Are you afraid of terrorism?
Discussion
Rather than muddy the already confused thread about the London attacks, I thought it best to start afresh.
We were discussing this in the pub last night and there seemed to be a unanimous verdict that:
1). Terror attacks in the U.K. are rare
2). When they do occur, they're usually pretty s
t (as in, few casualties, badly planned etc etc)
3). We don't actually need to do anything more than we currently are doing
4). Our security forces are doing a pretty brilliant job of keeping us from harm
The general consensus was that loooooads of stuff we do day to day carries more risk (driving, for example) and that the vanishingly small risk of being caught up in a terror attack was essentially irrelevant.
Reading other threads here, I'm curious as to whether the same view is generally held here so:
Are you scared of being caught in a terror attack and does it impact your life?
Are you also wary of driving?
Assuming you don't spend all day hiding, how do you mentally compute the proportionality of your approach to the threat?
We were discussing this in the pub last night and there seemed to be a unanimous verdict that:
1). Terror attacks in the U.K. are rare
2). When they do occur, they're usually pretty s
t (as in, few casualties, badly planned etc etc)3). We don't actually need to do anything more than we currently are doing
4). Our security forces are doing a pretty brilliant job of keeping us from harm
The general consensus was that loooooads of stuff we do day to day carries more risk (driving, for example) and that the vanishingly small risk of being caught up in a terror attack was essentially irrelevant.
Reading other threads here, I'm curious as to whether the same view is generally held here so:
Are you scared of being caught in a terror attack and does it impact your life?
Are you also wary of driving?
Assuming you don't spend all day hiding, how do you mentally compute the proportionality of your approach to the threat?
Not in the slightest bit worried about 'terror' attacks. I'm sure it was worse in the 70's. I am concerned that the security services are over reacting to it, so that a) Multiplies the apparent danger in 'the publics' mind, and b) enables the reduction of civil liberties, supported by said public, and c) Just makes everything a little bit more st than it need be. No more kindles on 'planes, and never ending queues of people with no shoes, and an increased programme of fk wittery that doesn't represent the real risk.
All IMO of course.
t than it need be. No more kindles on 'planes, and never ending queues of people with no shoes, and an increased programme of fk wittery that doesn't represent the real risk.All IMO of course.
As you say, this attack (first one in twelve years) was a bit st. Although the stabbing of a policeman was awful, this guy wouldn't have had much more of an effect had he been a pensioner who confused the pedals.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-305788...
In some ways it's heartening that terrorists in this country have been unable to get a plan more complicated than a lone wolf with a car to completion. I don't think about terror day-to-day but I don't have a family to think about - I guess that might change how I felt.
t. Although the stabbing of a policeman was awful, this guy wouldn't have had much more of an effect had he been a pensioner who confused the pedals.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-305788...
In some ways it's heartening that terrorists in this country have been unable to get a plan more complicated than a lone wolf with a car to completion. I don't think about terror day-to-day but I don't have a family to think about - I guess that might change how I felt.
I grew up on various military bases during the height of the mainland attacks - lived at RAF Uxbridge when the IRA bombed it (very soft target) lost a good school mate in this Ballygawley bus bombing and used to have frequent talks from the MOD Police at Cubs telling what type of suspicious packages to look out for, but can't ever remember being afraid, and the thought of not going up town just incase a terror attack might happen has always seemed a ridiculous, just booked a weekend to Paris and didn't give a second thought to something that might happen, I'm more worried about falling off the ladder when I'm cleaning out the gutters than being caught up in a terrorist attack.
I'm amazed that this is the best terrorists can do. Terrible for the people involved, but very ineffectual and no one should be scared. The probability of being involved is minuscule.
That would all change if they got their act together and figured out a biological air borne substance or even more unlikely a nuclear device.
That would all change if they got their act together and figured out a biological air borne substance or even more unlikely a nuclear device.
I am afraid of an act of terror but no more that in the 70's but it has undoubtedly changed in the way these are carried out. Anyone who isn't concerned should be.
What has changed is these Radical Islam nut jobs are not bothered in the slightest to be killed so the bombs that used to be planted had to be planned and took smart people to work out and carry out. You do not have to be smart to drive a car or lorry into unarmed people, or to walk onto a tube with a back pack.
Will I change what I do, no. I always check my escape route in hotels, and on planes, always have and make sure I know where to go. Panic is the worst thing when anything happens. I never walk with ear phones in and neither does my daughter as hearing might save you.
We should carry on but these nut jobs have changed our lives already, areas now have huge barriers to try to stop driving attacks or free movement in and out of buildings and events has changed, so anyone who says nothing has changed clearly have missed what has happened bit by bit.
