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NotThamesWater
I think we take the terrorism out of it but we acknowledge it.
I mean, it's not an existential threat. Road deaths are higher. Heart disease kills more. Smoking is a scourge.
But whenever it happens, we always react with "Sweden has been attacked", or "America is under attack", or "It's an attack on our way of life". This kind of rhetoric just reinforces in the in-group/out-group polarisation, encourages bigots and makes everyone fearful.
If we responded by saying 'this is a tragedy - let's treat this as a mental health issue' I think we'd take all the fire out of it. But the problem is that there's a whole lot of powerless bitter people who want the polarisation because that's the only thing that gives their pathetic lives meaning.
Edit to add - in my frustration, I'm doing what I'm criticising. Plank in my eye.