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.
