Tag: terrorism

Being quite interested in language, a couple of things about the use of words caught my eye as events unfolded. 

Active shooter

This is something I’ve noticed before, during all-too-often incidents in the US: the term they now use is “active shooter”.  In this case it was at MIT, where a policeman was killed — it’s suspected by the bombers. 

In Australia we’d probably say there’s a gunman on the loose (it’s almost always a bloke, right?)  or in terms of an armed and dangerous suspect.  Perhaps it’s because the sight of any gun in the hands of a civilian in a public area is so rare in Australia that we haven’t developed such succinct shorthand. 

Also in the US, “gunman” might have different connotations.  So might “shooter” (which is less gender-specific) on its own. 

I wonder if the culture of gun ownership has led to these words not being adequate, plus the (unfortunately) regular need for a term which quickly conveys the situation, thus they’ve moved to “active shooter”. 

Robocalls

After the active shooter(s) got away, automated telephone calls were used to tell residents in some areas of Boston to stay in their homes. 

These are apparently known as robocalls.  Similar things have been used here and in other countries, in emergency and other situations (remember the John Howard election call?)  but I wasn’t aware of this particular term before. 

WMDs

The surviving bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, has been charged withuse of a weapon of mass destruction. 

I find this fascinating.  The information released publicly suggests the suspects made the bombs out of pressure cookers.  Are these Weapons of Mass Destruction now? 

Make no mistake, these bombs had a terrible toll: three dead at the scene, and scores injured, many seriously. 

But I had always assumed that WMDs meant that we were talking about destruction on a large scale.  Missiles, military grade explosives, chemical weapons, even nuclear devices.  The types of things that take out whole regions of cities, or at least whole city blocks. 

9/11.  Is there any other one-off event that is known throughout the western world by its date? 

Of course, if it had happened anywhere else, it would have been called 11/9. 

But it didn’t happen anywhere else.  Only the USA is big, brave, brash, bold and independent enough that it would buck the trend and stick with its own measurements and date format — perhaps the same qualities that have also made it such a symbol of freedom, democracy, enterprise and globalisation (and imperialism?)  that in turn made it such a target for the terrorists. 

Other places, other cities and countries have been attacked since by terrorists, but none with such force.  Nor has any other single attack any incurred such a response. 

I was watching a programme on SBS2 the other night on the World Trade Center: the building of it, the Frenchman who walked between the towers on a rope, its effect on the city, and its eventual destruction.  The footage of the day replayed now is as horrific as it was when it happened. 

A friend of a friend, who I don’t know, lost a sister in the WTC.  I hope all those directly touched by this anniversary, and its aftermath, are doing okay this week. 

There are questions over the operation of course.  At first they seemed to be claiming that he was armed, and used a woman as a human shield.  Now they’re saying he was unarmed… but reaching for a gun? 

The compound was described in some reports as a “mansion”.  Gotta say it doesn’t look much like a mansion to me. 

The future

I think we all know it doesn’t mean the end for al-Qaeda of course, nor for global terrorism. 

But as some commentators have said, perhaps other events are overtaking them.  Perhaps we can hope that the democracy movement and protests in Egypt and elsewhere will continue to spread, bringing change to the Middle East that makes extremists obsolete and/or marginalised, as most of them are in democracies around the world? 

MX

Have to pity MX.  The biggest story of the week, and it was breaking just as they were going to press.  Normally they have their stories written by midday, but this was emerging at about 12:30pm, and wasn’t confirmed until about an hour later. 

Credit to them though; they managed to re-do their front page (though I saw some copies without the OBL story).  However they obviously got the page done before the detail was confirmed, as it referred to bin Laden’s death being a week earlier, using a bomb, citing Fox News’s “multiple sources”. 

The Example, by Tom Taylor and Colin Wilson (published by Gestalt Books), might be the first graphic novel to be set entirely within the confines of Flinders Street Station. 

It’s a short but thought-provoking read, combining a most-of-Western-world issue — paranoia over terrorism — with a more decidedly local Melbourne issue: the trains. 

Speaking of terrorism and paranoia, the other book I’ve read recently is Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, which was a terrific, if chilling, account of a man who stayed behind to help after Katrina, and got locked-up for it with no charge, no lawyer, no phone call. 

Last night I found myself watching some of the Concert For NYC, in particular The Who’s performance.  I’m still not going to splurge out on their forthcoming concert (dubbed rather cruelly by one friend as “Who’s left?”).  But this four song performance from 2001 is great music.  And remembering it in context, very moving, a gesture across the Atlantic, reaching out to a shattered city. 

What I found fascinating is the set ends in the seminal protest song “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.  If you’re familiar with the lyrics, you’ll know that many interpret it as a rallying cry against politicians of all sides pulling the wool over the populace’s eyes, justifying painful wars and revolutions for the same reasons as before. 

Ring any bells? 

And the world looks just the same
And history ain’t changed
‘Cause the banners, they all flown in the last war

Sitting here in 2004, as what many would claim is an unjust war we should never have got involved in continues to stagger towards an ever-distant conclusion, the lyrics have more relevance today than in a long time.