On Terrorism

Distribution of a photo named The Falling Man

Distribution of a photo titled The Falling Man is a never ending nightmare to Americans. One of the notoriously noticeable features about nightmare is that it haunts Americans in a negative way. The nightmare was technically over during American sleeping hours. But it is never over, permeating into every sphere of American daily life. In America, the 911 accident was apparently over. But the 911 terrorism was not over, lingering on American mindset in general. To sum up, The falling man is a constant reminder of 911 terrors to Americans. It disturbs people, especially kids, in an unbearable way. Thus, distribution of The Falling Man should not be allowed to public of all ages.

The falling man, an embodiment of 911 accidents, entails a sense of fear toward every innocent citizen in America. A sense of fear undermines stable political society. Therefore it interferes with social gatherings and a kind of interpersonal activities. Social activities are best possible to abound only within a realm of politically well-functioning society. The well-performing political regime has nothing in common with terrorism. Terrorism the violent crime brings about indelible negative impacts to citizens who live in contemporary society. Particularly, fear for terrorism can have long-lasting effects to young kids. Here are three reasons as follows.

First and foremost, it terrifies children. It keeps lingering on their mindset, attacking fundamentally the way they live in the long run. They might have trouble with normal daily lives, including getting on public transportation, going to public place such as park.

Second, it leads to a dearth of conversation and debate on politics. Politicians abuse political slogan, saying “We are fighting for injustice.” It is the slogan that never used until 9/11 terror happened. Furthermore, a great deal of media coverage instigated people to accept political slogan without any doubts. The overwhelming political slogan stifles discussion on political agenda. Children who are encountered with the fear-provoking photo might have lopsided perspectives with slanted political slogan running deep. They may not entertain their own critical thoughts towards political agenda other than obediently accepting the slogan.

Last but not least, terrorism treats people as a means to a means, imbuing children with an attitude of impotence and passivity. Kant the great German philosopher famously says in critique of pure reason, “We should treat others as we want to be treated. This rule should be applied to everyone, namely universal truth.” Terrorism does not treat people as an ends, but as a means. Victims are not an end, but a means to give fear to remaining alive people who should keep their normal life going on. Although children would not grasp the clear notion of terrorism, they might feel fear and be inadvertently influenced by how terrorism serves people anxious. Unsettled mindset underlies on young kids. Children who fall victims to terror feel a sense of perturbing, disturbing and annoying feelings in community. Then, those who are victimized by an act of terrorism can grow obedient, docile, and passive. These characteristics are nothing to do with unleashing creativity and sharpening critical intelligence.

All in all, the fear-inducing photo named The Falling Man generates a sense of fear. Fear terrifies people, specifically young children. Thereafter, children who saw the photo have hard time actively engaging in social interexchange. The unfavorable social condition inhibits people from participating in social trust and interactions. And, the other distinct character of terror is to treat victims as a means to means. With the three reasons at play, the distribution of The Falling Man should not be allowed to public of all ages.