Terrorism: Paranoia and the Internet
My third edition American Heritage dictionary defines paranoia as "a psychotic disorder characterized by delusions of persecution or grandeur." Having looked that up, I'm not sure paranoia is the right label for what I'm about to write about; or at least, it is not the only label. I think, specifically regarding terrorism (by maybe more generally as well), the idea of paranoia blurs and blends at its boundaries between propaganda ("the systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause") and dogma ("a corpus of doctrines set forth by a religion" or "an authoritative principle or belief, esp. one considered to be absolutely true") and sensationalism ("the use of lurid or exaggerated matter, esp. in writing, journalism, or politics"). Differentiating amongst these is more difficult than I would have imagined before I began reading and researching on the Internet.
The first Internet text I would like to consider comes from the Christian Broadcasting Network's website (www.cbn.com). It is the text of a press release: "Pat Robertson's Statement Regarding Terrorist Attack." Pat Robertson explains the reason for the horrific events of September 11th. our nation's great cities and innocent people were attacked, according to Robertson, because God has "lift[ed] His protection from us." Why? Robertson answers by condemning America's capitalist economy, condemning America's foundation in the rights to free speech and expression, condemning those Americans who support a woman's right to choose, and condemning the American government's enforcement of the separation of church and state. To me, Robertson's ideas, further exemplified in the following excerpts, seem dogmatic and sensationalist:
"All over ...
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...Government, and how to organize violent militia groups. The question facing us, as an open society, is how to respond to the most controversial and extreme uses of this new technology, this electronic, global Gutenberg printing press that turns all citizens into publishers who can reach thousands and even millions of people around the country and the world."
I think the notion that fear is the goal of terrorists is of central importance to this issue. Terrorists want, strive, aim to incite terror. They want fear, anxiousness, and paranoia to fester amongst their targets. So, maybe it is the case that media and Internet abet this sense of paranoia; but in any case, it is the goal of the terrorists. And in a terrifyingly successful terrorist attack like that of September 11th, it makes sense that the nation would be left in a state of shock, terror, and paranoia.
In the Background Essay Q’s, Doc B, Box 1, it mentions Hinduism. Doc A box 3 mentions confucianism. Rome worships christianity. Hinduism is technically Buddhism. These reasons explain that trade was never JUST physical items, but ideas and beliefs as well. The Silk Road made sure if you didn’t trade items you can hold, then you can trade items you can cherish. Finally, in the western civilizations (Rome), was accessed by boat. Boats could carry a ton more items and it was less of a walk for the merchants/traders. However, the Silk Road did lead a small backup path up north of Parthia. Around 27 B.C.E., the Roman Empire had only begun, but the silk road had been a thing for a very long time before that. About 3,073 years to be close to proximity. This took trade across seas! This was also how the Silk Road was Forgotten...boat travel became popular, less expensive, and easier to carry bigger loads.On Doc A, the map shows a series of dashes across the Mediterranean Sea. This represents the route to Rome by boat. Also on Doc A, the dashes on the backup path lead from east of India, to the north of the Caspian Sea, then south to Rome. Also, the timeline says 27 B.C.E.- Roman Empire begins. This time subtracted from 4000 B.C.E- Silk Cultivation in China, is about 3,073
“No man ever proves himself a good man in war unless he can endure to face the blood and the slaughter, go against the enemy and fight with his hands.” The preceding was quoted from “The Spartan creed” by the poet Tyrtaeus. There are two authors in this primary resource reading which include Tyrtaeus as well as Xenophon, whom authored “The laws and customs of the Spartans”. These two works give great detail to the Spartan society. As history has presented it, Sparta was a smaller polis and yet was one of the most, if not most, influential societies in history. What we know of this culture comes to us from excavation of its heritage as well as literary works such as these. But are these “eyes” into history factual and creditable enough to base our own interpretations of such a masterful race? These writings are great resources for Spartan’s war enhanced values and societal customs, but lack in evidence of governmental affairs and religion. This lacking may have been due to both writer’s motives for their work.
The 300 Spartan Hoplites were the epitome of Spartan ethos, not only did they die bravely for their country, they also represent Spartan fear of dishonor. They were sent to die as sacrifices to preserve the view of courage and fearsome warriors and hide the caution and cowardice of Sparta. The Spartan educational system and laws resulting in some of the greatest warriors but their force is inhibited by the Spartan mindset, they are courageous in battle but fear dishonor.
This description of Balkians’s house, as he remembers it, might tell him that his family is becoming more accustomed to the American culture, yet still keeping with their Armenian roots. The move from Teaneck to Tenafly just shows that his family is living the American Dream by finding a city that fits them best and a house that is custom built to their liking. All of a sudden Peter is living in a community where families are larger and dinner is just a race to get done with. It seems as though the move to Tenafly is an immersion into the American lifestyle, even more than Teaneck.
