Terrorism; the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in pursuit of political aims. This is the definition of terrorism when Google searched. But most agree that finding one common definition of terrorism is far too complicated.
Some find that any act against people is an act of terrorism and others believe that it is simply the act of attacking the United States of America. It is hard to find a middle ground on the meaning of it. The only thing we can agree on is the extreme loss that we come to face with, due to a terrorist attack.
June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. An armed man entered Pulse nightclub and opened fire inside the club. He killed 49 people and injured 58 others. This event, has been labeled many things; Mass murder, hate crime, and a terrorist attack. But what would be the appropriate label for an event such as this? Another example could be Dylann Roof. He walked into a church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015, and opened fire. He killed 9 people. This man was a known white supremacist and thought that what he was doing would be “cleansing” the world. And yet, we have the same question; is this terrorism?
Due to racial stereotypes and other false ideations, we see blurred figures of what a terrorist is. After the 9/11 attack not only were the American people in fear, but also the people who are here from the Middle East faced extreme danger. Random attacks because of their race. 9/11 is a terrorist attack that we all know of. It is one of the most negatively influential that has happened to our country. With the most recent shooting in Las Vegas. Would this be considered terrorism?
Alyssa Jackson, a student here at Kearns High School, gave her definition on what terrorism is, “Terrorism is a person who attacks either a person or a group of people for their personal achievements, hence Bin Laden. Terrorism is not an “accident” or an “unplanned” thing!” It is incredibly important to know the difference and evaluate.