Quote:
Originally Posted by fishbones
Johnny, you don't need to stick to your one narrow definition of terrorism. Although, I would say that walking into a room filled with military personnel and civilians armed to the teeth and opening fire would certainly be a way of "inciting fear". Would you agree?
Anyways, here is a definition of terrorism I found:
Cultural Dictionary
terrorism
Acts of violence committed by groups that view themselves as victimized by some notable historical wrong. Although these groups have no formal connection with governments, they usually have the financial and moral backing of sympathetic governments. Typically, they stage unexpected attacks on civilian targets, including embassies and airliners, with the aim of sowing fear and confusion. Israel has been a frequent target of terrorism, but the United States has increasingly become its main target. (See also September 11 attacks, Osama bin Laden, Hezbollah, and Basque region.)
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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The guy that opened fire on students at Virginia Tech certainly could be said to have "incited fear." Was he a terrorist?
The difference between your definition and the one I posted is that mine is the *actual* formal definition of terrorism. But, if you'd like to base the incident on yours, it still wasn't a terrorist act.
Thank you for supporting my point.