Wednesday 21 June 2017

Our hypocritical definition of terrorism

Terrorism. The most used word for violence in the 21st century. The word blinks in front of our eyes ringing loudly repeatedly until it is engraved in our minds. We take in what the media tells us what the politicians tell us what the people in power tell us. Without so much as a curious peep questioning their message, without really processing what they're telling us.
Terrorism. What do you think it is? How do you define it? Its probably linked to ideas about a brown middle eastern black man with a beard too big for his face in your mind shouting 'this is for Allah' pressing buttons screaming violently until he explodes. That is what you're fed of course and you're too complacent to think of anything else. Hey its not your fault, if I was fed a single story like a bowl of soup again and again, I would also dig into it without thinking too much. Its easier that way.
But let me tell you abt the definition of terrorism. The Oxford dictionary defines it as 'the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.' Nowhere does it say that the person has to be from a minority community. Turn over the pages and read, it doesn't say the person has to shout some bullshit thing he was brainwashed about because its convenient for him to blame a specific kind of people for all the crimes he does under the sun. Turn over the pages and pretend to spot the ideas you have about terrorism.
Guess what? Those pages are blank. Because they aren't definitions of terrorism. They are beliefs that you have associated with the word because it is easy for you to call a coloured person a terrorist and make people hate them bomb them hurt their husbands wives children and destroy their countries. Because when you do that, you aren't called a terrorist. No way, you are a saviour or maybe drunk or mentally ill or some other bullshit excuse that you carve out from the ground to plaster across the world's eyes so that they don't treat you like the evil you are. The hypocrisy is too real. We don't always want to bring up race or politics but we can't be blindfolded by your lies, by your view any longer. It is toxic dangerous poisonous, only encouraging more violence. See the world for what it is. If an evil white person does an act which harms civilians, call him a terrorist. If an evil coloured person does, call him one. But don't make excuses for white people while within minutes of an attack by a coloured person you scream out terrorism. Don't give more importance to lives in the West or lives in the East. Create and enforce the equality that you love talking about. Educate yourself. Question what you're told. Be empathetic.
Terrorism is terrorism no matter what colour the attacker is. Victims are victims no matter what ethnicity they are. Open your eyes and call it out for what it is. Hypocrisy.

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