SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  
To: Ilaine who wrote (78306)10/17/2004 10:12:07 AM
From: Lane3  Read Replies (1) of 793846
 
Because when we told ourselves that terrorism was just a nuisance, we were not paying attention to what was really happening. We were living in a dream world.

Having now lived long enough, one thing I have learned is that change doesn't go forever in one direction. Some things swing back and forth. Who would have thought it ever would be safe to walk the streets of New York. Then Rudy came and things swung back. You can walk the streets in SW Washington where once you couldn't. Maybe you can't leave your door unlocked, but you can walk from your house to your car and live to tell about it. Smallpox was eradicated. The terrorists may bring it back but we got rid of it once. There was a time when people didn't believe that would ever happen. Read just the other day we may have found something for malaria. Remember when kidnappings for ransom were in vogue? And when we thought AIDS would wipe us out? Things swing back and forth. Are you so sure that terrorism is a slippery slope?

So you adapt, or you die. But continuing your fantasy is not an option.

Of course we can't reasonably live a fantasy. But is constant fear any more realistic? Adapting, in my mind, is partly dealing with the threat and partly adjusting to it. We prevent what we can and take a stiff upper lip approach to what we can't. Like your Londoners. This is basically a process of redefining "nuisance" to fit the revised context. We may not be able to leave the house unlocked or walk down dark alleys in the middle of the night anymore, but we can go about our regular business. How much do we really need dark alleys in the middle of the night? Having to avoid them is really no more than a nuisance. Once you've adapted. And who knows, maybe our prevention efforts will pay off at some point and we can once again embrace dark alleys. Things swing.

I think those folks who think we must wipe out terrorism before they can live their lives or that we can wipe out terrorism to the point of being able to leave our doors unlocked are the ones in the dream world.
Report TOU ViolationShare This Post
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  

HomeMailHotSubjectMarksPeopleMarksKeepersSettings
Terms Of UseContact UsCopyright/IP PolicyPrivacy PolicyAbout UsFAQAdvertise on SI
© 2025 Knight Sac Media.  Data provided by Twelve Data, Alpha Vantage, and CityFALCON News