Are we all overreacting to everyday news?
Discussion
The Don of Croy said:
Thankyou4calling said:
Here is an interesting chart showing the number of terrorist deaths in Europe in the last 45 years.
Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
I'd question that chart - 1988 was a bloody year, but I cannot recall that many Brits dying even including Lockerbie (40+) and the Troubles. Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
Would agree.
The Don of Croy said:
Thankyou4calling said:
Here is an interesting chart showing the number of terrorist deaths in Europe in the last 45 years.
Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
I'd question that chart - 1988 was a bloody year, but I cannot recall that many Brits dying even including Lockerbie (40+) and the Troubles. Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
mccrackenj said:
The Don of Croy said:
Thankyou4calling said:
Here is an interesting chart showing the number of terrorist deaths in Europe in the last 45 years.
Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
I'd question that chart - 1988 was a bloody year, but I cannot recall that many Brits dying even including Lockerbie (40+) and the Troubles. Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
mccrackenj said:
The Don of Croy said:
Thankyou4calling said:
Here is an interesting chart showing the number of terrorist deaths in Europe in the last 45 years.
Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
I'd question that chart - 1988 was a bloody year, but I cannot recall that many Brits dying even including Lockerbie (40+) and the Troubles. Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
FredClogs said:
mccrackenj said:
The Don of Croy said:
Thankyou4calling said:
Here is an interesting chart showing the number of terrorist deaths in Europe in the last 45 years.
Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
I'd question that chart - 1988 was a bloody year, but I cannot recall that many Brits dying even including Lockerbie (40+) and the Troubles. Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
Numbers for GB still look very high - how did I survive?
The Don of Croy said:
Update - it's 'victims of attacks' which, I guess, is not deaths but anyone affected.
Numbers for GB still look very high - how did I survive?
Apologies. I took the chart from another thread.Numbers for GB still look very high - how did I survive?
I still think it shows that we aren't experiencing a huge increase in terrorist attacks.
What we are seeing is a huge number of twitter, facebook and instagram people thinking they are journalists
The Don of Croy said:
FredClogs said:
mccrackenj said:
The Don of Croy said:
Thankyou4calling said:
Here is an interesting chart showing the number of terrorist deaths in Europe in the last 45 years.
Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
I'd question that chart - 1988 was a bloody year, but I cannot recall that many Brits dying even including Lockerbie (40+) and the Troubles. Clearly one death is too many but it does put some perspective on things.
Numbers for GB still look very high - how did I survive?
1988 was a bad year, multiple high profile, high casualty events in the Troubles including Michael Stone opening fire at a funeral, killing 3 and injuring 68.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_in...
As so often with bald statistics they miss out the qualitative element. They do this by design, but that is important.
As I understand/remember it the IRA and ETA tended to target police, army and politicians, although there were notable exceptions. They also often phoned through warnings. The current wave of jihadist attacks are much less focused and not announced, usually indiscriminately killing anyone who happens to be there.
Secondly ETA and the IRA had specific objectives that were well known. Hence there was the prospect of a resolution, which we by and large now have.
Jihadist groups may have specific grievances re Iraq or Israel but ultimately they believe in a global Islamist caliphate, and most of us don't really have much of an idea of what this means.
Ultimately this makes the "terror" factor of jihad far more potent.
As I understand/remember it the IRA and ETA tended to target police, army and politicians, although there were notable exceptions. They also often phoned through warnings. The current wave of jihadist attacks are much less focused and not announced, usually indiscriminately killing anyone who happens to be there.
Secondly ETA and the IRA had specific objectives that were well known. Hence there was the prospect of a resolution, which we by and large now have.
Jihadist groups may have specific grievances re Iraq or Israel but ultimately they believe in a global Islamist caliphate, and most of us don't really have much of an idea of what this means.
Ultimately this makes the "terror" factor of jihad far more potent.
The IRA definitely used to target (blow up?) innocents with bombs although yes as stated warnings were issued first which minimized casualties.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-security-...
TX.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-security-...
TX.
Generally you're right OP. Giving us social media & 24HR news are like asking children if they'd rather eat vegetables or live on a diet of fruit pastilles and fizzy drink. We just can't help ourselves.
I think people are generally unaware of the fact that we kind of are actually at war, too.
We've been fighting Afghan tribes and Iraqi Islamists for fifteen years, have killed loads of them and are dropping expensive amounts of bombs on them to this day. Sneaking through some rifles and a few Jihadi's is small fry compared to what we've been unleashing in the middle east these past years, but we seem to have become so used to the idea of consequence-free (to us) military action that the thought of reprisals seems like a new concept.
I think the way that the ME has always seemed at war and that we are not very well educated on the differing factions and motivations helps add to the confusion/panic and drives us to media reports in the subconscious hope of gaining some understanding, too. Which of course they don't give us.
I think people are generally unaware of the fact that we kind of are actually at war, too.
We've been fighting Afghan tribes and Iraqi Islamists for fifteen years, have killed loads of them and are dropping expensive amounts of bombs on them to this day. Sneaking through some rifles and a few Jihadi's is small fry compared to what we've been unleashing in the middle east these past years, but we seem to have become so used to the idea of consequence-free (to us) military action that the thought of reprisals seems like a new concept.
I think the way that the ME has always seemed at war and that we are not very well educated on the differing factions and motivations helps add to the confusion/panic and drives us to media reports in the subconscious hope of gaining some understanding, too. Which of course they don't give us.
I can't be arsed with all over-hyped bad news these days so have narrowed it down to the FT. It's behind a paywall and they employ some decent journos on business, economics and world affairs.
All the other major papers are going sensationalist to try to keep some revenue dribbling in.
All the other major papers are going sensationalist to try to keep some revenue dribbling in.
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