London Terrorist Attacks - Initial Messy & Confused Thoughts

[luna_k]

For those who just woke up or have been offline, there were a series of 4 coordinated terrorist attacks in London today that have killed at least 37 and injured more than 700

Comments

[thisficklemob]

my single biggest concern here (beyond sympathies for all Londoners) is how Bush, Blair and the Fox News' of the world are going to spin this into more justification for making us shut up and do whatever they say including waging new wars.

I'm worried about the same thing. Only right now I'm still in shock mode, which is rapidly turning into "this is what it's like every day in Iraq - I may not have any Iraqis on my flist, but why do I think that's any less bad?" mode.

Yeah, you can tell I'm a liberal, I can feel guilty for feeling sympathy. I guess it's to compensate for the conservatives, who are incapable of feeling guilt for anything not concerning sex.

[luna_k]

which is rapidly turning into "this is what it's like every day in Iraq - I may not have any Iraqis on my flist, but why do I think that's any less bad?" mode.

I was just thinking the same thing. Just about every day there's an attack in Bahgdad or somewhere around Iraq where dozens or hundreds die at a time. I feel bad and it makes me upset, but it's just not the same as when I see a country like the UK get hit. Because they speak my language, they dress and act like me, I know people from there, etc. It's closer to home.

Yeah, you can tell I'm a liberal, I can feel guilty for feeling sympathy.

Ha! Yeah, that liberal guilt gets me every time. :)

[thisficklemob]

Of all of those reasons, I think "I know people from there" is the one I feel least guilty about. Because then it's really personal. The others make me feel guilty, like, because intellectually I know that thinking people who look and act differently than me are somehow less human is just wrong. But I think some of it is also the mindset of not being as surprised when shit goes down in places known to be violent or terrorism-afflicted. I know plenty of people who've been to Israel, have friends who look and act and dress no differently than your average Israeli, but that doesn't make me take a bombing in Israel as hard as a bombing in London.

The psychology of this stuff is so weird.

Thanks for the link to london_070705. I saw the post about donating blood, and it just took me back to 9-11. People all over NYC were lining up to give blood - ghetto kids and stockbrokers just going en masse. I was upstate. I remember all the fire fighters being mobilized and sent down. I posted to my dorm's listserve about nearby blood drives later in the

[thisficklemob]

I almost feel like their being wounded today is good

I meant "there being wounded", obviously, as in, there are wounded people to help... not that those particular people being wounded is good, and... I'll shut up now.

[luna_k]

The psychology of this stuff is so weird.

It is. I think above all, it's because this happened to the British more than because they look/act/dress/talk like me. I mean, if something happened to Australia I'd be devastated but it still wouldn't hurt as much. I'm sure you know what I mean... the British are kinda like our mommies in a way, since they were the country that set up the colonies that became this country. And yeah, we had that whole Revolutionary War deal, but pretty much for the last 150 years that's been our most solid ally.

Thanks for the link to london_070705. I saw the post about donating blood, and it just took me back to 9-11.

God, tell me about it. You know, I was right here in the DC suburbs on 9/11. I had to go to work 2pm-10pm, and as soon as I got off I drove out to Arlington and watched the smoke coming out of the Pentagon. It was horrific.

I hate the Bush administration so much. We were all wounded that day, and they took that, and they used it to start something completely unrelated, making it more

[thisficklemob]

I'm sure you know what I mean... the British are kinda like our mommies in a way, since they were the country that set up the colonies that became this country.

Yeah, you're right. That "special relationship" with Britain thing wasn't just Bush and Blair playing kissy-face to get us into Iraq.

Are we ever going to be safe again? I mean, seriously?

Not if they have their way. Bush seems to have no concerns except for his own interests and ego, and anyone who wants to do anything that might actually make us safer is written off as coddling terrorists or some bullshit like that. And I hate the whole "civil liberties/fundamental ethics VS. safety" thing they've set up. They just wanna surveil us, but it's not making us any safer. And as Jon Stewart said about an abused prisoner at Guantanemo, "If making this guy bark like a dog would somehow help us defeat Al Qaeda, I'd have one thing to say: 'Woof.' As it is, you're just kinda making me feel bad for the terrorist guy. Stop it! Stop cooling my bloodlust."