this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
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I don't think I agree. In my understanding of the word, terrorist or terrorism implies some type of agenda or coercive purpose. If it's some mentally unstable person just doing it... just because. I don't think that's terrorism
Edit: note. Not trying to minimise what this person did, but I think it's a relevant and important semantic difference
Actually agree with this semantic difference. Terrorism is intended to produce terror - and imo should not apply to random violence with no apparent agenda whatever the triggering factor was.
Terrorism imo also includes gaslighting and domestic violence. It appears that the culprit was already known to the police for mental health issues. Carefully not specified by the cops. Criminal impulsivity is not the same as terrorism.
I know you're not trying to minimise what's happened. When officials come out and say it's not terrorist related because the perpetrator was not affiliated with a terrorist organisation is wrong. The idea of terrorism is to install fear in the public. That is what he has achieved.
Perhaps he achieved that, but his intention is the distinction between terrorism/other in my opinion
Terrorism is used to scare the general population, it's to make people lose trust in government ability to protect them, iow, it destabilises the power base of a country , making it vulnerable to other attack by adversaries .
a psycho getting his rocks off by defying authority and scaring people is not terrorism