Terrorism, mass protests, and mass shootings have become a common norm in the world today. However, the trend has become a uniquely American trend. I have read through several articles to and understand why the problem is prevalent in the United States and got to understand several issues, which explain why terrorism mass protests and mass shootings are prevalent in the US.
The US updated its machinery against terrorism after the 9/11 terrorist attack at the twin towers and a pentagon. I noticed that the structure of the security agencies changed, and corporation between the agencies also heightened. Protection against external extremists became effective, and terror against the country could not penetrate. However, terrorism is still experienced in the country because extremism is propagated from within. I wondered why the country could not use the same instruments to tackle the problem. When I read deeper into the situation, I got to understand that the terrorism from within is perpetrated by inborn characters and not the external actors. The internal characters are inborn American citizens who have gone through the system and hard for the security agencies to detect. But why does America get inborn terrorists?
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I found out that terrorism is a form of extremism that is influenced by someone. Individuals are radicalized in different ways before they take the stand to propagate terror (Crane, 1994). During my reading escapades, I came across two channels through which an individual can be radicalized (Benkler et al., 2018). One form is externally influenced where the terror groups like ISIS come up with material that they disseminate through social media for anyone who cares about their course to read or watch and get moved or radicalized to continue their work. I understood that in as much as the US is a target for the terror by external parties, the parties might have been blocked from attacking America, but they still manage by influencing Americans to do the attacks for them. The second form of influencing is through the American system. I learnt that governance is one of the main tasks the American administration is tasked with. However, not all citizens or subjects will be happy with how issues are being run by the administration. Through the frustrations they go through, they judge that the system may be flawed and the best way to get back at it is extremist activities. In both scenarios, security agencies find it difficult to identify, track and apprehend culprits. I believe that the phenomena are apparent because there is no clear system or formula through which citizens can channel their frustrations. Grave grievances to people's lives lead them to extremist activities as a way of releasing their frustrations and making the system pay.
Going through more literature made me notice that since this system does not exist, people without extremist tendencies would opt to go to the streets to voice their anger and frustrations through mass protests. Mass protests are an effective way through which people can voice their grievances and make the system listen. The literature I read, however, paints a different picture. Mass protests in countries have often turned into some form of violence. The violence is mostly between the aggrieved group and the government. There is power in mass protests, and for most countries, that right is reserved in their constitution (Chenoweth, 2013). Mass protests have led to governments being toppled, and the right administration bestowed power. The norm is also catching up in the United States but not to fight the government. Often, it is for addressing the pertinent issue in the community. For instance, the last waves of protests in America were to protest against police brutality aimed at the African American race. The protests were to bring to attention the innocent killing of African Americans that was mostly done on defenseless youth. The issues come to light; administration sometimes acts to address the issues but sometimes find themselves in a predicament that forces them to engage with the protestors. I came to conclude that some form of extremism can be found in mass protests. Perpetrators may hide in the disguise of protestors to commit their terror. Such situations would provoke innocent people to get hurt either when an attack is committed or when authorities react, assuming that the entire crowd is hostile. It brought me to the comprehension that authorities also have a hard discerning the situation because it is a matter of life and death.
Without a proper channel for expressing issues, other citizens would resort to mass shootings. Mass shootings have become a phenomenon for perpetrating terrorism in the United States. Incidents of mass shootings in schools and other institutions have become prevalent. In 2017, there was a mass shooting incident in Las Vegas, an Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, and the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting. Material culture has continued to flourish through generations. Published literature also reveals this form of terror is committed because of the level of hate in society. Acts of minors picking up guns, walking into schools and shooting fellow unsuspecting students decree the level of hate among citizens committing these terror acts (Wilson, 2017). Factors like the second amendment in the United States may have facilitated cases of mass shootings. The second amendment states that an American citizen has the right to own a gun to protect themselves. I feel that after the 9/11 attacks, mass protests, and mass shootings, many Americans would have the urge to own a gun to protect themselves against such harm.
Analysis of terrorism, mass protests and mass shootings made me conclude that they are issues that will continue to happen in the present society as systems are not perfect. Since there are limited channels where issues can effectively be addressed, terror, protests and shooting will continue to burden the nation.
Reference
Benkler, Y., Faris, R., & Roberts, H. (2018). Network propaganda manipulation, disinformation, and radicalization in American politics . Oxford University Press.
Chenoweth, E. (2013). Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict . Columbia University Press.
Crane, J. L. (1994). Terror and everyday life: singular moments in the history of the horror film . Sage Publ.
Wilson, L. (2017). The Wiley handbook of the psychology of mass shootings . Wiley-Blackwell.
