The United States has entered an era of domestic terrorism I often refer to as the New Normal". Its become very clear that terrors weapons can be anything from knives (Minnesota) to guns (Orlando San Bernardino) to bombs (NY/NJ Boston). Even trucks (Nice France) have been used by terrorists to cause casualties among decent citizens.
In previous attacks on American soil we have acted quickly and decisively to confront the enemy (Pearl Harbor comes to mind). Yet unlike FDR our current president seems to consider acts of terror a deserved consequence of the Wests terrible history of behavior towards Muslims despite much of it occurring 1000 years ago during the crusades.
The administrations strategy has been one of apology tours and withdrawals from places where the U.S. had made significant gains such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Whether the original intervention was wise or not the result has been to cause a vacuum that plunges the regions involved into chaos.
Americans are being told that there is nothing that can be done as the rogue states of the world such as Iran and North Korea develop their arsenals for an aggressive action that will probably occur within the next few years.
Recently Sadiq Khan the newly-elected Muslim mayor of London visited New York City commenting to the effect that we had better get used to more attacks. Instead of an aggressive plan of action that allies can use to combat the events he recommends exchanging ideas and best practices" as if he was addressing a breakfast at the Chamber of Commerce.
The message given by people like Mr. Khan and New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio who called the recent bombing an intentional act" but balked temporarily at the words terrorism" and bomb" is that theres nothing you can do about these events. Just live your life and accept that some of you will be blown apart stabbed in the back or shot in the head.
Dont worry though: Mayor DeBlasio says that militant violence is vanishingly rare" (since retracted) and that we must continue to pursue an inclusive approach to resettlement" of refugees from the Middle East. Well given recent history militant violence doesnt seem so vanishingly rare to me or anyone else with a television or computer.
Mayors Khan and DeBlasio are encouraging a certain state of mind: Learned Helplessness". Learned Helplessness is a phenomenom identified in animals in the 1960s by Dr. Martin Seligman which occurs when a subject is repeatedly subjected to a negative stimulus (in this case an electric shock to a dog) that it cannot control or escape. Eventually the animal learns" to give up and stops trying to avoid the stimulus acting utterly helpless even when it is later presented an opportunity to escape.
The concept of Learned Helplessness has many applications in human education and psychology but upon further examination it seems to have become more. It has become the cultural norm in many places.
You only have to watch the news to see examples of Learned Helplessness in action. Instead of responding with outrage politicians media and many in the general public adopt a funereal stance as if death in a terror event is no different than death from a lightning strike. Commentators bemoan the state of the nation instead of suggesting courses of action to stop the hemorrhage. Blood in the streets whether its murders in Chicago or bombings in New York is reported like a sudden storm. It happened it will happen again and lets hope that no one gets wet next time.
Yet terrorism is a different kind of weather; its weather that we have caused by our inaction by our helpless victimized attitude. We cant control the storm clouds on the horizon but we can control the wave of refugees that contain the next generation of jihadists with more comprehensive vetting methods. We can also control those that travel to known jihadist training destinations to be certain they dont return without proper scrutiny.
We can while maintaining a refugees cultural identity take steps to help them develop an American identity as well. This means we must give them a means to achieve their pursuit of happiness in their new country. Those who feel dispossessed and hopeless may lapse into Learned Helplessness but they alternatively may strike back at their oppressors. We have to provide jobs and educational opportunities if we want stop the proliferation of terrorists on our shores. If we can offer a promising future there will be less incentive to want to blow oneself up.
When citizens fail to act upon terror events such as in the Orlando shootings where one man with a gun was able to cause 100 casualties it encourages more incidents. Each successful" terror act (one that causes Western suffering) serves as a blueprint for future ones. As an example the pressure cookers used in the NY bombing had as their precedent the Boston Marathon bombings.
We must separate the radicalized few from the peaceful majority of their ethnic community. When communities are satisfied with their future prospects they will be less willing to tolerate those among them who damage those prospects.
Can domestic terrorism be stopped? Perhaps not completely at this point; but a change in our culture from one of Learned Helplessness to one of awareness and assertive intervention both on behalf of at-risk communities and against those who may seek to do damage is a good start.
