So obviously the next two words are 'muslim terrorist'... Or are they?
Actually no, they are not the next words, but they are the words that you would expect a child in today's society to associate with the first 3 words, or indeed the words that some people in society would like you to think of every time you hear those words.
The current generation of kids and young people are bombarded with this word association game all the time, in conversation, on the TV, and in the newspapers. Everywhere we look we are being told that fanatical, radical or extremist is just another word for 'muslim' Just as past generations have dropped 'vacuum cleaner' for Hoover, or other items and activities for a brand name, so today's generation are fast believing that all radical fanatics will obviously be Muslims too. This is a serious issue, and one which anyone who cares truly about their country and younger generations should care about also.
First off, lets see what the words REALLY mean.
Fanatical...
describes someone whose admiration for something is considered to be extreme or unreasonable:His enthusiasm for aerobics was almost fanatical.Gary's fanatical about football.
Radical
believing or expressing the belief that there should be great or extreme social or political change:He was known as a radical reformer/thinker/politician.These people have very radical views.
Extremist
someone who has beliefs that most people think are unreasonable and unacceptable:a group of extremists (= people with extreme opinions)
OK, so none of the above cite a particular race, religion, nationality or anything else specific for that matters. What it DOES describe is a group of people who's views are NOT shared by the majority. People driven by beliefs not shared by the mainstream, and groups who are seen as outsiders so to speak by the majority of society.
I can totally understand where the anger towards sick people who carry out vile actions against other humans comes from. It makes me as angry as the next person, and I don't want to share my society with people like this. But the key here is 'people' like this, not races or religions like this. We all have many tags and live under many banners in life, from our support of sports, to our choices of foods. Clothes we wear, brands we buy, hair colour and style, but we rarely find ourselves branded by these things.
Its only when groups or individuals start to categorise people, start to group them together, and make associations that things start to go wrong. But of course, depending which group you belong to, the beliefs can be very right or very wrong.
In the 80's and 90's in the UK, the country was FULL of groups like these, groups we seem to have forgotten about quite conveniently in order to focus our attention and in some case, our hatred, towards Muslims.
Growing up in those times I don't ever recall hearing chants of 'go home you pale white Irish terrorist wanker' to every Irishman who walked the streets. I refer of course to the long forgotten and seemingly forgiven IRA, who carried out dozens more attacks on British people and British soldiers. Allow me to draw your minds back to this event... See who can actually remember it for starters..
The corporals killings was the killing of corporals David Robert Howes and Derek Tony Wood, two British Army soldiers of the Royal Corps of Signals, on 19 March 1988 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The out-of-uniform soldiers were shot by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), after they drove into the funeral procession of an IRA volunteer. Three days beforehand, loyalist volunteer Michael Stone had attacked an IRA funeral and killed three people. Believing it to be another loyalist attack, dozens of mourners attacked the soldiers' car. During this, Corporal Wood drew his service pistol and fired a shot in the air. The soldiers were then dragged from their vehicle, beaten, driven to nearby waste ground, stripped and shot dead. Because it was fully captured by television cameras, the incident has been described as one of the "most dramatic and harrowing images" of the conflict in Northern Ireland.
This is one simple example of a whole host of actions carried out by a terrorist group who came long before Al Qaeda, by Christians, possibly against other Christians, but all clearly justifiable right? Do we go on today preaching how Christianity is an evil and vicious religion, and that Christians should be driven 'back home' to where they came from. Or worry about 'radicalised Christians' ? Why ever not?
The fact of the matter is, people choose to use religion as a tool or terror for one simple reason. Mass belief. Not in their causes, but of their apparent faith. And by the media and hate groups constantly associating hatred towards people of the UK with Muslims, the ignorant hate groups, the nationalist groups who believe they are somehow representing the people of the UK, this whole cycle is perpetuated until its a violent, hate filled., bloody mess that it is right now.
Lets take a step back to the nationalist groups for a second.
Lets flip things here shall we. The media and bigots would have you believe that Islamist and Muslims are evil and violent, and filled with hatred towards the people of the UK.
HOWEVER...
The EDL, and other nationalist groups would like all foreign nations to believe that the whole of the UK follows the beliefs of the EDL, and that their ideal are shared by the masses..... Well they are not!
And for that reason alone, you find yourself in an awkward position. Let me recall now, 'a person or group with radical views considered by the majority to be extreme'... This actually almost puts the hate groups in the same leagues as those carrying out hate crimes against the UK.
My point here is, ANYONE trying to force and extreme view into the mainstream. Anyone who uses hate and lies against another group of people, makes threats of violence, and demands the removal of another group from society simply for having a religion, or being born into another race, in my eyes is an extremist, and should be treated the same way all other extreme groups are. With contempt of a civilised manner.
I could go on all day, but those who believe they have a cause to fight for will never agree, and those who are open minded enough to form their own opinions, live by decent morals, and respect the masses will do just that. For that reason, we should agree to disagree, and leave it at that.
I have no religion or faith, I am familiar with losing loved ones to illness, accident and hate. I have experienced quite a few cruel and sickening things in life, and consider myself to be just another member of the human race. A race which has no place for gangs, thugs, or hatred without cause. Just for one second, take a few deep breaths, take a few steps back, and take society in general for what it is. The masses go about their daily life without issue, interacting with people of all colours, races, beliefs and both sexes without thinking twice. Its not hard to treat people as individuals, and 99.9999% of the worlds population just want to live a long and healthy life.
Stop with the media hysteria and sensationalism of these stories, stop the sheep like following people have believing everything they are told, and form your own opinions, don't be fed it by others.
2 men brutally murdered another man in the streets of Woolwich this week. They CLAIM it was in the name of Islam, they CLAIM it was revenge for treatment of Muslims. They were also born and raised right here in the UK, educated in the UK, socialised in the UK. But wait, they were black, so that's a bad sign right? And they claim to be of the Muslim faith, so they are terrorists of course.... So many associations with so many groups, but does not detract from the truth, that 2 men killed another man. It happens around the world daily. Maybe not as brutally and blatantly, but evil killings occur daily. But for some ideological reason, it is not until the words Muslim or Islam are uttered that anyone pays the slightest bit of attention.
I'm going to stop now, as thinking about the ignorance that surround us is really quite frustrating and upsetting.
Simple message.... Be your OWN person, your own leader, and not the follower of someone else.
