Terrorists society Essay Example for Free

Terrorists society Essay Perhaps the most known terrorist in the world is Osama Bin Laden. Just as other terrorists of his ilk, there are certain psychological features that are inherent in him. Though it is impossible to study the psychological profile of a single terrorist, researches by psychologists identify a certain trend in their way of thought and actions (Kaplan, 1981). This paper outlines the psychological makeup of terrorists, traits that are observed in Osama Bin Laden. There are certain risk factors that make one highly likely to become a terrorist. These factors combine to give a profile that is general to terrorist the world over. Although a terrorist’s profile can be narrowed down to individuals, there is always a generational transmission of extremist beliefs that starts in early life. A terrorist also feels alienated or oppressed by others in the society. This perceived alienation could be from the locality or at more extended levels as global perspective. A terrorist also has a psychology of being victimized for the ills of the society. Terrorists also believe that any violations by the enemy should be retaliated by equal measure of violence (Post, 2008). The response meted out to the enemy affords the terrorist higher moral standings among his/her peers who regard him/her as a hero. In addition to the above, terrorists believe their ethic, class or social group is special and superior to others and are targeted by others for destruction. Terrorists in most cases lack the political powers to initiate and carry out their plans to success. They therefore turn to violence as the only means of attaining their goals. Terrorists would not carry out their activities if they had no criminal mentality. Moreover, terrorists do not have any fear for death and believe the high esteem from peers is more important than the legacy left behind by dying in the process of carrying out an attack (Hoffman, 1999). Terrorist will always identify with a certain group where the members share the course, suffering, and trauma. At the same time, the group may provide camaraderie and a sense of significance to its members. Historical and Socio-Cultural Antecedents to September 11. Different opinions have been voiced on the most likely antecedents of the 9/11 attacks. These range from religious animosity between Christians and Muslims to the US Occupation of Arab countries and the perceived foreign policies of the American Government. While it is apparent that Al-Qaeda was responsible, theories have been proposed to explain the causes of 9/11 attacks. Some researchers have blamed the Muslim madrasas for instilling a simplistic view of Jihad in young Muslims. Poverty has also been cited as a cause of the 9/11 attacks by a section of world scholars. There have been theories relating the attacks to the democratic principles of the American society, a position vehemently denied by Osama himself. He asked why he did not attack other free-countries such as Sweden. There is also a feeling that efficient funding from wealthy Saudis supported the terrorists in the planning and execution of the attacks. The historical aggressiveness of the U. S towards certain countries due to their oppressive governance and weak systems and institutions has made these countries terrorists’ haven. Decline and stagnation in the Middle East and the humiliation of the Islamic world also led to the attacks. These weak and falling states have been terrorists’ bases from where they plan attacks on real and perceived enemies (Simonsen et al, 2000). In addition to U. S occupation of Arab countries, the clash of civilization between the Arab and American world also led to the attacks. The differences in ideologies such as communism between the U. S. and the Arab world also played a role in causing the attacks. Radicalism resulting from Afghan Jihads against the Soviet Union contributed to the attacks. The generation that participated in the war was radicalized and developed criminal mentality as well. Mental Illness and Terrorism There has been an on-going debate on the role of mental illness in terrorism among scholars. Most studies have dwelt on expert opinions instead of involving the community directly to study the causes of terrorism (Sageman, 2004). This trend has resulted in different conclusions on the role or mental illnesses in terrorism. Most of the studies have failed to factor in on the human vulnerability of the isolated groups and focused on the belief that a terrorist must be mentally unstable to conduct such cruel acts. While some mental experts believe that one should not blame mental illness for terrorist attacks, others feel the mental stability has a role in terrorism. The root causes of terrorism are social factors and not mental illnesses. Mental experts of this line of thought think that psychiatry is not the tool to counter terrorism. Psychiatrists who have tested failed suicide bombers have diagnosed little psychiatric illnesses in violent or mild terrorists. Certain studies have only concentrated on individual instead of the larger terrorism set. Studies should focus on the collective societal needs that compel a group of people to become violent and not on individuals. People become terrorists because of the feeling of being marginalized, oppressed, or targeted by others whom they henceforth consider enemies. Any means to carry out a revenge on such enemies is thus justified. Conclusion Studies have shown a certain mind-set that is inherent in terrorists, albeit in different proportion. Terrorists always see their society to be threatened by others for extinction or victimization based on ideological differences. They react to these notions by violent means that they consider justified provided the intended goals are achieved. They are motivate by the social ills they feel target their society. References Hoffman, B. (1999). Inside Terrorism. NY: Columbia University Press. Kaplan, A. (1981). The psychodynamics of terrorism: Behavioral and quantitative perspectives on terrorism. New York: Pergamon Post, J. M. (2008). The mind of the terrorist: The psychology of terrorism from the IRA to Al-Qaeda. Palgrave Macmillan. Sageman, M. (2004). Understanding terror networks. University of Pennsylvania Press. Simonsen, C. , Spindlove, J. (2000). Terrorism today: the past, the players, the future. NJ: Prentice Hall.