The United States has entered an era of domestic terrorism I often refer to as the New Normal". Its become very clear that terrors weapons can be anything from knives (Minnesota) to guns (Orlando San Bernardino) to bombs (NY/NJ Boston). Even trucks (Nice France) have been used by terrorists to cause casualties among decent citizens.
In previous attacks on American soil we have acted quickly and decisively to confront the enemy (Pearl Harbor comes to mind). Yet unlike FDR our current president seems to consider acts of terror a deserved consequence of the Wests terrible history of behavior towards Muslims despite much of it occurring 1000 years ago during the crusades.
The administrations strategy has been one of apology tours and withdrawals from places where the U.S. had made significant gains such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Whether the original intervention was wise or not the result has been to cause a vacuum that plunges the regions involved into chaos.
Americans are being told that there is nothing that can be done as the rogue states of the world such as Iran and North Korea develop their arsenals for an aggressive action that will probably occur within the next few years.
Recently Sadiq Khan the newly-elected Muslim mayor of London visited New York City commenting to the effect that we had better get used to more attacks. Instead of an aggressive plan of action that allies can use to combat the events he recommends exchanging ideas and best practices" as if he was addressing a breakfast at the Chamber of Commerce.
The message given by people like Mr. Khan and New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio who called the recent bombing an intentional act" but balked temporarily at the words terrorism" and bomb" is that theres nothing you can do about these events. Just live your life and accept that some of you will be blown apart stabbed in the back or shot in the head.
Dont worry though: Mayor DeBlasio says that militant violence is vanishingly rare" (since retracted) and that we must continue to pursue an inclusive approach to resettlement" of refugees from the Middle East. Well given recent history militant violence doesnt seem so vanishingly rare to me or anyone else with a television or computer.
Mayors Khan and DeBlasio are encouraging a certain state of mind: Learned Helplessness". Learned Helplessness is a phenomenom identified in animals in the 1960s by Dr. Martin Seligman which occurs when a subject is repeatedly subjected to a negative stimulus (in this case an electric shock to a dog) that it cannot control or escape. Eventually the animal learns" to give up and stops trying to avoid the stimulus acting utterly helpless even when it is later presented an opportunity to escape.
The concept of Learned Helplessness has many applications in human education and psychology but upon further examination it seems to have become more. It has become the cultural norm in many places.
You only have to watch the news to see examples of Learned Helplessness in action. Instead of responding with outrage politicians media and many in the general public adopt a funereal stance as if death in a terror event is no different than death from a lightning strike. Commentators bemoan the state of the nation instead of suggesting courses of action to stop the hemorrhage. Blood in the streets whether its murders in Chicago or bombings in New York is reported like a sudden storm. It happened it will happen again and lets hope that no one gets wet next time.
Yet terrorism is a different kind of weather; its weather that we have caused by our inaction by our helpless victimized attitude. We cant control the storm clouds on the horizon but we can control the wave of refugees that contain the next generation of jihadists with more comprehensive vetting methods. We can also control those that travel to known jihadist training destinations to be certain they dont return without proper scrutiny.
We can while maintaining a refugees cultural identity take steps to help them develop an American identity as well. This means we must give them a means to achieve their pursuit of happiness in their new country. Those who feel dispossessed and hopeless may lapse into Learned Helplessness but they alternatively may strike back at their oppressors. We have to provide jobs and educational opportunities if we want stop the proliferation of terrorists on our shores. If we can offer a promising future there will be less incentive to want to blow oneself up.
When citizens fail to act upon terror events such as in the Orlando shootings where one man with a gun was able to cause 100 casualties it encourages more incidents. Each successful" terror act (one that causes Western suffering) serves as a blueprint for future ones. As an example the pressure cookers used in the NY bombing had as their precedent the Boston Marathon bombings.
We must separate the radicalized few from the peaceful majority of their ethnic community. When communities are satisfied with their future prospects they will be less willing to tolerate those among them who damage those prospects.
Can domestic terrorism be stopped? Perhaps not completely at this point; but a change in our culture from one of Learned Helplessness to one of awareness and assertive intervention both on behalf of at-risk communities and against those who may seek to do damage is a good start.