Preparedness for when

nuatha

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

... so blaming the refugees or the peaceful and law abiding Muslim citizens of this country is totally unjustified but until we DO know who is behind terror attacks it's human nature to want to find someone to blame isn't it? Doesn't make it right but is perhaps an explanation?

Wanting to know who to blame is perfectly natural. Unfortunately tarring a huge number of people with the same brush is a far too common reaction, and then there's the " no smoke without fire" brigade who continue to spout the lies and accusations at innocents long after the real perpetrators are known.

When a guy pulled on a police uniform and shot and killed 84 people on Utoya after having set off a car bomb in Stockholm, Europe didn't move to close its borders, restrict the movements of the Far Right or blond blue eyed Norwegians.

Othering is far easier when you can identify a difference and the bigger the difference from your crowd, the easier and deeper the divide can be built. Assumptions become another brick in the wall dividing Us from Them, accusations hurled don't disappear when its proved that the "Other" wasn't who or what you thought it was. Lies persist, false memories become history and the whole process starts all over again.

Rumour has it that Hartlepool hung a monkey believing he was a French spy, mass media may have brought the world closer together but it certainly hasn't improved human nature.

[Deleted User]

I think the appropriate quote might be 'Judge not lest ye be judged yourselves'!

The_Cheerleader

We do indeed live in dark days, France has closed its borders and I suspect only a matter of time before there is more widespread aerial bombing in Syria/Iraq borders in response and many more innocent lives will be lost.
My husband observed on the way home from work, that it was the same governments who had supplied the arms in the very first place. A depressing cycle.

moneyistooshorttomention

I guess I must look for available exits/shelters wherever I am anyway - without doing so consciously basically.

Though a lot of my recent move within Britain was by necessity (courtesy of being priced out of my own area) - I am aware that one of the plus sides to the move is that I'm now in an area where I would be absolutely astonished if there were ever a terrorist attack (as its far too small/quiet/etc/etc to be a likely target). But I'm guessing I'd already got it too ingrained to "look for an exit" that I still do so anyway.

So - I've worked out all the little cut-throughs/general resources available/etc bit by bit and would probably know more routes to go than many of the locals would by now. Obviously "being on the lookout" has become part of my DNA basically...

My experience of life to date has been that (for no reason I am aware of at the time) I automatically tend to avoid places it would not be a good idea to be in at the time - but I'll take keeping my city-bred "on the lookout" way of thinking anyway as useful back-up for safeguarding instincts.

Frugalsod

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Am I alone in when walking outside looking for safe escape routes and places to shelter should anything kick off while I'm there? The first thing I saw on the news this morning when I got up was the terrible and barbaric attacks in Paris and it sickens me to my soul that human beings can do things like that to other human beings, there can be no justification no cause no religion no reason to kill, maim and destroy human life, I'm not particularly religious but I cannot conceive of a God who would reward humans for wanton killing sprees, nor give the perpetrators rewards in his heaven for their actions. It is a day when I'm ashamed to be part of the human race!

I suspect that unless you are in a populous area then the real risks are significantly lower than you realise. It is in the interest of the government to over emphasise the risks so that they can push through draconian laws that impact us all.

I am not ashamed of the human race. Look how many have offered to give blood, who will help and assist those around them who they have no relationship with. There are others who helped the injured.

[Deleted User]

I think you'd be very unlucky to be in the wrong place and actually be caught up in anything terror related but people do, there is always that outside chance that it might happen where you are at that moment in time, no one of us is immune. I certainly won't stop living because I'm afraid but I will most definitely be very vigilant and careful about where I go and what I do even more than usual from now on and just because we live in a village doesn't mean bad things can't happen. I hope very much that they don't but we're not immune to random acts as is nowhere else in any part of the world. Dark times indeed!

Frugalsod

I also live in a village and do not think the risks here are any higher than yesterday. Those in the big cities should be more vigilant but other than that the risks are not appreciably higher. When I travel into London I use public transport so am at slightly higher risks but that risk is still insignificant when you consider how many million journeys are made through London every single day. People need to have some perspective. Never allow the terrorists to change you because then the terrorists have won.

In fact I suspect that you are more at risk from mugging than terrorism yet we have not declared a war on muggers. Overall the real threats to our existence are so out of our control that we need not really worry ourselves with them, otherwise we become anxious and that creates health problems of their own. We have never been more safer than any other time in human history. Sure we could wipe ourselves out overnight but we are still significantly less likely to die prematurely than any other time in millennia.

Mojisola

Frugalsod wrote: »

I am not ashamed of the human race. Look how many have offered to give blood, who will help and assist those around them who they have no relationship with. There are others who helped the injured.

There are many more good people in any population than there are bad ones.

[Deleted User]

very very serious weather for NW uk next week. Off the scale serious. If you know anyone with the slightest potential to be flooded then warn them

I wasn`t ever going to post again about weather but this one is very serious and needs action as almost imminent

fuddle

nuatha wrote: »

Rumour has it that Hartlepool hung a monkey believing he was a French spy, mass media may have brought the world closer together but it certainly hasn't improved human nature.

Rumour has it indeed and times have changed in that once Hartlepudlians found the idea of the whole affair offensive - a derogatory slur used to mock Hartlepool and it's inhabitants. Today the term is embraced by many a Hartlepudlian, only a few still regard it as offensive.

Goes to show that attitudes can change over time... even if that monkey could have possibly been a child!