Defining Normality

Nic Robertson, CNN Diplomatic Editor wrote the other day in an article that:

A new normal shrouds Europe now. Questions we didn’t ask last summer: What next? Where will I be? Who will l know? Is my life less safe?

And these are valid questions that are, without a doubt flying about the minds of citizens of Europe. People I know saying they won’t go too France any time soon, or pining on getting a passport from a country that hasn’t yet left the EU like Britain intends to do.

In Germany too the fear is rising and Thomas Gsella wrote on Spiegel.de, in an almost harmless tone, that “murdering nutcases are a new daily deadly danger” (he specifically wrote “wirrzausel” which is a small boy doing foolish deeds). No doubt this sentiment that is rising in Europe as a whole. If a priest in France in a small town can be killed, what will stop them from killing anyone, anywhere they please?

It is not feasible and unrealistic to harbour such notions in the back of our minds. But we do, as we seem to be shaky whenever we see men with bushy beards and a darker complexion these days. The main reason people will immediately point to is the influx of refugees in the past year(s) into Europe. Some illegally, some legally, but no doubt the influx of refugees from Syria, but also economic refugees from Northern Africa, have come in droves to Europe, the promised land.

So, now, we believe that the influx of these refugees will lead to an influx of killings. Yes, strictly speaking I guess you could say that more people means more extremists, or lone-wolves as the ones are called who act on their own. Naturally, they are not acting entirely on their own as they are influenced by political situations and turmoil, but they see no other way to communicate their disdain for the current status of things that they feel the need to kill people to send a message, seek an identity, or as an act of revenge upon someone else according to the 2015 Global Terrorism Index.

We have seen a string of attacks recently in Germany and France leading to this increase in worry, but we are very, very far from this becoming the norm. According to the aforementioned index and referring to the Global Terrorism Database.

In Western Europe between 2012 and 2016, as of today, there have been 319 people who have died to terrorist attacks. In the same time frame, in Southeast Asia, there have been 2,508 casualties to terrorist attacks. In the same time frame again, in the Middle East and Northern Africa the total amounts to 52,105. That means that Western Europe has but 0.61% of the amount of deaths that the Middle East suffers. Syrians, they have to endure terrorism as a norm. We do not. We have the privilege to be protected and healthy and safe on a daily basis. For terrorism to become the norm, we would have to have 35 people dying every day due to terrorist attacks (using the average of deaths from 2012 to 2016 in the Middle East and Northern Africa).

Now by no means am I trying to justify these acts of abhorrent terrorism, but rather put into a different light what is trying to be construed from the circumstances. Any innocent life lost in an attack is lamentable to the highest degrees and in no way, shape or form am I trying to play down the acts of terrorism in one place by comparison to another. And granted, this is a large increase of terrorism in Europe already, if you look at it strictly in numbers and in percent.

But be well aware, that we are far from terrorism being a normality within Europe, let alone a daily thing that makes us consider where we should go, and where we should avoid during our daily lives.

And be well aware of the fact that for some people it is a normality.

In the past there have been refugees from many different countries. Europe had it’s own exodus of refugees after the second world war, with millions of displaced people across Europe. As of late we have also had refugees from the Balkans after the fall of Yugoslavia. Many hundreds of thousands of people fled those countries too and poured into European countries. Now you might think “Yes, but they didn’t bring terrorists with them!” and to that I say neither do these refugees! They are not on the side of the terrorists! These refugees are innocent men, women and children like people you know, like yourself, they are only looking for a chance to survive and have a normal, stable life. Now if you look at the numbers aforementioned, should we really fear terrorism as becoming the norm in our society, or should we fear those who want to make it the norm?

I believe that we should do neither and that we should continue living our lives, not in fear of terrorists, nor in fear of the media trying to make us become fearful on a daily basis. Fearful of leaving the house, fearful of other people. No, we must carry on with normality and define it ourselves.

It is we who defines what is normal, and what is not normal. If the media wishes to brand our daily state of mind and push it into a fear- and hate-mongering towards others, they can do so, but I will not allow it to seep into my mind and neither should you. I will create a normality where we do not need to fear people who believe in things we do not. It is up to us, you and me, to make sure that we do not walk in fear through our days. Go forth, and do not let your heart flutter when you see a man with a beard and a darker complexion.

Do not be afraid when you go out onto the street that you might die. The chances of getting hit by a car are higher.

Do not let the machine men win, who try to instil fear in you.

Be happy, be free and do not anyone impose fear upon you, nor infringe your liberty and freedom and be a voice for those who cannot.

We define our normality, not the terrorists.