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In order to be a terrorist I think you need a political purpose, an ideology and a plan of some kind. From what I read in this case, this seems more like a dera
by Udik 10y ago
In order to be a terrorist I think you need a political purpose, an ideology and a plan of some kind. From what I read in this case, this seems more like a deranged person.
Instead of trying to apply the thought-blocking "terrorist" label to more people, I'd work to apply it to less people. Terrorist is often a very convenient way of referring to our enemies- when they start to hit back.
- snsr 10y ago> In order to be a terrorist I think you need a political purpose, an ideology and a plan of some kind. Not in the US, where this cowardly, racist attack took place. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_terrorism#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_terrorism#Unite...
- mikeash 10y agoPolitical purpose: get rid of immigrants (of certain colors). Ideology: right-wing extremism. Plan: shoot some people in the group you want to leave, striking fear into the rest. Seems fitting to me.
- Klockan 10y ago> Plan: shoot some people in the group you want to leave, striking fear into the rest. A person who shoots two people and then immediately goes to another bar to brag about it probably lacks the mental faculties to come up with such an elaborate plan.
- nkrisc 10y agoWhat exactly is elaborate about a plan to shoot people?
- Klockan 10y agoIt isn't, but people accuse him of shooting people to scare away others which requires more thought. The murder is obviously premeditated, I am not arguing about that, I just argue that he probably didn't do it for any higher purpose than wanting them dead.
- mikeash 10y agoHe shouted "Get out of my country!" I'm pretty confident that was not directed solely at the person he then shot.
- Klockan 10y agoSo you argue that it wouldn't have been terrorism if he instead said "Death to all naggers!" because then it wouldn't serve a higher political purpose? To me those two statements are basically interchangeable in this scenario.
- mikeash 10y ago"Death to..." and "Get out of my country" don't seem very interchangeable to me.
- Klockan 10y agoOk, better example: Imagine that he yelled "Get out of my lawn!", would that be obvious terrorism?
- mikeash 10y agoOnly if they were part of a political movement whose platform included keeping people who look like that off lawns.
- nkrisc 10y agoAre you saying you think he only wanted specifically those two men out of "his" country? I suppose it's possible but I wouldn't bet money on it.
- yardie 10y agoYou're right. He should have bragged about it on YouTube instead. Everyone knows that's where the real terrorists do their bragging.
- mcguire 10y agoElaborate plans are not necessary. All you need to do is radicalize the right people, and plans (and actions) will take care of themselves.
- MichaelBurge 10y ago> Plan: shoot some people in the group you want to leave, striking fear into the rest. The exact same actions could've been terrorism with this as the plan, but it sounds more like an angry drunk than executing on a premeditated plan. Contrast that with someone like Dylan Roof, who would match the terrorist label much better: > A friend recalled a drunken Roof ranting one night about his unspecified six-month plan "to do something crazy" in order "to start a race war."
- mikeash 10y agoThere are a lot of conflicting definitions of terrorism out there, but they generally don't seem to require an elaborate or long-premeditated plan.
- baybal2 10y agoThe definition of terrorism - is what attorney general define it as on a whim. Just like in USSR - where the dictionary definition of communism and 20 other *isms was changed and amended every year
- ninv 10y agoNot sure who downvoted you. I agree with you.
- garyfirestorm 10y agoThis is by far the best comment IMHO
- enraged_camel 10y agoA terrorist is anyone whose goal is to induce terror among a group of potential targets. The motive is to scare them into changing their behaviors. It doesn't have to be political (even though the term has become so).
- WalterSear 10y ago>...group of potential targets. The motive is to scare them into changing their behaviors. In other words, a political motive.
- samirillian 10y agoI generally agree that the term requires more conceptual clarity, but it's a matter of propaganda now. And if any deranged Muslim who shoots an American is called a terrorist, we can at least hope for an equally vague use of the term in the other direction.