Paranoia is a very strange “Mental condition in which a person has long-term pattern of distrust and suspicion of others” (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Our prehistoric ancestors faced a ferocious world where misjudgment could be fatal. In adapting to this rigid way of life, man had adopted the idea of paranoia and embraced it. By constantly observing their surroundings and trusting only those they knew, homo sapiens were able to survive in these barbaric times. Later on, man became much more knowledgeable and gained skills that enabled him to build shelter and store food. However, it almost seems like this trait of paranoia was handed down through the new generations, causing people in our society to seem “abnormal.” Many writers
Kamla Pande (2009) explored a number of attacks in this research study. However, Pande primarily focused on the attack of the city of Mumbai in India, in November of 2008 (p.5), and the attack on the United States in New York on September 11, 2001 (p. 7). The Mumbai attack occurred on November 26, 2008 and is described as a well-coordinated attack by armed attackers with the use of semi-automatic weapons, grenades and bombs. The attack lasted three days where the attackers opened fire on several businesses and a Jewish cultural center. Over 170 people were killed. In New York, on September 11, 2001, terrorists associated with al-Qaeda, hi-jacked four airplanes, two of which were flown into the World Trade Center. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attack. Pande, then, explored the prevailing research as to the types of media communication frames with regards to reporting terroristic attacks which included “international order” (describing terrorism as organized crime against a global society with a secondary emphasis on religion and politics) and “clash of civilizations” (describing terrorism in the context of hostility between different civilization)(p. 9).
Terrorism has been significantly on the rise over the past several years, making it one of the major concerns for governments and security organizations. The identity of terrorists and the activities perpetrated by them have been associated with certain races, religious affiliations and other geographical parameters, with little concern to understand the development of these characteristics among humanity. Most individuals have classified terrorists as being members of specific races and hence developed fallacious theories that associate terrorism with genetic makeup and other mental problems.
The concept of the delusional disorder has both a very short history, formally, but a very long history when one integrates reports and observations over the last 150 years. The term of delusional disorder was only coined in 1977. Manschreck (2000) used this term to describe an illness with persistent delusions and stable course, separate though from delusions that occur in other medical and psychiatric conditions. However, the concept of paranoia has been used for centuries. Originally, the word paranoia comes from Greek para, meaning along side, and nous, meaning mind intelligence (Munro, 1999). The Greeks used this term to describe any mental abnormalities similar to how we use the word insanity. In the modern world, the term reappeared ...
Hornsby, S & Hermann, M. 2005. British Atlantic American frontier: spaces of power in early British America. University press of new land.
Eurasian trade when conditions along the Silk Road were unfavorable. For this reason, the geographical context of the Silk Road must be thought of in the broadest possible terms, including sea rout...
There exists a time when major civilizations were once divided in nature and were unaware of each other’s existence. The major civilizations developed at an independent rate, and most of the technologies and ideas were innovated without the influence of other civilizations. The Chinese were famed for their production of silk, a valuable textile coveted for its splendid texture and color. The Roman Empire was known for its wealth and domesticated animals. India was famous for its spices [1]. However, this situation then took a drastic change when the Silk Road was established by the Han Dynasty. The main purpose of this establishment was to maintain political contact with the kingdoms located in Central Asia. This route soon evolved into a trade route that connected China, Central Asia and Constantinople [2]. Sometime between 206 B.C and 220 A.D, Silk Road was known to be the main trade route that linked the west and the east [2]. The Silk Road then became one of the most iconic symbols of trade in the world, as it became the first trade route of its kind that managed to connect the west with the east. Although the Silk Road disappeared after 220 A.D due to the fall of Constantinople, it remained to be one of the most important human systems in history. This is because it gave rise to globalization, expedited the development of great civilizations and inspired the rise of maritime exploration.
The Silk Road is trade route that connected east and west. Inaccurately named by Ferdinand von Richthofen in the 19th century, it is actually a collection of roads. Traders didn’t usually traverse the whole length of the route, however. Goods were usually traded multiple times before they reached the final destination. Items leaving from Asia and China were goods such as: silk, spices, textiles, ivory, jade, bronze objects, ceramics, lacquarware, flowers, furs, paper, jewelry, minerals, horses, and exotic plants and animals. Goods from the west were: wool, linen, coins, bullion, ambergris, gold, ivory, amber, coral, other precious stones, beads, and glass (a commodity that China has not been able to produce at this point). Goods originating from India were:...
NACOS, B. (2002). Mass-Mediated Terrorism: The central role of the media in terrorism and counterterrorism. Oxford and New York: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
There were 3 different routes to the Silk Road covering many different countries and civilizations. This cultural diversity was bound to start mixing with so many different people and beliefs mingling every day. They exchanged music, art, architecture and as people settled along the road different cultu...
Obesity is a serious condition that has generated a discussion on whether or not to be classified as a disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity is the body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, which is calculated based on the person’s height and weight. For years, our society has been facing the obesity challenge, which can be extremely costly once it leads to several diseases. Thus, because of the constant increase of percentage of people with obesity, the American Medical Association (AMA) proposed in June 18, 2013 to classify obesity as a disease. Their argument was that obesity increases the risks of countless health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension etc. Moreover, it increases morbidity and mortality. By considering obesity as a disease, their aim was to maximize researches and funding, which will focus on obesity from different medical and health approach levels. Their idea of classifying obesity as a disease was in accordance with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s declaration of 1995. The institute declared, “ Obesity is a complex multifactorial chronic disease developing from multiple interactive influences of numerous factors.” In 2012, the CDC data showed 34.9% of adults obese and 17% of obese children. These numbers are very alarming especially since the struggle to deter certain factors contributing into this condition is still a challenge. Among the struggles, there are the people’s rights versus health regulations to keep them as healthy as possible like the former mayor Bloomberg regulation on soft drinks size cut. During CNN’s show GPS of Sunday 2, 2014, the host Zacharia...