What we need is to fund the security service better, give them access to anything they want without fear and let then stop nut jobs. Arm more police as if that attack took place in any other city in the UK would there have been several armed police there to stop him?
What has changed is these Radical Islam nut jobs are not bothered in the slightest to be killed so the bombs that used to be planted had to be planned and took smart people to work out and carry out. You do not have to be smart to drive a car or lorry into unarmed people, or to walk onto a tube with a back pack.
Will I change what I do, no. I always check my escape route in hotels, and on planes, always have and make sure I know where to go. Panic is the worst thing when anything happens. I never walk with ear phones in and neither does my daughter as hearing might save you.
We should carry on but these nut jobs have changed our lives already, areas now have huge barriers to try to stop driving attacks or free movement in and out of buildings and events has changed, so anyone who says nothing has changed clearly have missed what has happened bit by bit.
What we need is to fund the security service better, give them access to anything they want without fear and let then stop nut jobs. Arm more police as if that attack took place in any other city in the UK would there have been several armed police there to stop him?
boxst said:
That would all change if they got their act together and figured out a biological air borne substance or even more unlikely a nuclear device.
Lived in London most of my life and it's never bothered me, but after September 11th I had a sense that we were going into something different and feared 'spectaculars' would start following. Thankfully that never happened.You can't have fear of terrorism, the same as you can't fear a paranoid schizophrenic attacking you. There's more of those in London.
Not in the slightest - a few thousand are killed on the roads every year, some die due to falling out of bed, tripping over the dog, mowing the grass etc, you're pretty unlucky to get involved in a terrorist attack.
The risk was higher in the IRA days when they were putting bombs in city centres.
Sounds like Wednesday was more of 1 nutter rather than a significant terrorist thing.
(The hotel he spent his last night in is just down the road from us, apparently it's what's called in the trade 'a st heap' - poor bloke, didn't even manage a decent hotel, even if he couldn't afford anywhere decent he could have put it on credit card, he wasn't going to have to pay it off!)
The risk was higher in the IRA days when they were putting bombs in city centres.
Sounds like Wednesday was more of 1 nutter rather than a significant terrorist thing.
(The hotel he spent his last night in is just down the road from us, apparently it's what's called in the trade 'a s
t heap' - poor bloke, didn't even manage a decent hotel, even if he couldn't afford anywhere decent he could have put it on credit card, he wasn't going to have to pay it off!) spaximus said:
I am afraid of an act of terror but no more that in the 70's but it has undoubtedly changed in the way these are carried out. Anyone who isn't concerned should be.
What has changed is these Radical Islam nut jobs are not bothered in the slightest to be killed so the bombs that used to be planted had to be planned and took smart people to work out and carry out. You do not have to be smart to drive a car or lorry into unarmed people, or to walk onto a tube with a back pack.
Will I change what I do, no. I always check my escape route in hotels, and on planes, always have and make sure I know where to go. Panic is the worst thing when anything happens. I never walk with ear phones in and neither does my daughter as hearing might save you.
We should carry on but these nut jobs have changed our lives already, areas now have huge barriers to try to stop driving attacks or free movement in and out of buildings and events has changed, so anyone who says nothing has changed clearly have missed what has happened bit by bit.
What we need is to fund the security service better, give them access to anything they want without fear and let then stop nut jobs. Arm more police as if that attack took place in any other city in the UK would there have been several armed police there to stop him?
Afraid I disagree hugely.What has changed is these Radical Islam nut jobs are not bothered in the slightest to be killed so the bombs that used to be planted had to be planned and took smart people to work out and carry out. You do not have to be smart to drive a car or lorry into unarmed people, or to walk onto a tube with a back pack.
Will I change what I do, no. I always check my escape route in hotels, and on planes, always have and make sure I know where to go. Panic is the worst thing when anything happens. I never walk with ear phones in and neither does my daughter as hearing might save you.
We should carry on but these nut jobs have changed our lives already, areas now have huge barriers to try to stop driving attacks or free movement in and out of buildings and events has changed, so anyone who says nothing has changed clearly have missed what has happened bit by bit.
What we need is to fund the security service better, give them access to anything they want without fear and let then stop nut jobs. Arm more police as if that attack took place in any other city in the UK would there have been several armed police there to stop him?
I never check my escape routes, I don't think about being attacked and giving unlimited power to security services is the last thing we should do.
I don't think a bomb planted by someone intelligent is any better/worse than a hire car driven by a fanatic. Ultimately, if it's my day to die, I don't really care whether the car is driven by a fanatic, an OAP or a drunk driver. All the same to me.
Do you worry about, say, an hour long motorway journey?
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