4 ms·

It's a very fascinating subject. At UT Dallas we have a couple of world class scholars on the topic. Some more reading material: * http://international.ucla.e

It's a very fascinating subject. At UT Dallas we have a couple of world class scholars on the topic. Some more reading material: * http://international.ucla.edu/media/files/Rapoport-Four-Waves-of-Modern-Terrorism.pdf http://international.ucla.edu/media/files/Rapoport-Four-Wave... Could we consider the terrorism in Europe part of a new wave? Note: it's thought that "modern" terrorism started with anarchist movements in the 1880s; Lenin's brother was executed for his involvement in one of the earliest groups. * http://www.utdallas.edu/~tms063000/website/TargetSubstitution-20091003.pdf http://www.utdallas.edu/~tms063000/website/TargetSubstitutio... Terrorists have shifted their targets over the years from hardened military targets to "softer" ones. It's easier (unfortunately) to run over 100 civilians with a lorry than it is to attack a military outpost. * http://www.ir.rochelleterman.com/sites/default/files/pape%202003.pdf http://www.ir.rochelleterman.com/sites/default/files/pape%20... The "logic" behind suicide terrorism is unfortunately pretty sound. If you are in Palestine where human life is "cheap" due to environment and material resources are expensive, suicide bombing strikes groups like the West particularly hard where life is expensive and tech is "cheap", and the smartest most expensive missiles aren't nearly as smart as someone packed with explosives who is willing to die. The worst thing about all of this is that modern terrorism became possible because media enabled terror to reach farther than before: today's social media environment is like a best-case scenario for terrorists because their actions reach so damn far so quickly. Most attacks today are livestreamed. ISIS virtually has a media empire. Zuckerberg and Ev Williams probably weren't thinking about the issue much when they were building their their networks. What's even more striking is the fact that the refugee crisis is gonna keep this going for another generation or more. The US destabilized the Middle East by invading Iraq, which created a new wave of terrorism and refugees in Europe, and new reprisals by the West, which continues the cycle. This was one of bin Laden and al Qaeda's explicit goals.

jacquesm 9y ago
The media are equally culpable in giving platforms to all kinds of entities that we'd be better off without. At some point the media is going to have to hold themselves accountable, it will be an interesting exercise in introspection. They are definitely not just innocent bystanders who dispassionately report the news, they make the news and determine how much a platform all kinds of undesirables get based on the simple math of eyballs and advertising dollars. They are an essential part of the feedback loop.
- oliv__ 9y ago
  Can't upvote this enough.
- pan69 9y ago
  Indeed. Every time some attack happens the media seems be jizzing all over themselves with excitement. Even though they probably understand on a logical level that they are part of the whole thing, they just can't seem to help themselves.
  - dajohnson89 9y ago
    Of course not. If it bleeds it leads. They can't do anything about it because they're beholden to their shareholders.
- Top19 9y ago
  I really appreciate you pointing this out. The media can change though. A good example of this is how the CDC advised news organizations to cover suicide. It was determined in the 70s that suicide spiked following news coverage of famous individuals deaths which led to these guidelines. A good example is the headline the NY Times used for Chris Cornell's death. It simply said that he died at 52. I would really like to see these implemented for mass shootings though. There is an organization called "No Notoriety" I believe that's purpose is to prevent coverage of the perpetrators to deny them any sorts of fame.
- qb45 9y ago
  And the fact that the mainstream media are steadily bending to this pressure (sometimes in spectacularly ridiculous ways) is exactly why a growing number of people distrust them.
- mistermann 9y ago
  > The media are equally culpable I disagree, at least with the "equal" part, but I think entirely. I don't think Islamic extremists blow up westerners to get famous, they primarily do it out of revenge and frustration. Revenge for all the things the west has done to them for centuries, and frustration at how they are treated in western countries, not just as refugees but even as non-wealthy immigrants. I believe the west does a really poor job of properly assimilating Islamic newcomers, and as a result they often end up segregated in "slums", growing up poor and ignored, while getting the (often incorrect, from TV shows and what not) impression that "regular" people in western countries are living a life of luxury while they are dirt poor. I don't know if the west "deserves" what they're getting with all this terrorism, but they kind of asked for it in my opinion.
raverbashing 9y ago
"refugee crisis" is exacerbated by state sponsored human trafficking and liberal refugee policies Talk about white guilt...
qb45 9y ago
> This was one of bin Laden and al Qaeda's explicit goals. [citation needed] I can't speak for bin Laden but in 2000 I would have never predicted that the EU will allow this kind of immigration on such scale. I suspect some of the new member states would have been much more reluctant to join if they knew.

jacquesm 9y ago

The media are equally culpable in giving platforms to all kinds of entities that we'd be better off without. At some point the media is going to have to hold themselves accountable, it will be an interesting exercise in introspection. They are definitely not just innocent bystanders who dispassionately report the news, they make the news and determine how much a platform all kinds of undesirables get based on the simple math of eyballs and advertising dollars. They are an essential part of the feedback loop.

oliv__ 9y ago
Can't upvote this enough.
pan69 9y ago
Indeed. Every time some attack happens the media seems be jizzing all over themselves with excitement. Even though they probably understand on a logical level that they are part of the whole thing, they just can't seem to help themselves.
- dajohnson89 9y ago
  Of course not. If it bleeds it leads. They can't do anything about it because they're beholden to their shareholders.
Top19 9y ago
I really appreciate you pointing this out. The media can change though. A good example of this is how the CDC advised news organizations to cover suicide. It was determined in the 70s that suicide spiked following news coverage of famous individuals deaths which led to these guidelines. A good example is the headline the NY Times used for Chris Cornell's death. It simply said that he died at 52. I would really like to see these implemented for mass shootings though. There is an organization called "No Notoriety" I believe that's purpose is to prevent coverage of the perpetrators to deny them any sorts of fame.
qb45 9y ago
And the fact that the mainstream media are steadily bending to this pressure (sometimes in spectacularly ridiculous ways) is exactly why a growing number of people distrust them.
mistermann 9y ago
> The media are equally culpable I disagree, at least with the "equal" part, but I think entirely. I don't think Islamic extremists blow up westerners to get famous, they primarily do it out of revenge and frustration. Revenge for all the things the west has done to them for centuries, and frustration at how they are treated in western countries, not just as refugees but even as non-wealthy immigrants. I believe the west does a really poor job of properly assimilating Islamic newcomers, and as a result they often end up segregated in "slums", growing up poor and ignored, while getting the (often incorrect, from TV shows and what not) impression that "regular" people in western countries are living a life of luxury while they are dirt poor. I don't know if the west "deserves" what they're getting with all this terrorism, but they kind of asked for it in my opinion.

raverbashing 9y ago

"refugee crisis" is exacerbated by state sponsored human trafficking and liberal refugee policies Talk about white guilt...

qb45 9y ago

> This was one of bin Laden and al Qaeda's explicit goals. [citation needed] I can't speak for bin Laden but in 2000 I would have never predicted that the EU will allow this kind of immigration on such scale. I suspect some of the new member states would have been much more reluctant to join if they knew.