The Illustrated Guide to Terrorism

Chapter 1: What Is Terrorism?

Page 2: Varying definitions

Title: Chapter One: What IS Terrorism?

Woman indicating masked gunmen with explosions in the background, bearded man in suit disagreeing.

WOMAN

That’s easy! Terrorism’s a bunch of religious fanatics blowing people up.

MAN

No it’s not! “Terrorism” is the oppressor’s word for resistance!

Sheriff and soldier

SHERIFF

They’re both wrong. Terrorism is nothing more than violent crime by another name.

SOLDIER

“Crime?” This isn’t a job for the police. It’s war!

Shrink, businesswoman, and working-class guy

SHRINK

It’s the irrational lashing-out of the maddened and the brainwashed.

BUSINESSWOMAN

You’re crazy. It’s a perfectly rational act of survival, of self-defense!

WORKING-CLASS GUY

How naïve can you get? It’s the tool of despots and tyranny!

Protesters with signs

SIGN #1

It’s a wake-up call to the complacent!

A shock to the system!!

SIGN #2

It’s tearing the system down

Men aiming rifles at reader

MEN

It’s imposing a new system by force!

Desert mountain

VOICES

It’s freedom fighters.

It’s revolution.

It’s an “-ism.” A philosophy.

No, it’s just a tactic.

NARRATOR

Indeed.

People disagree on what the word even MEANS. That’s no good. It will be hard for us to have a useful discussion if we’re not talking about the same thing.

We’ll need a working — and workable — DEFINITION.