13 ms·
I think one of the most important things that we can do when faced with these types of events, but which usually fails to happens, is for us to humbly drop our
by dwaltrip 11y ago
I think one of the most important things that we can do when faced with these types of events, but which usually fails to happens, is for us to humbly drop our assumptions, and to dig in to try understand the deeply complex histories and motivations that led to the attacks. If we don't understand why something is happening (and no, it's not because "ISIS is evil incarnate", as some try to proclaim), how we can ever hope to stop it, or more importantly, prevent similar/analogous conditions that result in this type of outcome from arising again? Due to the complex cultural, historical, economic, and psychological factors at play, there is no "easy fix" that actually solves the problem in the long run.
Edit: I don't claim to have a rich understanding of the issue, but I appreciated the nuanced analysis in this article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/03/what-isis-really-wants/384980/ http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/03/what-isi...
- altotrees 11y agoI completely agree. I spent lots of time, especially after the Paris attacks, reading about Daesh, and the origins of their beliefs. The Atlantic article you mention is a fantastic primer on this very complex and hard-to-digest topic. Many people seem to view doing this kind of reading and learning as some kind of gesture that is sympathetic to those who commit such acts. I will never understand how wanting to be educated on the history of a group automatically means you are siding with them ideologically...but I am from the midwest and left quite a few beliefs I will never understand.