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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not understand why the LV shooter isn't labelled as a terrorist?

120 replies

KrayKray00 · 03/10/2017 08:45

Now I might sound rather thick but I cannot understand why the shooter in Las Vegas isn't being called a terrorist.

The definition of a terrorist is

terrorist
ˈtɛrərɪst/Submit
noun
1.
a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.
"four commercial aircraft were hijacked by terrorists"
synonyms: bomber, arsonist, incendiary; More
adjective
1.
unlawfully using violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.
"a terrorist organization"

Is it because it has not yet been linked to a political agenda? Or is it because he is not a "typical" terrorist?

I see him as a terrorist, what he has done is appalling.

AIBU or have I got it totally wrong?

OP posts:
Trueheart1 · 03/10/2017 08:47

There is no know political aim so he is not a terrorist.

Iris65 · 03/10/2017 08:48

He had no political aims. He's a mass murderer not a terrorist.

fakenamefornow · 03/10/2017 08:48

I've heard him described as a terrorist in news reports. If he had no political aim then he can't be a terrorist though?

sirfredfredgeorge · 03/10/2017 08:49

Personal notiriety is not a political agenda, if you're looking at strict dictionary definitions then it's easy to say he's not.

With many people sensibly using terrorism to simply mean mass violence and fear and not requiring any sort of political agenda then you would be right to consider it terrorism, but words don't have precise meaning.

Why does it matter if a particular word is used? Do you think lack of the word deminishes the crime?

ShatnersWig · 03/10/2017 08:49

There was a discussion on this on the thread about the shooting.

In the state of Nevada, a mass shooting is legally defined as a terrorist act. However in most places, you have answered your own question by quoting what you did. There does not appear to be a political aim to this event, which is true of the vast majority of mass shootings in America.

The scratched out yet in your posting is somewhat disingenuous and some would consider that an attempt at being a goady fucker.

sinceyouask · 03/10/2017 08:50

Duh, it's because he's white.

EccentricNamechanger · 03/10/2017 08:51

The guy marched with Antifa, on anti-Trump marches.
That sounds like a political stance to me, just not one which fits the narrative so the term 'terrorist' isn't going to be applied.

WorraLiberty · 03/10/2017 08:51

So there were no white IRA terrorists then sinceyouask?

IfYouGoDownToTheWoodsToday · 03/10/2017 08:52

"It's because he's white"

Agree with this.

If he was anything other that white the word "terrorist" would have been used thousands of times by now, especially by the press.

IfYouGoDownToTheWoodsToday · 03/10/2017 08:53

Worra. I think times have changed since the IRA were planting bombs.

PoppyPopcorn · 03/10/2017 08:53

There is no accepted definition of a terrorist or act of terrorism.

However in this case it appears he had no agenda for the shootings, no political aims. He was just a simple murderer.

TheClaws · 03/10/2017 08:55

Eccentric do you have a source link for that? A reputable one?

Natsku · 03/10/2017 08:55

The guy marched with Antifa, on anti-Trump marches

Source?

arethereanyleftatall · 03/10/2017 08:56

You answered your own question with the dictionary definition detailing 'political aims' and then saying he has no political aims. There's your answer.

Unless you're hoping this thread descends in to a racist bun fight?

exexpat · 03/10/2017 08:56

EccentricNamechanger - where did you get the information about him being anti-Trump? As far as I can tell, that is a rumour started by/disinformation being spread by right-wing websites.

A retired accountant living in Nevada with a large stock of guns and a liking for casinos does not sound like your usual antifa protester, and interviews with his brother and neighbours do not give any hint of political activism.

Aridane · 03/10/2017 08:57

Lack of ideology?

Original poster
KrayKray00 · 03/10/2017 08:57

Wow, that's the first time I have been called a goady fucker! Grin Fantastic.

The reason I put yet was because of the laws on gun control and I would link that to being political however it's not the laws on gun control that made him do it, but it does make it much easier for awful things like this to happen.

Yes, I think the term Mass Murderer is what he is.

OP posts:
Aridane · 03/10/2017 08:58

WHITE CHRISTIAN lone gunman METALLY UNWELL

(unlike Moslem gunmen)

BakerCandlestickmaker · 03/10/2017 08:58

They need to find his motivation to be political for the act to be taken from the realm of general misanthropy.

I also think the Unabomber was an odd sort of terrorist in that afaik he was one nut but with a manifesto. In my own mind I think of terrorists as having a group to draw inspiration from. I realise that doesn't make it so in "official" terms.

There seems now a massive push in the online twittering world about using " terrorism" or " terrorist" in some kind of competitive war of words that seeks to put us on two sides of some divide. That sickens me tbh.

Maudlinmaud · 03/10/2017 08:58

I don't think it necessarily matters what language is used to describe this atrocious act. The less said about the people who commit these crimes the better..

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 03/10/2017 08:58

No political background and no political aims.

Nothing to do with his skin colour. There are lots of white terrorists and no one is hesitating to call them that.

BarbieBarbieBaa · 03/10/2017 08:58

I suspect because he is a white, adult, gun wielding American with a professional background.

But I’m very cynical and not in a good mood today....

If he was a she, trans, anything other than white, or a foreign national it would be different

PoppyPopcorn · 03/10/2017 08:59

His brother when interviewed on TV yesterday said that he held no strong political beliefs.

BakerCandlestickmaker · 03/10/2017 09:00

Oh I see this thread is there already.

BakerCandlestickmaker · 03/10/2017 09:02

Unabomber was white I think. The Oklahoma bomber was white and that's referred to as terrorism.

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