Also I’ve got no idea what’s meant by “a counter factual” – example please.

(This of course is ignoring for a moment the types of things that cause such accidents – risk-taking idiots, and fleeing criminals for eg – ie mainly testosterone – no offence, chaps)

In addition, when coming to terms with negative events, we (as humans) apparently view them as terrible in proportion to our ability to envisage a counter-factual alternative. With deliberate murder, there is (rightly or wrongly) a ready counter-factual that springs to mind. Accidents by definition are unpreventable, otherwise they wouldn’t be accidents, would they? Therefore we view murder as worse in some ways than accidental deaths.

An interesting topic though.

Two reasons I think.

Because people fear what they cannot control, which is why fear of flying, terrorism, global warming, whatever, is far higher than fear of driving a car, despite it being statistically the riskiest activity.

Given that terrorist acts and flooding are both perceived to be outside our control, the former is more frightening as it is comitted by “our own kind”, it’s an abuse of humanity, whereas “nature” is seen as a force apart with, if you like, a higher purpose. Malicious intent is thus always going to be more frightening than an accident, whatever the outcome.

I agree with Jeremy Jacobs (and Matthew Parrish). The terrorist intention is horrific, but it helps to remember that the nutcases who rammed the jeep into Glasgow airport are also criminals – the word terror screaming from every front page is possibly their most potent weapon. Luckily they botched their attack. Ironically the other main news story of the week – the flooding – was about real damage caused to thousands of people across the UK and now at least 7 people have died. Because of heavy rain.

The other irony was the symbol of the flaming car. Every year thousands of people die or are horribly injured in road accidents. Last year’s death toll included 599 motorcyclists, 675 pedestrians and 169 children…in total 3,172 people were killed on our roads. Why do we seem to find such a huge scale of unecessary, accidental death less terrible than a deliberate (failed) terrorist attack?

I believe these things are known about, that there is collusion between security and government and that it is a concerted attempt to frighten the populace into surrendering their liberties. They could easily shut out the terrorists if they wished.

I too lived through the worst of the Irish troubles and there was never this level of government sponsored paranioa. Yes there is a remote chance that I will be blown up, but I’m not going to change my behaviour because of it. I took a flight to Germany the week after 9/11 and was the only person on it (a scheduled business flight) so a lot of people evidently have no concept of realative risk. In Orwells’ 1984, the populance were kept in a state of perpetual fear by random acts of terrorism, fear encourages compliance and a zeitgeist of timid acceptance…….

Having erroneous beliefs, or thinking that violence is good on the other hand, yes, that is pathetic. But then the Blair government comes under that category, doesn’t it?

I mean, women hand rapists a victory every day if they’re too scared to go out at night, or wear what clothes they want to. But no-one would deny that there are things a woman can do to reduce their risk of attack.

So I think that argument is a bit of a red herring. I think the best argument I have heard is the statistical one. In London, the odds of being involved in a “successful” terrorist attack are apparently akin to those of being struck by lightening, winning the lottery, that kind of thing.

Also, because of Americo-centrism, we seem to all be acting as if there were no terrorism prior to 9/11. I lived in London all through the IRA. My primary school, and batches of london regularly evacuated because of bomb scares. Nail bombs, you know. Did we make a great big fuss? No. Did we worry about it? No. It’s just part of the inherent riskiness of life.

Having said that, I was involved in an evacuation of King’s Cross due to a “reported emergency” on Friday. It was quite scary in the circs. Alarms, crushes of people. One woman went down and was knocked unconcsious on the floor. I did wonder if I’d get out, or if something dreadful was unfolding.