Essay --

In today’s society there are a number of issues that may affect a number of Americans. One issue that is a big topic in today’s society is the issue of Illegal Immigration. Whether we should grant illegal’s driver’s licenses, amnesty, deport them, how it affects the U.S. economically, and some might even consider them as terrorists. Those are just a few topics that we may hear being brought up. It is possible to see this touchy subject on television, or it may be a debate at school, or you may read about it in the newspaper. It is a subject that catches alot of peoples’ attention and some might not even care to touch on the subject because of the repercussion. What is Illegal Immigration? †Generally, the term "illegal immigrant" refers to a person from another country who is presently in the United States without authorization to remain here. This includes anybody who is here intending to stay permanently or temporarily. It also includes anybody whose visa is not current. Sometimes people enter without permission (sneaking across a border, for example), but many people do enter with a visa, but then the visa expires and the person continues to remain in the country. There are many reasons why an illegal immigrant would like to come to the United States. It could be to get a better job to support their family or to get a better education. There are pros and cons to Illegal immigration. One of the pros is that Illegal immigrants contribute to the tax system by paying sales tax. Also, Illegal immigrants who purchase real estate properties also pay real estate taxes. In return, this generates commissions for the agents and brokers. In addition, since the illegal immigrants enjoy the banking services of the country, they pay inter... ...t to come legally to do the jobs Americans don’t want, but our broken immigration system does not allow that to happen. If there were legal channels for these migrants to use. The government could concentrate on identifying the real terrorists. Instead, the government is wasting money and manpower trying to keep out the immigrant workers the U.S. economy needs. That makes the job of finding a terrorist like finding a needle in a haystack. Topics such as terrorist threats, DLs, burden on our economy, deportation, amnesty and the term Illegal Immigrant are just a few topics that people often consider when taking on the subject of Illegal Immigration. So whether you are for or against it, that is your opinion. As for me, as long they are not out committing serious crimes or hurting anyone and are trying to do better for themselves and their families, just let them be.

