An Outlook Staff Opinion on How Prepared We Feel About Potential Terrorist Attacks in Light of Recent Events Around the World
We hear about terrorism almost everyday. Whether we are scrolling through our Twitter feed, receiving an update from an app on our phone, flipping through the channels on the television, or having a conversation with friends and family. However, is terrorism really talked about on campus? The Outlook staff has found that conversations regarding terrorism rarely occur on our college campus, which is strange considering the mass amounts of school shootings our country has suffered through. These events prove that being among those affected by a terrorist attack can happen to any of us no matter where we are.
With that being said, the University should take effective measures to train and educate students on evacuation procedures during the time of an emergency such as school shootings and terrorist attacks. While no one can be fully prepared for a life-threatening situation, basic knowledge of emergency procedures could be beneficial. Most editors believe they do not know what to do if a terrorist attack were to occur on campus or in our surrounding area and therefore, more preparation is necessary.
One editor said, “I think that campus should talk more about what the evacuation procedure would be if there were an attack. It would be safe not just for a terrorist attack, but shootings happen on college campuses all the time and we should be prepared for any type of emergency.”
Although we can take measures to protect ourselves, it is difficult to prepare for something that we don’t expect. “I dont think it is really something you can prepare for unless it has happened previously, for example I think NYC is always on edge because of 9/11,” said one editor.
With Monmouth University being a short commute to New York City, many students have found themselves taking the train day in and day out to an internship or similar opportunity. Some editors feel nervous and consider the possibility of a threat among the large crowds of diverse people as they walk the streets of the city and others do not; however, big cities are not the only target for terrorist attacks. As a country, we should be prepared anywhere for the possibility of an attack. If we put all of our focus into the big cities such as New York, we are leaving the door open for smaller towns like our own to be attacked.
“Terrorism’s main goal is to make people paranoid; if we succumb to the paranoia, we are letting them win,” said one editor, who is not nervous when applying to internships or visiting the city. Growing up with a father who worked in homeland security, this editor is trained for an emergency situation.
Being a country that has suffered due to a large terrorist attack, The Outlook staff believes that September 11th evoked fear among our country while bringing our citizens together. On that day, we did in fact become The United States of America. Since that day, the government has issued higher security measures in places such as airports or theme parks where large amounts of individual’s gather at once. Due to this, our country has progressed in terrorism procedures. Our country talks about terrorism now more than ever, especially after the San Bernardino attacks, which were another wake up call for Americans.
As our country became united, so did the world. Terrorism does not affect one specific group of people, but our world as a whole. With each attack that occurs, we realize it truly happens anywhere and for reasons out of human control. In times of terrorist attacks, social media has evoked a movement among citizens all across the globe. Many people use social media as a news outlet with talk of terrorism occurring across platforms and informing users of what has been taking place. On the contrary, social media can glorify terrorism rather than encouraging people to actually make a change and do something about it.
A few editors believe that social media allows the world to stand together in times of pain and suffering while another editor feels that the media causes a divide among the world rather than standing together.
Lastly, one editor feels that in times of terrorist attacks, no one truly knows how to help. Some individuals turn to social media because they feel it is the least they can do. “We all feel helpless after stuff like that [terrorist attacks] happens and I guess it gives some people peace of mind. Whether or not it’s actually beneficial to anyone is an entirely different issue, but I think people are just trying to do what they think is right,” the editor said.