Terrorism as the Strongest Form of Social Control

-- By SoYeonKim - 13 May 2012

Terrorism defies definition. Once we define terrorism, it reemerges in ever-changing and more violent forms. The contemporary definition is the use of force on civilians with the intention of leveraging fear of imminent death and intimidation for the furtherance of a religious, political, or social goal. The 9.11 terrorist attacks were meant to wage a holy war on the United States and John Brown’s attack was meant to bring about the end of slavery. While terrorism is associated with evil, a lot depends on whose point of view is being defended and whose liberty it seeks to achieve. John Brown’s act of terrorism is often lauded for precipitating the civil war and bringing an end to slavery, a goal that is deemed just and worthy. On the other hand, the Sarin gas attack on the subways of Tokyo by Aum Shinrikyo to overthrow the Japanese government and install Shoko Asahara as the emperor of Japan is deemed a reprehensible act of violence for the purpose of achieving a goal that was both unjust and unworthy.

Is Terrorism Effective?

The first question to ask is how we measure the success of a terrorist act. Is it by the number of people it kills or the policy changes it brings? If the goal of terrorism is retribution, its effectiveness is measured by the number of people it kills and it is always effective because the means are the ends. However, if the goal is to bring about policy changes, terrorism is not directly effective in and of itself. Terrorism rarely targets the perpetrators of whatever socio-political harms that terrorists seek to end. Instead, it targets civilians because they are symbols or corrupt beings that tie into a specific view of the world that terrorists possess. In this sense, terrorism is a ceremony. It is the sacrifice of the manifestations of particular characteristics of society but is unlikely to engender immediate submission. Terrorism is also often not directly effective in the short run in the sense that there is no guarantee that such an act will either create the political change the terrorist is trying to achieve, or attain the desired response by the government or the public. In the short run, terrorism actually creates unity within as it pits us against them and we call for retribution, making it unlikely that the demands of terrorist groups are met.

The only but also the most potent way terrorism achieves its goals is by creating vulnerability. It incites fear and creates disunity in people regarding the ways to end terrorism. It breeds distrust of the government’s ability to counter terrorism and a need to take law into one’s own hands. It also brings media attention to the causes of the perpetrators of terrorism and while it invites fervent critics, it also attracts people to their cause. These effects of terrorism, when combined with other forms of social control such as the family, education, and law, create susceptibility to the goals of the terrorist groups that make the fruition of their objectives more likely.

Why is Terrorism Effective?

Terrorism is an effective form of social control solely because it destroys and replaces other forms of social control. The family is the cradle of life and love, and the values we learn from our families live on as the bedrock of life. Terrorism achieves its potency because it destroys families and disunites them along ideological lines. The family is unable to pass its wisdom if its members are in constant fear of their lives. In addition, it changes the values that they eventually succeed in inculcating. The focus of families shifts from indoctrinating the values of compassion, love, and respect for others to survival, fear, and endurance. Terrorism transforms families from being essential ethical and moral unit of society into a veritable squadron dedicated to the goal of perpetuating the family lineage. This effect on families may not aid in achieving the immediate goals of terrorist organizations but it does create a sense of weakness that makes people more dissatisfied with their government and more amenable to give in to the goals of the terrorist organizations in the long run.

Terrorism also destroys other weaker forms of social control. Education and law are beautiful creations of civilization because they are weak forms of social control. Laws exist because people break them and education exists to allow people to think outside the contours of the framework; but they are nonetheless important social constructions that shape people’s behavior and create some semblance of order. Terrorism destroys both. People at the forefront of terrorist attacks are unable to receive education and schools are frequent targets of annihilation. The destruction of schools adversely affects literacy rates and diminishes the chances of escaping the cycle of terrorism. Terrorism is also effective because it leads to a distrust of laws. Terrorism, especially state sponsored terrorism, can have the façade of being legal because what is legal is arbitrarily determined by whoever is claiming to be the government. History shows that it is quite easy to legalize evil; after all, almost everything done under the Third Reich was “legal.” The destruction of law and education creates chaos and defenselessness that terrorist groups leverage and generates more willingness to cede to their demands.

Conclusion

While an act of terrorism may not be directly effective in achieving the goals of the terrorist in the short run, it is effective in the long run by destroying forms of social control and creating susceptibility to terrorist objectives. Understanding the source of the potency of terrorism allows us to understand why people resort to terrorism despite the fact that the means are disproportionate to the ends and only marginally effective in the short run. While terrorism will most likely endure, understanding the mechanism of terrorism will allow us to find ways to strengthen forms of social controls like family, education, and the law to make them less susceptible to terrorism.

I would like to keep revising my essay after getting feedback from you. Thank you for a great semester. -So Yeon

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