Why are Americans fearful of radical islamic terrorists, if we have terrorism all the time in America?

[AZ Progressive]

All these mass shootings have the same effect as terrorism, making the people to fear being the next to be attacked or killed (or our loved ones as well.) Why do we need radical islamic terrorists to put fear in us when we have all these mass shootings to do the job? And some are clearly deliberately terrorism, like the one in South Carolina.

[Chemisse]

1. Imagine the news coverage of this recent event if the perp was a Middle Eastern terrorist

It would have been constant, persistent and hyperbolic. Fear would radiate across the nation.

[Cal33]

26. An odd thought just occurred to me. Doesn't this look like we have a choice in what we prefer

to be afraid of?

[Chemisse]

29. Yeah I think we really do, although

We are being directed by the puppeteers.

[Cal33]

33. The puppeteers could also be acting out of what they choose to be afraid of.

[libdem4life]

2. It's the US vs. THEM thing. We understand Us. We distrust Them.

[LittleBlue]

3. Because most people know that there is no realistic way to stop a lone gunman

who lives in the woods with no electricity.

But a coordinated attack that requires communications, funding and group planning can be prevented.

[valerief]

4. He didn't live there all the time. He alternated between there and the nearby

town of Swannanoa.

[LittleBlue]

11. Okay

Doesn't change the fact that if he doesn't coordinate with anybody then it probably isn't possible to stop him.

[valerief]

13. We can stop encouraging him, however. The RW encourages this behavior.

As for lone, well, maybe he did it alone, but he probably didn't think of it alone.

[Kaleva]

36. Charlie Manson was encouraged by the Beatles.

[guillaumeb]

8. Prevented like the 13 November attacks in Paris?

or the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US?

[LittleBlue]

12. Not sure what your point is

Spell it out. Are you saying terrorist attacks can't be prevented? If you are, you're dead wrong and I have links to prove it.

[guillaumeb]

15. My point is that violence cannot be prevented.

Some attacks can be prevented, some groups can be watched, but one cannot watch all people at all times.

[LittleBlue]

17. Violence can be prevented

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3157237/Second-terror-attack-British-tourists-Tunisia-foiled-Five-Islamic-extremists-shot-dead-thousands-holidaymakers-evacuated.html

Terrorist cells can and are discovered every year and attacks prevented

[6chars]

18. It is time to stand down from worrying about Middle Eastern terrorists

[LittleBlue]

21. I disagree

Paris proves we are still under threat from Islamic extremists. An American right wing gunman shouldn't logically make anyone less concerned about Islamist fanatics.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Because doing something about domestic terrorism might involve regulating guns?

And we can't have that...

[guillaumeb]

6. You would dare to mention GUNS?

You forget that if only every single US citizen was carrying around a gun all of the time, there would be no shootings.

Or there would be far more.

But we would then be safe.

Or not.

[hifiguy]

10. That too.

[cleanhippie]

14. Or marginalizing those that choose delusional faith-based thinking over reason.

And we can't have that...

[Wellstone ruled]

7. The Grand Plan of the 1%ers.

Just a temporary side show do to the fact,the Rethugs f----ed up the Latinos,media will run with this fear campaign until there is a bump in their Candidates Latino numbers. And if that fails,oh boy,they will unleash their terror terror 9/11 media blitz.

[hifiguy]

9. It is what they have been propagandized and taught

to fear. Nonstop for the last 14 years.

And most of the sheeple are awfully low on critical thinking skills and real-world risk assessment.

[Rex]

16. They are manipulated by TV and the billion dollar news industry.

Ever wonder why they call it a TV program?

[msongs]

19. because ours is made possible by the second amendment? nt

[mstinamotorcity2]

20. Yep!!!!!

I feel like it's a war torn country already.

[krispos42]

22. Domestic terrorists, often white Christian males...

...concentrate their rage on things like minority ethnic groups, minority religions, and the institution of the Federal Government. Often their targets are specific buildings like mosques, abortion clinics, and Federal buildings, parts of the vast American landscape that they disagree with.


Foreign terrorists such as radical Islamic terrorists concentrate their rage on America as a whole. Their targets are America the nation and they strike at national symbols of the United States, such as army bases, naval ships, and the former World Trade Center.



Domestic terrorists are also usually poorly organized and scattered; the "lone wolf" terrorist such as occurred at a certain historic black church in South Carolina or a former Federal building in Oklahoma City. Foreign terrorists form networks in hinterlands or in countries with weak governments and act in cells.

Foreign terrorists are can often spend lots of time working on plans; a domestic terrorist seems to be more impulsive. Being more impulsive, a domestic terrorist will simply grab a gun and go on a shooting rampage. A foreign terrorist cell will more deliberately move towards coordinated strikes that usually involve high explosives or other mass-casualty devices (hijacked airliners, for example).



The party of white Christian males has a vast media machine to protect itself from charges of domestic terrorism, which is why the South Carolina strike was not called terrorism even though it was a racially-based slaughter by a racist clearly intended to spark a race war in the United States. This is also how the DoJ report on right-wing terrorism in the U.S. got pulled, even though, as the last six years have shown, it was spot-on.

[AZ Progressive]

25. How many radical islamic terrorist attacks have we had since 9/11? vs how many mass shootings?

[krispos42]

31. You can't expect the problem to self-identify, can you?

Can you imagine WND, the NYPD, or Limbaugh saying that?


Deflect, project, etc.

[onecaliberal]

23. Because fucks spews have told the stupid, that the brown people are the scary ones.

[backscatter712]

24. We should be more afraid of radical Christianic terrorists. n/t

[FuzzyRabbit]

30. We should be very afraid of radical Christianic terrorists. But to most white Americans

white terrorists are not very scary. Brown terrorists are extremely scary.

[840high]

27. I can be fearful of both.

[GoneFishin]

28. Because hundred$ of billion$ in of taxpayer money can be diverted to weapons manufacturers

chasing amorphous mysterious boogey men with unfamiliar cultures which can be demonized into a scary "other".

It's harder to do against a familiar U.S. culture on U.S. soil. And if that familiar threat were taken seriously it would just require stepped up domestic law enforcement, not $2 million cruise missiles, $4 million drones, or $1,000,000,000,000 fighter jet programs.

In short, we are made to be afraid of them because it is very, very, very profitable to keep people afraid.

[ileus]

32. Don't be fearful, but instead prepare for it.

fear is useless and paralyzes a person...that's never been the American way before. Don't let them win...the domestic or foreign terrorist.

[bklyncowgirl]

34. You live in our country you live by our laws.

I have no sympathy for this guy.

[Nye Bevan]

35. Probably because many, many more Americans have been killed by Islamic terrorism this century

than by any other kind of terrorism.

[oberliner]

37. We should acknowledge and attempt to deal with both problems

Rather than trying to play "If this had been this..." type games like the right does.

Mass shootings and radical Islamic terrorists are both situations that should be addressed.

[hay rick]

38. We have about 11,000 gun homicides a year.

Our death toll is the equivalent of a Paris attack every 4+ days. If you count suicides, police shootings, and accidents, the death toll is 32,000 a year. That's Paris 4.7 times a week. And almost all the victims are American.