Communicating terror: A citizens perspective

Every other day, we receive news of acts of terrorism and the atrocities a certain group of people commit, guided by religion, a promise of freedom or just plain expression of superiority. But the only people who suffer the brunt of these heinous crimes are people, living beings, who after millions of years of evolution have been termed the smartest species on earth, ironically by themselves. But are we really that smart? Is there a difference between a terrorist and a common unsuspecting man? Survival of the fittest has been an important part of the present theory of evolution. Are the terrorists fitter than us? Are they a more evolved form of human beings? Is the common innocent man going to be extinct some day? Are we or our successors deemed to be slaughtered like the graphic depictions we see or read about? These questions arise only because we know of the harsh ends people come to at the hands of some religious zealots. And how do we know? We see it on television, read it in an article or hear from someone who has. The generation today is influenced immensely by the millions of televised images they are exposed to. We see the inclination towards guns, bombs and other weapons in most children today. Where does this inclination come from? Are humans in their purest forms just as intrigued by power and dominance over another? Is it right to depict such disturbing images to the child we fondly call our future? The media started off as a proud testament of our right to free speech and almost always supporting a political, social, scientific or economical stance. It has been the cause of many a revolution. But today, we see the media as an independent entity which shapes the understanding of the common man and hence his perception of the world. More recently, the media has become a weapon, carving and shaping human minds on the whims and fancies of the person brandishing it. Terrorists are but one of the many, who use the media to spread their agenda. The press media today is just short of being a blatant business, with competition for viewer ratings and number of readers, rather than a means of relaying information. And hence we see increasing numbers of inside scoops and undercover journalists. People are obviously interested under the pretext of gaining knowledge and knowing what is going on. Do we really need to know the intricacies of every piece of news regarding manslaughter, bombing or terrorist attack? Today, most of the terrorist organizations are using the press media to issue their statements and voice their causes, if not directly, through live coverage of their acts of murder and destruction. While this causes trepidation among the older folk, it is fodder for the over-active imagination of the child, sometimes making them little rebels in their own might. According to research done by Professor L. Rowell Huesmann, fifty years of evidence show "that exposure to media violence causes children to behave more aggressively and affects them as adults years later."

But as any of us might ask, is it not better that we know about it so that we may prevent it happening to us? Well, knowing is never bad, but if it reaches the right people in the right format, so that the information is not misconstrued and brings a sense of understanding rather than anxiety or aggression. The question remains, do we need to control the media to muffle the shouts of terrorists and hence retard their efforts to inspire fear? Should the government take steps to prevent the gruesome depiction of a terrorist attack? Should the people blindly believe everything a reporter says on television? Should we cross the thin veil between reality and propaganda? Alas, the decision is not ours to make.