Criminal subjects in the U.S. corporate media in the context of the “war on terror”

Robert Beshara

What images or words come to your mind when you hear or read the following word?

TERRORIST

Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Soil by Group, From 1980 to 2005, According to FBI Database

(Danios, 2010)

Muslims ≠ Terrorists

(The Daily Dish, 2010)

Terrorism as a problem in the 21st century

• Practical dimension: how we deal with the problem: counter-terrorism (e.g., military intervention), foreign policy, diplomacy, etc.

• Theoretical dimension: how we conceive of and talk about the problem: alternative discourses and solutions (e.g., conflict resolution), etc.– Let us look at 3 examples from recent events to see

how the criminal as a subject is constructed discursively in the mainstream U.S. media (e.g., The New York Times).

The problem of definition• “Despite intra-field debate, most North American

scholars adopt the three-prong definition of terrorism: it is politically motivated, perpetrated by non-state actors like lone wolves or organizations, and targets civilians rather than the military.

• […] Words, the DNA of language, can be exercised to change the way we feel. Steven Pinker says a ‘taboo word’ [like the t-word] may be used instrumentally to trigger an emotional response [like fear]” (Chenoweth, 2013, my emphasis).

Terrorists Strike Charlie Hebdo Newspaper in Paris, Leaving 12 Dead

Chapel Hill Shooting Leaves 3 Muslim Students Dead; Neighbor Is Charged

Germanwings Crash in French Alps Kills 150; Cockpit Voice Recorder is Found

Charlie Hebdo shooting

• Date: 01/07/15.• Crime: 12 people killed.• Cause of crime in the media: “Terrorism.”

Criminals: Cherif Kouachi and Said Kouachi.

Chapel Hill shooting

• Date: 02/10/15.• Crime: 3 people killed.• Cause of crime in the media: “parking

dispute.”

Criminal: Craig Stephen Hicks.

Germanwings Flight 9525

• Date: 03/24/15.• Crime: 150 people killed.• Cause of crime in the media: “depression.”

Criminal: Andreas Lubitz.

So who is a terrorist? And why is he a dehumanized criminal?

• Both Craig Hicks and Andreas Lubitz were non-state actors who targeted civilians, but were their actions politically motivated? Arguing over intentionality is tricky!

• In the case of the Kouachi brothers, their actions are considered politically motivated because Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility for the Charlie Hebdo attack.

• The Kouachi brothers certainly committed a heinous crime, but in the news we hardly hear about the fact that they grew up marginalized as French citizens, being the children of Algerian immigrants. No crime is justified, but we have a responsibility to understand criminals if we are to stop or reduce ‘crimes against humanity’.

• Unfortunately, the repeated and calculated use of the t-word in the mass media, particularly in the West in the post-9/11 era, functions in many cases in such a way as to dehumanize certain criminals in order to make the public excessively fear Muslims in general as monstrous others. This media propaganda can and does result in stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination—and maybe even worse things.

Conclusion

A “white” non-Muslim individual committing a crime similar to that enacted by a “non-white” Muslim other is NOT a terrorist, but a mentally ill person or, perhaps, a neighbor arguing over a “parking dispute.”

?

ReferencesBilefsky, D., & Baume, M. (2015, January 7). Terrorists strike Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris, leaving

12 dead. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/world/europe/charlie-hebdo-paris-shooting.html?_r=0

Chenoweth, E. (2013, May 28). Why Defining Terrorism Matters [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://themonkeycage.org/2013/05/28/why-defining-terrorism-matters/

Clark, N., & Bilefsky, D. (2015, March 24). Germanwings crash in French Alps kills 150; cockpit voice recorder is found. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/25/world/europe/germanwings-crash.html

Danios. (2010, January 20). All terrorists are Muslims...Except the 94% that aren't [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/01/not-all-terrorists-are-muslims/

Katz, J., & Pérez-Peña, R. (2015, February 11). In Chapel Hill shooting of 3 Muslims, a question of motive. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/us/muslim-student-shootings-north-carolina.html

The Daily Dish. (2010, September 16). Chart of the day. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2010/09/chart-of-the-day/182369/

Town of Chapel Hill. (2015, February 10). Chapel Hill police investigate multiple homicide on Summerwalk Circle. Retrieved April 8, 2015, from www.townofchapelhill.org/Home/Components/News/News/8372/