What Scares Me

Posted by Joshua White on 04.18.2007

Attacks like the one at Virgina Tech scare me more than any act of terrorism can.

I watched the second plane fly into the World Trade Center on 9/11. I remember seeing the explosion. And I remember being amazed at the spectacular nature of the attack on my country. But I wasn't scared by it.

I heard the stories of people jumping out of windows, people burning in the flames, and those that were crushed under the building. I saw the people running away from the crumbling buildings, covered in dust. Still, I wasn't scared.

And finally I watched as Osama took responsibility for this act of terrorism and promise more acts of terrorism to come. I was concerned that Osama was going to follow up on this threats, but I never felt that I was going to be a victim. In that sense, I have never been scared by terrorism.

Perhaps this was naive. But I don't think this is the reason. I realized early on that terrorism happens in major cities and in major locations within these cities. They do this because they're trying to make a larger political point. You can't do this in small town Iowa. At that time didn't live in a large American city. I didn't want anything to happen to anyone in my country, but I was convinced that I had nothing to fear. Who would want to suicide bomb a small, liberal arts college with no reputation? I was safe.

Then I had a kid, got married and moved to one of America's most populated cities. Nothing changed. I'm still not worried about terrorism. I don't live in one of the more populated areas of the city. Nor do I live near dowtown or any of the most important buildings. I'm fine.

This is what bothers me so much about what happened at Virginia Tech. It is massacres like this that makes me feel unsafe. I'm not claiming that I'm afraid to walk outside, but I am more afraid of this type of murder to claim me as a victim than terrorism.

Terrorists target large gatherings of people so that they can create the most amount of death, and destruction. This is why they pick targets like the World Trade Center, malls, and other public areas. But Seung-Hui Cho, the Virgina Tech shooter, is different. He destroyed the lives that were around him. Unfortunatly for his victims, the lives were in a small town in Virginia.

Most Americans are safe from a terrorist attack becasue they don't live in metropolitain areas. However, nobody is safe from shooters in small towns. Nobody is safe from someone who goes insane and attempts to kill as many people as possible. Every town has someone who has been rejected by the opposite sex, or been fired from their job. You can never be fully sure that their responses won't be like those of Cho's.

Worst of all, attacks like those at Virginia Tech or Columbine involve chlidren. (Obviously, those at Virgina Tech aren't "children", but they are considered to be our nations youth. So, it is almost as bad.) Schools and colleges are places where kids should be safe. The worst thing they should face is a bully. The problems they should be confronted with are ones that a parent could help to solve.

I can't solve this problem.

Sure, I can tell my daughter that this will never happen to her. Eventually, though, she'll be old enough to realize that it could. I could send her to karate classes so that she may know how to defend herself. But can she really dodge a bullet? I could urge my college senate or PTA to arm its security forces, but they take time to respond. It could be over by the time they arrive. Or we could do as some of the conservative media suggests and arm professors or students. This could indeed prevent longer killing sprees, but it doesn't stop the first few minutes (assuming the student responder acts very quickly).

There is no way to prevent this. You can hide from terrorism. Yet, as we learned last year with the Amish shootings, there is no community where you can fully hide from mass murderers.

As a parent, when I think about this, it really terrifies me.

I don't plan on sending my child to daycare tomorrow with a bullet-proof vest on. I will not stop going to the mall or local restaurants. And when I don't actively think about the very remote possibility that I have being a victim, I will not be scared. It's just that I can really tell myself that I won't die from a terrorist attack tomorrow and I can't say the same for a Virgina Tech-style assault. That bothers me.

I really do wish everyone who was affected by the Virginia Tech attack all of my best. I'm so sorry that this happened.


If you're not ready to hole up in a shelter, read the following:

He may be new, but I think that Enrique has written one of the best columns of the year here. If you ever do what I advise, read this column.

Joe Rivett's Rivett Report was quoted by Chris Dodd's presidential blog. Read what the presidential hopefuls are reading!

Until next time…don't believe anything unless you read it here.