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What terrifies people about terrorism is that it could affect anyone at any time, and there's no semblance of control over that So could being struck by lightn

• Houshalter 11y ago
  All of those things are accidents. Whereas terrorism is an intentional act by an enemy. We evolved in a world where most causes of death, you couldn't do anything about. If you got an infection, you either recover or die. Really all medical issues were untreatable. If you got struck by lightening, thats just bad luck. If a big predator attacks you, you probably can't outrun it or fight it. If a natural disaster happens, you can't do anything about it. But an enemy plotting to kill you, that is something you can do something about. You can fight them. You can be prepared for them. You can strike first. Etc. Violence has never been the primary cause of death, but it's the primary cause of death you can do something about. We have evolved entire emotions and social instincts about dealing with enemies. From anger and hate to paranoia and suspicion/mistrust. We don't have instincts for evading lightening or car crashes. Hence why shootings and terrorist attacks get far more media attention than natural disasters and accidents. The boston bombing happened around the same time as a massive chemical plant explosion which killed hundreds. Guess which one was all over the news? Guess which one people remember?