When did our fear of terrorism arrive? When will it go away?

When news of the on-air murder of Alison Parker and Adam Ward broke what was your first thought? I suspect that you at least briefly considered the possibility of a terrorist attack, despite the relatively remote location of Roanoke,Virginia.

 

What did you think when you heard of the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 in the French Alps? I imagine just about everyone first suspected terrorism. And, indeed, when the co-pilot first surfaced as the suspect I imagine many immediately asked, “Is he Muslim?” 

Neither of these events were terrorist acts. Both appear to be the solo actions of deeply disturbed individuals. 

When did our collective mind start to leap to terrorism as our first suspect?

September 11, 2001 is certainly the jumping off point. I remember in the weeks that followed 9/11 the distinct sound of a passenger jet close overhead held a whole new meaning. I now live under the path of jets taking off from the Ottawa airport and the noise no longer takes me back to 9/11. Now it is simply the mundane racket of something as amazing as 200 ton aircraft filled with people.

I am reminded that the sound of a jet no longer transports me to 9/11. And I wonder when news of horrific acts of violence will no longer transport me to lingering fears of terrorism?

Given the political and media focus on the threat of terrorism, it doesn’t seem that the public’s fear and fascination will pass anytime soon. This despite that fact that ISIL and terrorism do not appear to be resonating as election issues in the Canadian election.

There has always been terrorism. But, there has not always been ongoing fear of terrorism. At least not in Canada. I think of the 1972 Munich Massacre as an example. A clear terrorist act which resonated around the world at the time but did not translate into fear here in Canada. Israel, on the other hand, has lived with daily fear of the effects of terrorism since it's inception in 1948. As have their Palestinian citizenry and neighbors.

Fear and threat rise and fall with geography and culture. It is wrong to assume that the threat and the fear will always increase. The IRA, for instance, is not presently a source of much fear in the UK.

Our perception of the threat and, indeed, the actual threat change over time. Hopefully both will decrease. The evidence suggests that they will, in the long run.What's not clear is now long the run will be.

DaveScharf50@Gmail.com

How much of life is mundane?

The human mind wanders all over the place. At least, mine does. Even when I am highly focused on something – serving customers in my restaurant or writing this blog, for instance – my mind still wanders around to mundane matters. Where are my car keys? Did I forgot to start the dishwasher? I need to wash my car. I wonder if I have any new email? Who will win the election? What is the ultimate goal of a country’s healthcare system? I gotta stop late night snacking because I would like to lose five pounds. I wonder how my dad is doing? 

I am pretty certain that everybody has a wandering mind, to some extent.

Despite this, though, we tend to portray one another as focused, single issue people. Veterans are gallant men and women who dedicated themselves to defending our country. Police are dedicated to serving the community. ISIL terrorists are dedicated to mayhem and killing. I suspect even the most zealous, religiously motivated terrorists in the world occasionally still wind up wondering what’s for supper?

Is this what separates really high achievers from the rest of us? Do the Nigel Wright’s of the world have much higher focus that average? A friend of mine attended grades 5 to 8 with Nigel. He showed up in grade five with a briefcase. So, um, it seems that he is a little more focused a lot earlier in life than I was.

I have been pondering mundaneness a lot lately. That is, when I haven’t been distracted by wondering where I left my gym bag. Mostly because I am on the cusp of starting a Master of Journalism at Carleton University. This will require a lot of focus on my part in the coming year and I worry that I will be too distracted by all sort of mundane minutiae of life. 

Hey look! A squirrel!

Why does the Conservative party vet people attending Harper events?

Every person at Harper events is vetted. Thus, the only people attending are ardent supporters. At first I thought this seemed odd. If you only allow people who you already know are supporters, then how do you hope to meet and influence new supporters?

 

Then I started seeing the news cycle and I understood. And, it’s a smart tactic.

Harper travels around the country making announcements and the stump speech. This makes his supporters happy. But, he knows that there will be questions from the press. And, with a totally partisan crowd he knows that the sound bites will be great. Every answer he gives (often the same answer over and over) is greeted with cheering and applause. Nice. It’s a smart move. The brief clips we see on the news all look great. They all feature crowds which are wildly supportive of his answers.

Harper knows that he will get the lion’s share of the press. He has a plan that makes him always look polished and popular.

Presumably, getting the message out to new voters or to marginal voters is left to the candidates and the door knockers.

Smart game play. The Conservatives do it very well.