What is terrorism?

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation website, terrorism is defined as “unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”

Now let’s switch over to some recent events in which the term, “terrorism,” has been loosely thrown around. Starting off, I will demonstrate the influence of mainstream media along with the hypocrisy that our country stands on.

As you all may know, mainstream media has been flooded with various accounts of the recent Boston bombings that took place on Wednesday, April 17th. Both Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerian Tsnarnaev have been convicted as the main “suspects” behind the Boston bombings. Investigators recently published an online statement in which they were quick to label Tamerian, the eldest brother, as having ties to radical Islams back in Russia.

According to the FBI, the Russian government claimed Tamerian was a “follower of radical Islamist Organizations” who had “drastically changed since 2011.” Although the evidence of such is considered vague, it still managed to make its way into the media. The public is now conflicted with two differing perspectives of these suspects.

The first—identified Russian immigrants who migrated to escape the Russian Wars of 1990 are now being labeled as “terrorists” or radical Islamists. What message does this present to our public?

Furthermore, I must state that I am against the killing of innocent civilians. Therefore, I cannot stand by as mainstream media brainwashes the public with its lies and fabricated truths. Before even receiving substantial evidence pertaining to the bombings, these two brothers were quickly labeled to having ties with international terrorists.

Yet when evidence came that disproved this assertion, the media still continued to label them as terrorists.

In labeling the bombing as a form of terrorism, the media has conditioned one to think one way due to the images that have always been terrorism. Thus, if one receives a false image of a certain thing, they will continue to accept this image even when there is more to the image that meets the eye. When asked about the incident, President Obama was quoted saying “this was an act of terrorism.”

Now, lets switch the topic at hand. In recent international affairs, the United States has resumed drone strikes in Yemen. Two strikes in the last several days have broken a three-month lull that existed within the country. Both strikes have killed a total of seven people, two believed to be suspects of Al-Qaeda. With no definite proof that the alleged suspects were in fact involved with Al-Qaeda, drone strikes terrorized the village of Wessab.

Farea Al-Muslimi, a youth activist and writer tweeted “Wessab, my village, is no doubt th most peaceful ppls and one of th poorest areas in Yemen. congrats, u jst made violence attractive to them.”

After reading such a thing, how can anyone sit back and not see the contradictions of our country and our false truths that are used to justify our treacherous acts? President Obama had no hesitation to label the Boston bombings as an act of terrorism. But when asked whether the strikes in Yemen and Afghanistan were acts of terrorism, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney stated, “well I will have to know more about the incident.”

I find it very difficult to believe the White House Press Secretary has limited information on the international affairs that are taking place overseas. To simply deviate away from the killing of innocent civilians puts into question how much our country actually practices what it preaches. And therefore, how can we, as citizens, trust the allegations or information displayed on mainstream television?