Terror at a Christmas Mall

[TKnHappyNess]

He's a wanna-be terrorist. REAL terrorists hit important places, not malls. The Mall of America however is different. Same with the Eaton Center in Toronto, Canada, the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, and any other that doubles as a shopping center and a tourist area.

[mr_pikachu]

He's a wanna-be terrorist. REAL terrorists hit important places, not malls. The Mall of America however is different. Same with the Eaton Center in Toronto, Canada, the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, and any other that doubles as a shopping center and a tourist area.

I just want to state explicity that a terrorist's job is not to kill people. A terrorist is someone who instills fear in anyone deemed to be an "enemy." It is theoretically possible to be very successful as a terrorist yet never physically harm anyone. But what, of all possible stimulus, quickly triggers the most fear in us? Death.

(Heck, since it's the holidays, think about A Christmas Carol. Why did Scrooge reform in the end? Was it because he saw the error of his ways? No! It was because he discovered that if he continued, he would die! He was so terrified of that punishment that he changed and began treating people nicely. Not because he wanted to be kind, but because death scared him.)

The thing is, the most effective terrorists connect that fear with the general public. Like Roy said, if a few smaller malls are targeted, then people will start to think that no malls are safe. Sure, more people die when highly populated areas are attacked, but it doesn't cripple the nation because everyone believes that the smaller areas are still okay! Take away that security, and you break the backbone of an entire society.

Restricting people can be every bit as effective as killing them.

[/explication]

[TKnHappyNess]

(Heck, since it's the holidays, think about A Christmas Carol. Why did Scrooge reform in the end? Was it because he saw the error of his ways? No! It was because he discovered that if he continued, he would die! He was so terrified of that punishment that he changed and began treating people nicely. Not because he wanted to be kind, but because death scared him.)

How do we know he didn't die of natural causes? It was never really explained how he would've died.

[DarkTemplarZero]

Hahah ah this reminds me of CNN's analysis of places the United States is vulnerable to terrorist attacks: In the words of the great Jon Stewart laughing at this report, the places we are vulnerable are limited to geographic locations, or "places".

"Well like I have always believed, if you want to take down any western country, and I mean any, Britain, France, Canada, the U.S. All you have to do is have a string of terrorist attacks at Movie Theaters, and Malls"
By "take down" I assume you mean force them to shoot themselves in the foot and start giving away their civil liberties? I think they're doing a good job of that without doing anything.

And finally, I am a bit creeped out by this, the part of New Jersey I'm from practically has more malls than people, I go to one with friends at least once a week, but whatever, death is nothing to waste your life fearing.

[pokemasterfrank]

(Heck, since it's the holidays, think about A Christmas Carol. Why did Scrooge reform in the end? Was it because he saw the error of his ways? No! It was because he discovered that if he continued, he would die! He was so terrified of that punishment that he changed and began treating people nicely. Not because he wanted to be kind, but because death scared him.)[/explication]

I'm pretty sure that the whole thing was that he'd die and and be forgotten - that no one would care. No one attended his funeral and all that good stuff. But whatever works for the example