For the anniversary edition, choosing any one topic is a mammoth task. So I didn’t confine myself to one. I read two, puzzling, and somewhat different articles recently and I want to highlight them because I think they both conflate events sanctioned by the Quran with the public response to those events. And the issues the authors raise are nothing but a red herring in a frank discussion about how we are going to address this recent step away from an increasingly secular and hopefully, more peaceful, West.
Lawrence Krauss recently published ‘Thinking Rationally about Terror’, in which he proceeds to tell us how afraid we should be of terrorism compared to car accidents, based on probability alone. He raises car accident data as evidence that we are too afraid of terrorism? And since I could not find any references to studies asking us to rate these against each other, I don’t see why we cannot be concerned about both equally. I know I am.
Another commentator, using Krauss’ logic, asked whether we should be less worried about black lives in police shootings because we are more likely to die in a car accident? In my opinion, we can walk and chew gum.
In terms of mitigating risk, if I thought that wearing a seat belt would reduce the chances of a fellow Australian being shot by a terrorist, I would wear six. Furthermore, if I was asked to say which method of death I would prefer, I would nominate a car accident over a beheading any day. So Larry, I can be, and am, concerned about both terrorism AND car accidents. And I find it puzzling that we should be asked to choose.
By Staunch Atheist
Former researcher (published in socio-political journals). More importantly, a mother, commentator and all round ranting hyperbolic, know it all.
thinking rationally about terror
When I read about car accidents, I do not feel as though the driver is deliberately targeting me. But an act of terrorism is an attack on the West. It is (potentially) an attack on us all. The fatalities would be far greater were it not for the $16 billion/yr spent on prevention. Simply because the victim, in this case, was not me, it doesn’t mean that I am incapable of empathising with the people who were targeted. The perpetrator would have taken me as well if they could have.
And whilst we have already spent billions of dollars in identifying risk factors in car accidents, how exactly do we identify risk factors for perpetrators of terror? Is being overly devout a risk factor perhaps? The San Bernadino shooters passed many security checks. We are delving into unknown territory. It is this feeling of powerlessness that elevates the level of fear.
And yes, governments exploit vulnerabilities for political gain. But in Australia, our security services set the terrorist threat, not Government. And ‘very likely’ does not sit well with me. But I won’t entertain the idea that the governments are in cahoots with the intelligence services to inflate the terrorist risk.
But in any case, the issue is far bigger than simply fear of terrorism, so to confine the discussion to just terrorist fatalities does not capture the essence of the problem we are dealing with. In terms of public safety – not merely fatalities – there is a much bigger problem of inter-related cultural and religious sanction of unacceptable behaviours. And the Quran gives them permission.