| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

JuliusAnalogyDraft

Page history last edited by PBworks 18 years, 6 months ago

In the light of recent events around the world terrorism has been an increasing concern on the minds of people everywhere. What terrorism is, and who qualifies as a terrorist are two questions that frequently rise surrounding the topic. Terrorism and terrorists are terms that are readily used during times of war and panic to identify people that have broken a law and attracted some public interest by the stir that they have created. With such a substantial amount of media attention given to the topic it is hard to know what sets a terrorist apart from any other law breaking individual.

 

Terrorists are to society what a bully is on the playground in grade school. The main tactic that both the terrorists and the bully work through to achieve their goals is fear. Both rely on the fact that at times people, and children alike, can be too afraid to confront their problems and would sooner meet the demands of their enemies. In many cases this can lead to a successful endeavor for both the terrorist and the bully. For example, when a bully threatens to inflict pain on someone if they don’t give him their lunch money he is relying on the fact that most eight-year-old school children will be too afraid to confront the problem at that point and give in to the demands. In a similar fashion, terrorists in South America will kidnap the children of rich and or powerful people to use as a bargaining chip. They then demand that a ransom be paid to them without any interference or physical harm will be brought to the child. Most parents would do anything to keep their children out of harms way and thus they give into the demands. Terrorists and bullies also receive a certain amount of respect amongst the people that they target. In many cases bullies need only to prove that they are capable of the acts that they threaten once or twice to then be able to continue their threats and receive a desired result. Terrorists groups like Al Queda generate an instant fear and respect whenever they are seen on the Middle Eastern television stations making new threats on Americans and many other groups of people. It does not take very much to have everyone in America remember the events of September 11 and fear the possibility that it will occur again. The general attitude of the public and classmates toward terrorists and bullies is similar. There is a general resentment that is felt by the public and the media toward terrorists. The methods they use and their ideals are both despised especially in America.

 

There are essential differences that exist between terrorist organizations around the world and bullies on playground in grade schools. One difference between the two parties is the tactics that they use to achieve the things that they desire. Terrorist have a wide variety of tactics that they use on noncombatant people and groups. These include suicide bombs, car bombs, hijacking, kidnapping, cyber terrorism, and many others. Although the threats may differ for bullies, their tactics are somewhat limited and much less severe than those of terrorist organizations. Another major difference that exists between the two is that terrorist organizations’ targets are different than a bully’s. Terrorists will typically target large groups of people. These people may or may not be whom the message is intended. In a case such as the terrorist attacks on September 11, the people that were directly harmed were not the sole target. The terrorist were attacking all Americans and trying to manipulate the US government. A bully’s intent is much more simple and direct. They will target the individual that they seek to instill fear. This is one of the main reasons that bullies cannot be considered terrorists. Terrorist attacks are directed toward groups of people. Attacks on an individual person, much like the bully’s tactics, do not qualify as terrorism. Many schools include attacks on individuals in their definition of terrorism. If this were the case, there would be grounds for arresting nearly one out of every twenty students in grade school. Common sense should prove to everyone that actions like those of a grade school bully are not on the same level as those of a terrorist organization.

 

Terrorists encompass a wide variety of people. Attacking at random and without identity terrorists have created a mystique that has caused confusion about what qualifies as terrorism. At their heart they are merely people or organizations that seek to cause fear in a group.

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.