Keeping Panic at Bay

[Dave Monroe]

>From Jared Diamond, "Keeping Panic at Bay," New York
Times, Sunday, October 21st, 2001 ...

   "The essence of terrorism is to kill or injure
opponents in ways specifically designed to cause fear,
and thus to disorganize the opposing society to a
degree far out of proportion to the number of victims.
Whether this strategy is used in wartime or against a
nation at peace, the desired effect is the same. The
German V-1 flying bombs and V-2 rockets launched
against London in 1944 killed civilians in each
attack, but their psychological effect on the
population was far greater than the number of dead
might suggest.
   "We Americans are now experiencing terrorism for
the first time on American soil, as well as forms of
terrorism new in world history. But the phenomenon of
terrorism itself is ancient. What can we learn from
the past that could help us cope?

[...]

   "Terrorist attacks that cannot be seen or heard
coming are more damaging to morale than those
detectable before arrival. A lack of warning means
that a possible attack must be feared constantly.
   "Civilians in World War II did not crack under
bombing attacks for several reasons. Over time, the
attacks lost their novelty ...."

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/21/opinion/21DIAM.html?searchpv=past7days

Cf. ...

"A screaming comes across the sky. It has happened
before, but there is nothing to compare it to now."

Do I even have to cite that one?  Okay.  Anyway, Jared
Diamond is the author of Guns, Germs and Steel: The
Fates of Human Societies (New York: W.W. Norton & Co.,
1997) ...

http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/spring99/gunsgerms.htm

http://www.wwnorton.com/rgguides/gunsgerms.htm

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june98/diamond_4-17.html

Despite the experience of some, deserving texts are
sometimes actually awarded the Pulitzer Prize (General
Nonfiction, 1998) ...

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