Film Reveiew – American Beauty

I chose this film due to its difference to conventional filmmaking, as instead of glorifying the main characters, the area and plot, it shows fault and illustrates the main characters as sad and unhappy. I chose to do this review on the opening minutes of the film describing in detail the camera shots and plot, as it would seem to the viewer watching for the first time. The opening scene is a medium shot of the main character's daughter lying on a bed talking. The screen is fuzzy, to give the impression of looking through a video camera. The daughter is talking to someone behind the camera, giving the impression of talking to the viewer or audience. She is talking about how much she dislikes and hates her father (Lester, the main character). This gives the impression of watching a personal film and the viewer is involved, as it appears at first that the character is talking to the audience until the hidden person filming speaks. The scene ends when the character behind the camera offers to kill the girl's father. The screen goes blank and the film title appears in medium red print on a black background, central to the screen. This sudden change from shot is to represent the plot to end a life, as the transition to a blank black screen. The next shot after the title is a top shot of a typical suburban American street on a slow zoom in towards the road. There is a narrative, male voice over of the main character Lester, describing his death. This would appear to fit with the previous scene of the daughter talking about murdering her father This creates a feeling of curiosity and suspense throughout the film, for the viewer, who is waiting to see what could have created such a gap between father and daughter. This effect of giving away the ending in the first scene is very effective in creating constant suspense throughout the film up to the dramatic climax. It has been used in many films and plays including William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Gradually when the camera zooms in the shot switches to a bird's eye view of the main character lying in his bed, alone. This first shot of him shows him as lonely or incomplete even though he has a family. The camera then changes to a close up of his face, which appears sad and disorientated, further showing his dislike for his current lifestyle. There is then a jump cut to a pair of slippers on the floor next to the bed, being filmed from under the bed. This shot represents an ordered and scheduled lifestyle as the slippers must have been placed neatly next to the bed the previous night. The next frame switches to a medium long shot of the main character (Lester) masturbating in the shower. The effect of this is to shock the audience yet at the same time inspire pity at his frustrated and dull life as he continues to narrate over the film about himself, showing little embarrassment. The next scene is a close up of a Rose flower, which is then cut from the plant by a pair of pruning sheers. The Rose is constantly seen throughout the film, as well as rose petals, however rarely alive. They are usually in vases or on show. The roses, I feel, represent the lifestyle of the family. The rose looks perfect and appears very beautiful however it is dead. The family are similar, as they appear to have everything most people want, their health, nice house, money yet they are not happy. The roses are a constant theme throughout the film, I feel to remind us of the families unhappiness. The next frame sees the camera switch to a medium long shot of Carolyn (the main character's wife) holding the freshly cut rose in her hand. This shot represents that she too was once alive but is now dying inside like the rose. All in all I found this film extremely interesting and thought provoking, I would recommend it to anybody who enjoys twisting plots, amazing acting and some of the most brilliant (and strange) characters in modern day cinema. The slow unravelling of the plot keeps you guessing until the very end of the film, as well as challenging modern day society and depicting modern day family life and the hypocrisy of Suburban America.

The Brave New World Essay - 859 Words

The Brave New World has a lot of complexity and topics that are still relevant in the 21st Century. Throughout the novel one of the themes that caught my attention was how the World State uses social programing to structure their society. The society is being taught not to think about change, follow orders, have a sexual life, and be happy by using soma. Sexuality is all over the book to the point were it got uncomfortable. The following quote explains how Fanny is having a conversation with Lenina about how she has been feeling out of sorts. â€Å"I’ve been feeling rather out of sorts lately - Dr. Wells advised me to have a Pregnancy Substitute. But my dear you are only nineteen the first Pregnancy Substitute isn’t compulsory till twenty-one† (Huxley, 38). â€Å"Dr. Wells says that a three months Pregnancy Substitute now will make all the difference to my health for the next three or four years† (39, Huxley). When Fanny mentioned that she is feeling out of sorts† it is interpreted to suggest she is not feeling sexual, which could probably related to her menstruation cycle. Franny situation is viewed with a negative light everyone in that society should always feel a sexual desire. Franny believes that she had to tell the doctor that she was not feeling any sexual desire when in reality she had the right to think otherwise. She thought it was the right thing to do, to be happy. In Human and Behavior B.F. Skinner speaks about how to maintain a behavior. Skinner mentions how the termShow MoreRelatedA Brave New World? Essay1485 Words   |  6 PagesA Brave New World? In the novel, Brave New World, by Adolous Huxley we are introduced to a world where an all-powerful government dictates the occupation, intelligence, morals, and values of an individual. The government known as the World State controls the entire process of a human, from life to death. 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