a soldier who performs a midnight raid in a civilian house within the country he is stationed in. A terrorist is a mercenary who opens fire on a crowd of unarmed civilians. A terrorist is someone with no weapons, just a frightening/unorthodox idea. A terrorist is someone who supports a third party candidate (Missouri declared that supporters of Ron Paul and Bob Barr were domestic extremists just a few months back). A terrorist is a schoolyard bully.
A terrorist is you, and a terrorist is me.
Terror is one of the most base emotions a human being can feel. Fear.
We're fighting the war on terror in completely the wrong way - we're bombing countries. This can never solve the problem of terror (of course, stopping terrorism has never been the aim of the war on terror anyway). Terror will be stopped when we stop fearing death. When we open ourselves to the possibilities of the universe. When we realize that all people, Christian, Muslim, Rich, Poor, are essentially the same. Same essential needs and desires. When we realize that the Earth has always been, simultaneously, a frightening and a nurturing place.
The true war on terror is a war to be fought internally, within each of our minds and souls. It cannot be won on the battlefield. Because we are all terrorists, just as we are all loving human beings.
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