New book from Frank Furedi....
Unlike in previous wars and conflicts, today our sense of terror precedes and extends beyond acts of terrorism. Official reaction is driven by a narrative of fear that invites us to regard terrorism as incomprehensible, senseless and beyond meaning. Such a response based on confusion authorises acts of speculation and fantasy as legitimate forms of threat assessment. This dramatisation of security transmits a sense of helplessness that inadvertently offers society's enemies an invitation to be terrorised.
Furedi believes that we lack an intellectual framework for confronting the fear of terrorism. The language we use betrays confusion about the threat we face and therefore undermines our capacity to engage with it. Those who pose the question of 'Why do they hate us?' are often unsure of who 'they' are. Even more unsettling is the realisation that many of us are less than certain about who 'we' are. In this startling and original book Frank Furedi engages with some of the most fundamental questions confronting society today.