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In my memory, it seems like it was rather a violent time, where there was an incident, for one cause or another, every few weeks if not just a couple of days.
I now look at the current era and I imagine to this "innocent" generation, the times must seem quite terrible, if not on the level of end of the world.
I wonder, though, if our, that is of the public, perspective of how things are seen is really that much different from how they were seen in the late 60's through the late 70s. Mind you, I'm not discounting the 80s such as General Dozier's kidnapping, the USO bombing, Lockerbie, etc..; just focusing on that particular era perhaps because I was a child during that time.
Granted, back then we only had the evening news, the newspapers, and the radio news (and it may have actually been news). Now, we have 24 hour, terrible images on demand.
Is it any different? Is it just a factor that at first it is a shock but then one gets "use to it"?
I don't know but to me, it's not like this wave of attacks is "new". Terrible, yes, but not "new".
What's 'new' is the randomness nowadays and the lack of 'political' messages associated with these attacks. All you mentioned were tied to a specific issue or cause... now, whatever get's filtered out after an incident is just random.
Terrorist groups in Europe like the IRA targeted British security forces, sometimes killing a handful of civilians, but death tolls from Islamic terrorism seems to be off the scale in comparison. I mean 9/11 was a terrorist atrocity I'm not sure we'll ever see in our lifetimes again (at least I hope not), 130 killed in Paris last year, 192 in the Madrid bombings in 2004, 56 in London 2005.
Islamic terrorism can even claim the deadliest mass shooting in US history, with the Orlando shooter killing 49 last month. Insane scores of deaths, the IRA or ETA (Basque separatists) can't even claim these numbers.
What's 'new' is the randomness nowadays and the lack of 'political' messages associated with these attacks. All you mentioned were tied to a specific issue or cause... now, whatever get's filtered out after an incident is just random.
Well, not all of what I touched on, but most of them. Such as I recall from back then, in the Stars & Stripes, a brief story of an ambassador's daughter being found dead tied to a tree. I don't recall who it was, what country, the date, or the reason (and Net searches over the years have been fruitless), but I remember......perhaps because I was in another country on a diplomatic passport.
Terrorist groups in Europe like the IRA targeted British security forces, .....
Well, that's the interesting thing. Around 1968, the Middle Eastern ones figured out, I think it was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Nidal but I am not sure, that it was much more efficient to hijack airliners than just to kill Israeli soldiers.
Terrorism in the 70s was primarily Palestinian terrorism, and it was not Islamic. It was leftist. Targets were mostly planes and hijackings. I do remember an airport attack at the Rome airport or somewhere of the kind we see now. People were gunned down gathering at ticket counters. I also recall bombs being placed in those lockers that were common at every airport. Can you even imagine having them today?
Terrorism in the 70s was primarily Palestinian terrorism, and it was not Islamic. It was leftist. Targets were mostly planes and hijackings. I do remember an airport attack at the Rome airport or somewhere of the kind we see now. People were gunned down gathering at ticket counters. I also recall bombs being placed in those lockers that were common at every airport. Can you even imagine having them today?
On one level, 70s terrorism was inspired by national liberation movements. The IRA, PLO, and even nice Canada's FLQ would fit into that category. Possibly the Black Panthers as well, but not quite like the rest.
On another level, you had groups, obviously Leftist-inspired, who attacked "the System", financial, military, whatever. Many were carry overs from the 60s. Examples abound. The RAF in Germany, Italy's Red Brigades, and the Weather Underground and SLA in the US.
And of course there was always crossover. The IRA wanted the British out and then to turn Ireland into Cuba.
What 9/11 was to many people, Pan Am 110 was to me. The daughter of one of my community was badly burned in that attack.
I must congratulate you in recognizing that Palestinian does not necessarily mean Islamic. It is an argument I have over and over with people.
Got to run.
That's exactly what I was thinking of. I had to read the wiki page to remember the details. I only remembered the attack in the terminal building. Didn't remember anything about subsequent hijackings. After reading the piece, I asked myself if exactly the same thing couldn't happen today. I have to say after 40 years, two wars, 10s of thousands of dead people and 20 years of modern terrorism, it still could happen today. The forced boarding of the plane through the terminal is hard to pull off today. They stormed the plane by running on the tarmac, something not very practical today although we still have plenty of smaller airports that board that way.
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