The past few days have been pretty heavy on the American public.
With the Boston Marathon bombings and the Waco, TX explosion many lives have
been affected, and it is sad to think that random everyday moments can be so
rudely interrupted by tragedy, especially if such tragedy is voluntarily caused
by fellow human beings as with the former. As a pediatrician in training, I'm always curious about
how a human being as young as 19, as in the case of one of the brothers responsible for these Boston bombings, can develop into this type of extremist and have in mind the
idea that he is somehow doing himself and others a favor.
According to one militancy expert who specializes in counterterrorism, criminal behavior, and forensic psychology, "a sense of normalcy can pervade groups of extremists when individuals surround themselves with like-minded compatriots." http://news.yahoo.com/psychology-boston-marathon-terrorist-10-questions-retired-marine-165947383--politics.html If kids grow up with this idea that these actions are respected and somehow earn one a place of honor in society, they, just like kids in the U.S. who aspire to be the next great pop star, will seek to emulate these figures. Whereas idolizing LiLo (self-destructive tendencies, rehab stints, and all) is somehow okay for tweens in the Western world and condemned in other nations, the seeds of idolizing religious extremists are planted early in these kind of groups. Of course, these two mentalities are completely different and looking up to a pop star or celebrity does in no way, shape or form equate with carrying out this kind of a terrorist act, but the main idea behind why people, and kids, choose a certain way to think may be similar. You do what you know.
According to one militancy expert who specializes in counterterrorism, criminal behavior, and forensic psychology, "a sense of normalcy can pervade groups of extremists when individuals surround themselves with like-minded compatriots." http://news.yahoo.com/psychology-boston-marathon-terrorist-10-questions-retired-marine-165947383--politics.html If kids grow up with this idea that these actions are respected and somehow earn one a place of honor in society, they, just like kids in the U.S. who aspire to be the next great pop star, will seek to emulate these figures. Whereas idolizing LiLo (self-destructive tendencies, rehab stints, and all) is somehow okay for tweens in the Western world and condemned in other nations, the seeds of idolizing religious extremists are planted early in these kind of groups. Of course, these two mentalities are completely different and looking up to a pop star or celebrity does in no way, shape or form equate with carrying out this kind of a terrorist act, but the main idea behind why people, and kids, choose a certain way to think may be similar. You do what you know.
If you grow up with an ideal that is part of your environment, as false as it may be, eradicating that ideal becomes difficult, bordering on impossible. This is not meant as an excuse, it's just faulty programming that when reinforced becomes difficult to extinguish. It's the same thing with any society, culture, etc. If one grows up in poverty, it's difficult to break the cycle because it's comfortable to identify with the surrounding environment, and if one does not do so, one is somehow betraying everything one ever knew about that environment including the identity that has defined that person and letting go of such an identity is a scary thing. The thought patterns become deep rooted and lead to actions. Anger does not help; identifying the best way to not propagate the mentality or the anger is key to preventing these kind of things from continuing to happen.
So, I've refrained from telling people about this blog, as I would like to keep it anonymous...... but that also means no one is reading it unless people know it exists, so I'm going to attempt some creative ways to let people know about it. (Free ice cream?)
If you have ideas, and happen to come across this blog before I spread the word somehow, comment or hit me up.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
- Kid Doctor :)
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