Comments on: Fox News and the London Bombing ‘experience’

By: markham

markham — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 14:31:28 +0000

The saddest thing about the London bombing/G8 link is how few people got the message that development is the key to bringing an end to terrorism. Fundamentalist groups go recruiting in the forgotten neighbourhoods, the areas that government policy doesn’t reach. It’s how the Muslim brotherhood grew in Egypt under Sadat, and it’s where Al-Qaeda do their recruiting now. Economic divides create resentment and bitterness.

Fighting terrorism and Aid/development are seen as two separate areas of policy, when in fact one relies on the other. If you begin to redress the balance between the rich and the poor, you remove the resentment that motivates people to join these movements.

In any case, and even in the absence of development, you can’t ‘fight’ terrorism. Terrorism is a tactic, and as such is ethereal and intangible. Similarly, Al-Qaeda is an ideology. Neither are a group or an army in the traditional sense.

Waging a war on terror is like trying to shoot a swarm of bees with a handgun. It just stirs up the anger. When your mother told you not to bother them so they wouldn’t sting you, she had the right idea. Only we in the west have been poking at the nest with a big stick since the start of the 20th century, and our leaders don’t want to stop.

But without a good ‘ol WAR ON TERROR, Fox news (and, obviously, Sky News - Fox Britannia) would have nothing to fill their big swooshing newsflashes. So on we go.

If only someone would wage a little media jihad on Fox.

By: Paul Gill

Paul Gill — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 10:21:53 +0000

I think you’re misreading the excerpt above. The commentators aren’t saying that it’s a good thing for Londoners to experience this kind of terrorist attack, they’re saying that it’s a good thing that all those world leaders were together and collectively received the news about the terrorist attack. In terms of the agenda that these commentators are pushing, it is a good thing, leaving aside for the moment the question of whether or not their agenda has merit.

By: Neva

Neva — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 14:14:28 +0000

Fuckwit. O’Larry is right we know what bombing is like we dont have to go through another day like thursday to understand that. Its not ok for anyone to think ‘great the brits are scared and devastated now they will be back with us on the killing people agenda’.

Quite the oposite - i wouldnt hurt a hair on anyones head after going though the worry of trying to get though to all my friends thursday morning to make sure they were ok and let people know i was ok. No its time to help heal the world - global warming, aid whatever, not bloodlust.