The+Biased+Perception+of+Terrorism+in+America

Since 9/11 terrorism has become one of the most popular topics discussed worldwide on a social and political level. There have been many conversations centered on what qualifies as terrorism and how to combat it. The majority of these discussions are biased and use an “us” vs. ‘them” dichotomy that make it seem as though only foreigners, particularly of Middle Eastern and South East Asian descent, are capable of enacting terror. This ignores the rising domestic extremism, mostly carried out by white supremacist organizations, that is growing in the United States. In order for Americans to have honest and fair conversations about terror we need to address these biases and make the fight against terrorism less about ostracizing people who fit into particular demographics and more about combating heinous attacks.

Three common factors that lead towards a biased perception of terrorism:

__Racial framework __ The racial framework that exist in American society contributes to the ways in which we talk about acts of terror. Racial framing, a concept created by sociologist Joe Feagin, is the collection of racial ideas, stereotypes, images, emotions, and inclinations to discriminate. People of color are viewed as a monolith prepositioned towards certain behaviors depending on race or upbringing whereas white Americans are seen as individuals capable of making their own decisions regardless of cultural influences. Violent stereotypes are attributed to African Americans, Latinos, South Asians, and Middle Easterners and people use these generalizations as a justification to profile people apart of these groups. When looking at violence in terms of terrorism, Middle Easterners and South Asians are the main ethnic groups branded terrorists, especially if they practice Islam and Sikhism.

__Nativism __ Nativism, is an anti-immigrant ideology that advocates the protection of the native-born inhabitants of a country from immigrants who are seen as threatening or dangerous (Feagin 2011). Although numerous Americans are of Middle Eastern and South Asian origin, many still see them as foreigners. One discussion that is held following terrorist attacks done by people from these ethnic groups is whether or not the perpetrator was American born or an immigrant. If the attacker is found to be native to this country, people automatically hold religion or cultural differences responsible for their behavior even though violence is ingrained in American society. Statistics have shown that on average 87 murders take place each day in this country and living in metropolitan cities, such as Chicago, can be more dangerous than going to war (Kozy, John). This proves that brutal attacks have nothing to do with differences in nationality or ethnicity and those who perpetuate this divide create an “us” vs. “them” dichotomy that places Americans on a pedestal and portrays any group of people who seem foreign as aggressors who want to destroy us.

__Media __ The media, one of the most powerful intuitions in society, further propagates a biased narrative of terrorism. This is blatantly showcased in the way they cover news stories of white domestic terrorists (ex. Dylan Roof and the Charleston church shooting) vs. Muslim domestic terrorists (ex. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev and the Boston Marathon bombing). White domestic terrorists are portrayed as “lone wolfs” who commits crimes due to mental instabilities and difficulty fitting in with mainstream society. This same thoughtfulness is not extended towards Muslim and people of Middle Eastern/Southeast Asian descent who are not given the benefit of being seen as individual, but just products of their religious practices and upbringing. The media also connects these crimes to large Islamic fundamentalist organizations such as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and Al-Qaeda which is used as propaganda to propel the War on Terror and continue occupation of countries in the Middle East. In contrast, a lot of these same news outlets are not as quick to discuss the link between acts carried out by white domestic terrorists and right wing extremism even though more Americans have been killed by members of these organizations since 9/11 (Beauchamp, Zack). Instead the rise of this form of extremism is treated as a political subculture and prominent figures who spread the ideology, such as Richard Spencer, are given featured in publications and allowed to speak at universities. Work Cited Beauchamp, Zack. “Study: Right-Wing Terrorism Has Killed 48 People in the US since 2001.” //Vox//, Vox, 24 June 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2017. "Combating Post-9/11 Discriminatory Backlash." //The United States Department of Justice//. The United States Department of Justice, 6 Aug. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2017. Feagin, Joe R. 2011. Racial and Ethnic Relations. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Gruenewald, Jeff, Steven Chermak, and Joshua D. Freilich. "Distinguishing “Loner” Attacks from Other Domestic Extremist Violence."//Criminology & Public Policy//. Kozy, John. "Violence: The American Way of Life." //Global Research//. Global Research, 12 Jan. 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2017. Pratt, Douglas. "Terrorism and Political Violence." //Taylor and Francis Online//. Taylor and Francis Online, 08 June 2010. Web. 01 Mar. 2017 "Terrorism." //Oxford English Dictionary//. Oxford University Press, Mar. 2017. Web. 31 Mar. 2017. Zelizer, Barbie, and Stuart Allan. //Journalism after September 11//. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.