[karajorma]

Bruce Schneier has a good take on this.

This is pretty much the reaction that Londoners had to the 7/7 bombers. The same day that 4 bombs blew up 3 underground trains and a bus, people were asking when they'd be running again. Many of us grew up during the time of the IRA, we weren't worried about terrorists then and the new breed of Muslim terrorists didn't scare us much either. Americans need to realise that they can just do the same thing.

[deathfun]

Given the population difference between the two countries, I think doing that will be significantly more difficult for the United States than one would think

There's also a larger number of... to put it lightly... gullible folk

[Alex Heartnet]

Lemme guess, whomever did this had severe mental health issues?  This seems to be a common pattern among shootings as of late.

[Dilmah G]

Dilmah: Please read this. Right now, I doubt there's any firm information to be had about the idiots behind this.

I see. Seems like a good idea to wait out in that case.

[Mongoose]

I've heard a lot of talk about the whole 'Patriot's Day' thing, that the Boston Marathon takes place on the anniversary of the start of the Civil War, but, as the E says, trying to allocate reasons right now is probably not a good idea, it was also the Anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, so it's a very delicate situation that could have unintended outcomes.

Patriot's Day is actually Boston's celebration of the start of the American Revolution, which took place with the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.  (Their holiday falls on the Monday before the date every year, apparently.)  April 15 also happens to be the day that federal tax returns are due, but whether either of those has anything to do with the bombing is anyone's guess.

[Nuke]

Bruce Schneier has a good take on this.

This is pretty much the reaction that Londoners had to the 7/7 bombers. The same day that 4 bombs blew up 3 underground trains and a bus, people were asking when they'd be running again. Many of us grew up during the time of the IRA, we weren't worried about terrorists then and the new breed of Muslim terrorists didn't scare us much either. Americans need to realise that they can just do the same thing.

in terms of body counts im sure there are a number of serial killers who are way more effective at murder than terrorists are. plenty of mass murderers too, with huge body counts. there are plenty of crimes of passion that one can fall victim to, especially with gunz for all. there are plenty of cults that can get you dead pretty fast. then theres drunk drivers, and not drunk drivers who suck. what about suicide, our society makes how many citizens kill themselves every year? so plenty of ways to die in murica. idk why terrorists even scare people.

incidents like 9/11 and oklahoma city are quite rare. and your chances of being involved in a terrorist incident are like winning the lottery or being struck by lightening. really the worst response to terrorist activity is changing your behavior. thats a good way to let the terrorists win.

[Sarafan]

Whats going to make me sick of this isnt the act which by itself its awful like any other terrorist act but the hipocrisy that you people will sanctify the whole attack, nobody gave a **** about the 17 killed in Afghanistan (12 kids included on that) on april 6th, why should people care this happens in the US?

Of course, its not like we have a choice since your media will do its wonderful job of flooding everything about how awful, unique and tragic this was.

[deathfun]

Whats going to make me sick of this isnt the act which by itself its awful like any other terrorist act but the hipocrisy that you people will sanctify the whole attack, nobody gave a **** about the 17 killed in Afghanistan (12 kids included on that) on april 6th, why should people care this happens in the US?

Of course, its not like we have a choice since your media will do its wonderful job of flooding everything about how awful, unique and tragic this was.

I dislike it when people go "Yeah, but what about the people halfway around the world who died"

There may be a point behind it, and I see it. It's just that the average human being only generally cares about what directly affects them.

If you care so much about what happens to people over there, then I would also expect you to attend every funeral that happens in your town, or at least give the family a call with your condolences. It's the same concept

[Flipside]

I was actually in a discussion today about how this would be considered a 'good day' in certain other countries with regards to casualties, but I don't think it is because we 'don't care', I suspect several people here are perfectly aware of the tragedy of April 6th, but it more than that, it is acclimatization that causes the problem. After all, you yourself did not start a thread about those bombings, if you had not been de-sensitised by bombardment, you yourself would have posted a thread about it.

This has attracted attention for its irregularity, sadly bombings are a daily occurrence in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, and there is no question of who did it. No bombing is ever 'tolerable', but it is more the circumstance than the event that causes discussion, it's almost as if 'when and where' has been answered, but we don't have the 'who or why'.

[Sarafan]

The average human being only generally cares about what directly affects them, americans make a show of it while increasing the problem, thats my problem.

[redsniper]

...it's generally a bad idea to Darfur Clause someone else's tragedy. Something worse generally is happening, for any given event in consideration, but regard for human suffering is not a zero-sum game, and we do not pour out our hearts in metered doses.

[Flipside]

Personally, I think the whole image of the 'Average American' is every bit as much as the creation of the Media as many American perceptions of other countries are. Y'see, that's the whole problem, there is no such thing as an 'average' American any more than an 'average' Brazilian, or any other countryman on the planet. Bias is everywhere, that's the whole problem, people tend towards what suits them best both personally and socially.

People say that people of a like mind cluster together, but it's probably closer to the truth to say that people clustered together end up of a like mind.  The thing is, with somewhere like the US, there is room for, and largely exists, the entire Spectrum of standpoints, so there's little point trying to put them into a box, yes there's groups that make perfect media images of 'gung-ho' Hard-line Christian America, but they are not 'average' any more than an Evolution-believing, Atheistic City-dweller is.

EDIT : And, in the hope of getting this thread back on course before it veers off wildly, the concern here in London at the moment is the approaching Funeral Tomorrow and Marathon on Sunday, people are, without a motive, left wondering about their own safety, it's a very human reaction.

[Nuke]

i kinda think this marathon thing has been overplayed in the press. they butchered the tv schedule yesterday to cram in extra news broadcasts. now its been the only thing they talk about on the news, i have no ****ing idea what nk is up to thanks to this crap. at least kim was amusing.

[Thaeris]

i kinda think this marathon thing has been overplayed in the press. they butchered the tv schedule yesterday to cram in extra news broadcasts. now its been the only thing they talk about on the news, i have no ****ing idea what nk is up to thanks to this crap. at least kim was amusing.

^This almost made it as my new signature block.

[Wobble73]

Thing is, if this was terrorists, why haven't they come forward to claim responsibilty? They are not normally reticent in taking credit?

[Phantom Hoover]

AFAIK McVeigh didn't make any attempt to take credit for the Oklahoma City bombings?

[Wobble73]

So what would be the point of carrying out the bombing if not to draw public attention to your cause?

[Lorric]

So what would be the point of carrying out the bombing if not to draw public attention to your cause?

I was wondering about such things not too long after it happened. Bombing a sporting event seems like a big cry for attention, you'd think whoever did it would be shouting from the rooftops by now that it was them.

I wonder if this is a thrill killer at work rather than terrorists.

[Wobble73]

Well that how Al Qaeda works and how the IRA etc. used to work in Northern Ireland and Mainland Britain. But if this is done by an individual such as McVeigh, then I suppose it would be pretty stupid of them to hold their hands up and say "It was me!" I don't know if the UnaBomber Ted Kaczynski ever did so!

[Alex Heartnet]

Come to think of it, this is the first time I have actually heard about a terror attack on a sporting event?  This sort of thing seems to be surprisingly rare even for prominent sporting events like the Olympics and the World Cup.

Also, only 17 casualties?  Again, I am (pleasantly) surprised that there were not more.

Seriously, this is not as huge of a deal as the television media is making it out to be!  Yeah, newsworthy stuff happened.  No, this is not the sort of thing that deserves constant 24/7 coverage and interrupting scheduled programming.  Now people are going to believe that this is some sort of huge life-shattering event when life is going to continue going on as normal for Boston residents unaffected by the disaster (and of course the rest of the country)