Media Racism: Why Two White Kids are a Senseless Tragedy but an Arab American is Terrorism

[kpete]

Media Racism: Why Two White Kids are a Senseless Tragedy but an Arab American is Terrorism

When a couple of white kids shoot up a school, it is a tragedy, and a search for mental defect. Bring on a shooting at a military base that involves an Arab-American though, and the media does everything that it can to shout "TERRORISM" without really saying it.

Sadly, in our gun-laden, NRA-shielded America, shootings at schools, post offices, hospitals and military installations are all too common. School shootings barely elevate to the national news. You need something new in the tragedy department, like a university, or a military base, and a high enough body count, before the media takes much notice nationally.

That Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was disturbed is without question. He was a psychiatrist, which is in itself a bit more mentally-edgy occupation. He was treating the symptoms of war on a daily basis, and he did not want to go over the edge himself by being sent into combat, so he went over the edge and shot up a processing center at Fort Hood when his greatest personal terror was being realized, without any way to stop it.

That is a senseless tragedy, but it is not terrorism. Likewise, the media's handling of shooters who are not white and suburban is racism, not journalism.

more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-ross/media-racism-why-two-whit_b_353563.html


Poll: Solid Majority Worried About Backlash Against Muslims In Military

5. How concerned are you that the shooting at Fort Hood will prompt a backlash against Muslims serving in the military — very concerned, somewhat concerned, not very concerned, not at all concerned?

23% Very concerned

34% Somewhat concerned

29% Not very concerned

11% Not at all concerned

2% Not sure

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/poll-solid-majority-worried-about-backlash-against-muslims-in-military/

[cali]

1. This becomes the worst kind of dogshit when the idiot author

states that "He was treating the symptoms of war on a daily basis, and he did not want to go over the edge himself by being sent into combat, so he went over the edge and shot up a processing center at Fort Hood when his greatest personal terror was being realized, without any way to stop it."

Of course he could have stopped being sent to Afghanistan without having to murder 13 people in cold blood.

And anyone who doesn't think that the media didn't play the fear card with the Columbine murderers and goth didn't pay attention.

[niyad]

2. k and r

[slackmaster]

3. We still don't know what Major Hasan's motivations were

I'm not ready to rule out terrorism.

[sui generis]

4. eh - Timothy McVey?

Either way, we all want a rational answer to a rational act, and crazy as batshit just won't do, because you know, other than shooting up a bunch of people in close quarters, he was perfectly normal. Mmmm hmmm.

Terrorism by definition is a criminal act against civilians or unarmed people with the INTENT of causing disruption, fear, manipulating public opinion, and of course other "official" reaction. The main idea is that the governing body is helpless to adequately protect its people, and a fearsome populace is easily manipulated.

An act of guerilla warfare by contrast, is engaged against a poorly protected military objective, and typically does NOT involve civilians.

Timothy McVey was 1. Crazy 2. Fulfilling his need to be validated as important by masquerading as a terrorist.
Hasan is 1. Crazy 2. Fulfilling his need to be validated as important by masquerading as a _________ (fill in the blank) holy warrior? right hand of allah? savior of islam?

what kind of messianic bullshit can we qualify as sane? Why does THAT religion in particular tend to elicit such violence from its supplicants?

Muslims fighting muslims was the excuse? What kind of broke brained sociopath was this guy? There are many flavors of Islam, but I would think conscientious objector status should be granted for people who have a problem killing people, regardless of their affiliations of culture and faith.

Nevertheless, I am left wondering about what in that faith inspires some of its adherents to violence against helpless people? Or does it, like all literalist forms of religion, merely attract the deeply crazy?

[malaise]

5. Good read

Rec

[KittyWampus]

6. #1. kids are... well kids and a full grown man is full grown and supposedly more mature.

#2. the media helped fabricate lies about Columbine killers. I only just learned about this recently.

#3. if any fact is left out about school mass murderers, it's that they are almost always MALES and not just white. Could that be because the author of this crap is male?

#4. the author here is himself fabricating stories about Hasan

#5. it's too soon to rule out religious fanaticism linked with mental illness and/or terrorism.

[Brewman_Jax]

7. So true

and hardly a limited event. Just look at coverage of missing persons cases.

From Hurricane Katrina coverage--black people loot, white people find.

[951-Riverside]

8. The author fails to understand the definition of terrorism

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrorism?r=75

1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.
2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization.
3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.

Unless the author can prove that the columbine shooters did it to make a political statement his point is moot.

[DavidDvorkin]

9. The author forgets the hysteria about the supposed "Trench Coat Mafia".