America and Paranoia: One Take on Terrorism

On the evening of November 13th, a series of unfortunate and uncoordinated terrorist attacks stroke Paris, France and it's Northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Three suicide bombers had struck near the Stade De France which were followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafes, restaurants, and a music venue amid Paris. These attacks killed 130 people, including 89 at the Bataclan Theatre,where they took hostages before engaging in stand-off with people. Seven of the attackers additionally died at the scene of the attacks which took counter part of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISL) whom had claimed responsibility for the vicious acts. Since then, other associated events have unraveled within the eyes of America as numerous attempts, one in which was successful which was the St. Bernardino Shooting, has evolved within just one month. The increase in high alerted behavior has become even more frequent recently, for even the smallest of situations such as the witness of a hand gun in a hospital or extra caution within the eyes of those who evaluate passengers on a plane or large social events has gotten out of hand. From my perspective, it is hard not to believe that we have already been terrorized: the events that have been taken account of and what has continued to unravel afterwards, have all together, already impacted us whether we have recognized it or not. We now live in a state of paranoia, fear, worry, panic, and restriction. It is hard to commit to public social gatherings without the concern of something or someone going off. It is hard to go to the mall or attend a favorable concert or simply enjoy ourselves without feeling paranoid or fearsome of what could possibly go on. It does not take for another situation like the one in Paris to have us held mentally hostage and restricted from going outdoors and living carelessly because we all already live in fear that disables us from running our lives. Mentally, we have already been terrorized by these horrific situations and it is important to recognize so. We, as a society, should not feel restricted from continuing on with what we do on a day to day basis the way it already is. The fact that our sense of well being and security has been stolen away from us makes matters even worse and allows for terrorism to succeed and thrive off of our anxieties.