Terrorism is.... well, I think you all know what it is. You all probably know some of the popular group names, like, for example, Al Qaeda will be known among many households. What prompted me to think regarding them was not their motive. Their funding.. Well... That would be like a chase down a gopher hole. No... Its much more than that. It is to see what their fuel is. It is actually ATTENTION. Let me elucidate.
The attack on United States twin towers on 11th September is without doubt one of the most violent acts of terrorism. But just think how long the media kept the issue alive. In my opinion, the issue is constantly kept reminded in the minds of the public. Though it is true that disasters have to be reported as soon as possible to warn the public of those names. But lets take a step back and look at the issue objectively. What did they expect when they brought down those towers? They obviously want everyone to know about it and that they were the group responsible for it. They want everyone to curl in fear thinking of the chaos that they are capable of unleashing. And for that, it requires our sanction – the public’s sanction.
“An act of evil requires the moral sanction of the victim” – Ayn Rand
Terrorists are counting on our capacity to feel fear and let it suspend our rational thinking processes of the mind. They do not wish to live and they are ready to bring down others with them, others who desire to live. The fuel that lets them survive comes precisely from our desire to live.
Now, having recognised that we are, in some monstrous form, their fuel to live, the best way to cut down terrorism is to cut down its fuel. That does not mean we have to die. No, not at all. What I am suggesting is we have to unleash the most powerful weapon to counter terrorism – INDIFFERENCE. Let me clearly explain what I mean by that word.
It does not mean we should stop retaliating using military prowess of the country under attack. No, by all means that is necessary to stop them. Violence has to be used to counter violence. But, there is another thing that we can do, one which is in our control – in the control of every human. Let us take up an example. For the same 11th September attacks, though it has to be conveyed to everyone, that news need not necessarily be the headlines in news channels and newspapers. The headlines can be something about the mysteries of a natural wildlife reserve while the disastrous issue can be moved to the inner pages. By doing so, we become indifferent to the acts of evil.
As of today, the battle is not fought between terrorism and the public. It is fought between different terrorist groups – a battle to see who captures the headlines for the longest time – and by extension, who haunts the minds of the public the longest. And in this meaningless and senseless game, the public becomes the pawn. If we remove their actions from the front pages, we are saying that they are not the most important. This will definitely be hard for the victims’ families. But, I think they will understand that if the victims’ families insist on their loved ones’ agony capturing the public attention by taking the headlines of the media, then they are siding with the terrorists.
The capacity to feel fear for irrational whims of mad men should not be the primary concern for a household. The primary concern for every household should be their survival and well-being. This article is just one of my thoughts to convey that it is the suspension of rational thinking for fear that drives terrorism. Please do not take part in terrorism and focus on living your life.
I wholly concur with your thoughts Arvindh...but the media would feel otherwise...as it will hamper their sales (in case of newspapers) and TRPs (in case of news channels)...it's cut throat competition out there and frankly speaking they wouldn't give two hoots bout anything but making profit...
ReplyDeleteand by the way...it's 11th September
Arvindh ,what you have said is absolutely correct...but you hav harped only only on 9/11 attack and the constant looping of those ghastly scenes on television and other media but 2 me the problem lies elsewhere ,actually this terror network is backed by arms dealers and " Terror sells" though my post may seem to u a bit waylaid or out of context, Arms Business iz a big business and my question who manufacture and sell these arms? I think you very well know which countries have got expertise in this sphere...so if you think media's indifference to report these acts will be of some help is not an acceptable proposition to me at least...actually we are almost fighting a proxy third world war in a unipolar condition and sometimes it haz boomeranged and CNN and Fox blare "America under attack" and overdramatise the situation...where were these filthy U.S. Army when Talibans publicly destroyed a world heritage like Bamian Budhdha Statues and what about President Bush's empty roar "we shall find the rat and bring it out from its hole...and blah blah. U.S.created Saddam Hussain, Osama Bin Laden and other terrorist groups for their own vested interests and when their utility to U.S is gone they become villains of the world.....am I to believe that Osama is still at large without U.S. consent ....actually these drone attacks are all very sophisticated make-over...they have to sell arms and inculcate Fear Psychosis amongst common people...these drug dealers ,arms dealers are all hand in gloves and we Indians are just compelled to dance to their tunes ....they incite local people either through China who claims to be a communist country but actually an ally of U.S. OR THROUGH SOME OTHER CHANNELS OR OR THEY THEMSELVES ARE INVOLVED IN THE OIL WAR...and support drug lords because of one simple reason "BUSINESS" ....that's all.
ReplyDelete@Black Forest: Thank you so much for your comment. I am so sorry for my error. I made a mistake with the American date format which has now been corrected.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your comment about the media. I agree with you. But why should any organisation give a damn about anything but profit. So I guess the same applies to media as well. What I am suggesting is while the Government definitely should not have any control over the content of the media as it will destroy the free press, but the government can at least regulate the contents of the first page headlines. This is to just ensure that the public does not become depressed and that may affect the productivity of any country. I, for one, am absolutely against reading anything sick in the morning.. let alone that be blaring at my face through the front page headlines.
@ Sandy: Thanks a lot for your comment. What you said is absolutely true. I have to admit that the problem of terrorism is multipolar. But, certainly the arms dealers and the US Government, will always remain .. lets say unmoved by public opinion. What I suggested was that there is one polar view of this terrorism that is within our control and we must strike that pole hard to at least weaken them from one direction.
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