Terrorism Works

Let's just face the fact now it does. It is horribly sad to say. It is a terrible fact to face. However, we have seen over and over again in our own reactions to it that we give the terrorists the ends to justify their means.

Our reaction models feed the machine that keeps terrorism a viable way to bring attention and publicity to your plight. I am not talking about the human reaction side, the prayers and sympathy posts that always fill social media after something like this. I do expect a profile Union Jack watermark craze to hit soon. Not sure if that will be as aesthetic as the French flag version.

The reaction I am talking about is at the political level. Already Theresa May has eloquently levied words of condemnation on the general nature of an act of terrorism. I expect the anti-Muslim sentiment in our nation to grow, regardless of what is revealed as to the actual religion, ethnicity, motives, or mental state of the actual perpetrator(s). Security will heighten at airports and buildings considered of public import. Anything anyone might reasonably consider a target. The usual responses to any of these things.

The problem is that this all does nothing and shows a real lack of understanding of what we are facing when we face terrorism. Terrorism is like the classic feud. Between friends or neighbors. The winner is the one who will escalate it further. I am sure you are saying who can escalate it further than America with out military might, but that is not the real factor. The person or people who can really escalate it further are those with the least to lose. In short they will take the next escalating step another would hesitate at because in the end there are no negative results to dissuade them from further course of action.

So how does that apply to terrorism. When we are dealing with any group that is at the point that suicide bombing is an answer, is the next escalation step, we are dealing with a group of people that are at the full tilt end of the spectrum of nothing to lose. In their mind things cannot get worse, and nothing bad can come to them even the fact of death, from carrying out these acts.

When you realize that you realize that no words, or increased security measures that limit your own citizens will ever answer the problem. You are facing an attack for which all the rules are thrown out because they have no concept of a downside no matter how far they take it. Things are perceived as that bad that blowing yourself up in the name of a movement is considered a brighter alternative.

We go through the same steps each time something like this happens and nothing really changes. The media flocks to it because it is ratings, it is a story, it is something to sell. The governments that are attacked get a free pass to institute just about any Draconian restrictions they want to all in the name of the safety of the people. And they get away with it because we are all so scared we don't care what you erode of our freedoms in the name of safety.

So that is why I say terrorism works, because we let it, because the results are predictably exactly what was desired by those who committed it. The attention, the fear, the pain, the change in government, the oppression.

I have to say that in the end there are so few good answers, and those that close are so extreme I do not see any government actually taking them. But it is like a card game, when someone goes all in, you either call it, or you fold. That is the real crux of the situation a government is in when faced with these types of attacks. And none of the first world will go there.

We need to stop our politicians in their tough response talk, because we are the only ones that pay for the result of that. We know they won't go full tilt against the whole Middle East. It is just not going to happen, and I am not saying it should either.

They are also not going to just walk away from the area completely and leave them to have only themselves to face. That is the other answer. They won't do that either and I am also not saying they should.

The simple fact is the people don't have the stomach for either option, so until they do we shall continue to call this life as we know it now, and for the foreseeable future. New horrors in places that should just be a good time out with friends, or family entertainment, or whatever brings together unprepared people en masse.