Arresting the cycle of violence

As of this writing, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the “second suspect” in the Boston Marathon tragedy, is still alive. We should all pray that he recovers. We need to hear his story. He needs to tell his story.

Boston Marathon explosion
Photo by Aaron Tang. Used under CC Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

How does a young man who features Salaam alaikum (Peace be with you) on his Twitter page become involved with guns and bombs? Some people will manage to see threats hidden in his tweet, “There are people that know the truth but stay silent & there are people that speak the truth but we don’t hear them cuz they’re the minority,” but if that comment is labeled dangerous, we are all in trouble.

From Marathon Monday afternoon until the final capture of the bloodied Dzhokhar, the media entertained Americans with the kind of thrilling stories they love—starting with scenes of fires, bodies, panic, and heroism, and ending with firefights, helicopters, a bloody boat, and what seemed like an endless wait (will they let him bleed to death?) before Dzhokhar’s capture. The good guys triumph; the bad guys are vanquished. What could be more righteous?

Fueled by adrenaline, many Americans want to maintain the excitement, brandish their masculinity, prove that “ya better not mess with America.” Thus we see stupid and hateful messages like Fox News commentator Erik Rush’s tweet, “Yes, they’re evil. Let’s kill them all.” The statement itself promotes evil; it is inherently terroristic.

Far better to listen to the recordings of the Interfaith Healing Service in Boston.

The whole world expressed sympathy and support for the United States following the tragedies of 9-11. Yet the government’s subsequent use of those events to promote narrowly-conceived nationalistic interests with pitiless aggression and the slaughter of thousands cost us that support.

Right now we have seen again an outpouring of sympathy for the losses just suffered on Marathon Monday. Let’s not blow it again.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology