to think the general public are living with their heads in the sand.

[violetsarentblue]

I've just read this:

Britain's threat level has not changed - it has been at "severe" since August 2014, meaning a militant attack is considered likely.

It's worrying to think there has probably been a lot of stuff going on, for a long time, that we are never ever told about.
It's very worrying.

I grew up in London in the 70s and 80s and the risk of an IRA bombing was a fact of life (as was the distinct possibility of all out nuclear war). People in general did not spend their lives living in fear or drastically alter their behaviour. The difference now is rolling news coverage across a multitude of outlets showing you the gory, terrifying details over and over again. Your chances of personally being involved in a terrorist incident are vanishingly tiny and the fear is disproportionate but then that is the whole point of "terrorism" - to make you feel constantly scared and under threat.

I knew. I thought most people did. Its been in the news enough

I thought just about everyone knew the terror threat for the UK was high?

Ignorance is bliss, clearly, since most people don't seem to be aware of this! And the security services are effective by not advertising what they are up to - imagine: "Hello, there, GCHQ here: just be advised we are listening in to your cozy chats on your cellphone with your ISIS buddy in Syria..."

So true. The security services do a brilliant job.

I suppose, like a lot of people, I 'take in' the news, and then I block a lot of it out and just get on with my life. You have to.
It works most of the time, but then something happens, or you see written down, and it breaks through that protective barrier and makes you go 'Whoa! wtf really going on here'?

The security services have to be lucky every day. The terrorists just have to be lucky once

I certainly don't want to know what's really going on behind the scenes thanks. We all know that another terrorist attack is on the cards soon, we just have to carry on and hope it doesn't affect us. Horrible but true.

I grew up in London in the 70s and 80s and it was a constant possible target for the IRA. I see the current situation as very similar and that all I can do is hope that the security services are able to stop innocents getting hurt.

There is no need for the public to know details.

I knew. I thought most people did. Its been in the news enough

To clarify, I also knew, but sometimes it's possible to know something and at the same time protect yourself mentally from it.
You know it but don't feel it and give it too much headspace, otherwise, like people say - it would be impossible to carry on with every day life.

Which is why I titled my post 'hiding our heads in the sand'.

I think most people are aware of the threat level but there's little you can do about it. As for living with our heads in the sand - if you mean we don't know everything then of course we don't. It has always been thus.

The threat level has been well publicised for a long time.

The problem with news cycles is that the editor will say "how will this story be different tomorrow". That's why the long term threat level isn't reported on (alongside other ongoing crises) that much. It just comes up in the context of other things.

Maybe you have been living with your head in the sand, personally I haven't. It known the threat is severe and personally have expected an attack for quite some time. Yabu to think everyone's got their heads in the sand just because you were unaware.

I seem to remember, violets, reading some paper ages ago that concluded that trauma is exacerbated by keep repeating the experience (it was talking about how pre-emptive therapy for victims of trauma seems actually to lead to, rather than prevent, PTSD) - so I am sure that the constant rolling news we have access to these days serves to heighten anxiety.

You're right - you couldn't spend your time thinking about it, and what might happen, otherwise you'd never do anything.

As somebody else said. the terrorist threat from the IRA was as high or higher in the 80s, the tube was always closing at random due to bomb threats...

Every moment of our lives we carry on living even though all sorts of horrendous, awful, life changing or life ending things could happen (car accidents, dreadful illnesses, house fires, "ordinary" non terrorist serious crime) to us or our loved ones. If we thought about these things constantly and in a personal context we'd never leave our sofas, or let or children and other loved ones do so (and even that would be no protection from a lot of the things out to "get" us). Carrying on as if oblivious to the awful things that could theoretically happen and do really happen sometimes is actually the only option.

check your history or memory re Cuban Missile Crisis, IRA, September 2001 bombings etc etc ad infinitum.

and then carry on, being grateful you live where you do.

I am sure that the constant rolling news we have access to these days serves to heighten anxiety.
You're right - you couldn't spend your time thinking about it, and what might happen, otherwise you'd never do anything.

The constant news is causing more anxiety to us and it's giving terrorists a wider audience, not to mention giving them lots of publicity that they otherwise wouldn't be getting.
I wonder what the effect would be if, in the future, all newspapers, radio stations and tv news chanels were encouraged not to report terrorist attacks.

At the moment we are fanning the flames and feeding their fire. Which is what they want.

Media needs to take more responsibility.

I've been very well aware of the terrorist threat all this time.

I've not been scared. I'm not scared today either.

I think our prevention services are doing an excellent job, and I shan't be stopping living my life the way I want to any time soon.

I wonder what the effect would be if, in the future, all newspapers, radio stations and tv news chanels were encouraged not to report terrorist attacks.

The effect would be Twitter and Facebook going wild with 'Eye witness' accounts.

Which would no doubt be mixed with lies, exaggeration and propaganda.

No, I think most intelligent people know what the danger is.

There's a difference between having your head in the sand and just carrying on.

It's interesting what you say about media. To me, the media have been fairly restrained. There have been a lot of UK arrests and prosecutions in the past year and if anything they have been downplayed (by everyone other than the DM ).

Admittedly I don't watch rolling news unless 'something happens'.

*I wonder what the effect would be if, in the future, all newspapers, radio stations and tv news chanels were encouraged not to report terrorist attacks.

The effect would be Twitter and Facebook going wild with 'Eye witness' accounts.

Which would no doubt be mixed with lies, exaggeration and propaganda.*

^^This

The combination of social media and mobile technology has changed the face of news forever: so many people have camera 'phones nowadays, it could do more harm not to report things, I think.

But we need to protect ourselves at least - by not watching the news obsessively for hours on end, when nothing concrete is known, not being constantly on Facebook, or retweeting every comment made by some random on Twitter who claims inside knowledge. If other people have less sense, that's their look out.

I don't think people are burying their heads in the sand just making an accurate risk assessment that the risk of harm from terrorism for the average individual is very low regardless of the threat level.

Their targets are so random that it would be impossible to stay safe.
Knowledge of the threat offers you no protection.
I get shudders when I see police presence.

How do you know the security services are doing a wonderful job?

My Dh works in the met police in an armed unit (Royalty protection)
The police have been told they are a higher risk target than the royals!
They are no longer allowed to travel to work in any obvious uniform.

There is also no need for the public to know everything that goes on.
The news would be constant if it was all made public knowledge

Stuff like this Sajamine. I know we can't take a biased politician at face value, but I expect it isn't far off.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/theresa-may-british-security-services-foiled-40-terror-plots-since-77-attacks-9879712.html