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So, I was thinking about the Boston Bombing, 9/11, Ft. Hood, Madrid, London Bus Bombings, the Russian School Hostage Crisis, Dark Knight Rises shootings, etc, etc.

I was thinking which one had the most "tramatic" impact on me overall. Granted, few of them had any impact on the way I conduct my life. I don;t have any fear, but which one caused me to feel the most existential dread/horror? Of course, this is not a charts and graphs kind of question and is pretty personal.

However, of all the attacks of the last couple decades the ones that effected me the most and sticks out as particularly terrifying is the DC Shooter. For those who don;t recall, it was essentially a sniper who would shoot people whiel they were just out and about doing their daily, mundae tasks. For example, driving to work and stuck in traffic, loading stuff into their truck at Home Depot, etc. This was so impactful to me as each of the victims was doing something that I have done any number of times, and thought nothing of it.

Like I said, I haven't changed how I go about my life or become a security nut; but that was the one that most made me contemplate my life in an existential way.

How about you?

9/11 most likely. There were many changes in the military following that.

Utoya.

I'm half Norwegian, so yeah...

I would have to say when my parents were killed in the alley behind a theater. I've vowed myself to a life of vengeance ever since.

The Beltway sniper got me stuck on I-95 for five hours once coming back from the airport. That sucked.

9/11's the biggest, though.

My live-in girlfriend's rather rapey stalker from a few years back was a fun one, too.

It's my experience that the crimes that impact you the most are ones that affect you personally.

For me it was the news that my 76 year old grandmother house had been burgled whilst she slept. A minor crime in the grand scheme of things but it upset me more than any front page shooting spree crime.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Slarg232 wrote:
I would have to say when my parents were killed in the alley behind a theater. I've vowed myself to a life of vengeance ever since.

+1 internets to you sir.

Growing up with terrorist incidents daily sort of dulled me to a lot of terrorist incidents. Its not that I was uncaring, but when an activity becomes a regular event it does change your baseline normal. But ones that I will always remember, including where I was at the time I heard;

Sept 11th
7/7 London Bombing
Omagh Bombing
Canary Wharf Bombing
Washington sniper
Beslan Hostage Crisis
Dark Knight shootings

I remember the Oklahoma bombing, Waco, Ruby Ridge and many others but I was young and they didn't have the same impact on me. They just seemed to happen in far off lands that I just didn't understand.

That being said I don't think that any of these incidents impacted me enough to change me, or how I went about my daily life.

If we're talking small scale crimes, then when I was in high school a "friend" stole my car, and used it to commite some breaking and entering, and attempted robbery (cops caught him as he was leaving the house with the goods).

Since I had given him the keys, the donkey-cave sheriff deputy tried to scare me and tell me I was going to be charged as an accomplice. Nevermind that I did not give him permission to take my care, just gave them to him so he could get something he said he left in there.

The kid pretty muched walked with a slap on the wrist. Kinda pissed me off.

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:
Growing up with terrorist incidents daily sort of dulled me to a lot of terrorist incidents. Its not that I was uncaring, but when an activity becomes a regular event it does change your baseline normal.

Yeah that’s true. When I was a kid in the 80’s and a teenager in the 90’s it barely registered when a bomb was discovered or went off somewhere in the country. The IRA where simply a fact of life.

It seems more jarring now for some reason.

 LuciusAR wrote:
Yeah that’s true. When I was a kid in the 80’s and a teenager in the 90’s it barely registered when a bomb was discovered or went off somewhere in the country. The IRA where simply a fact of life.

It seems more jarring now for some reason.

Its probably because for a lot of people once they hear "Peace Process" they, rightly, think that hostilities are over. Couple that with a few years of relative calm and quiet (fewer incidents, so a new normal) and its easy to see why it shocks people still.

I'm still pretty cynical about the North and its goings on so little that happens there surprises me still

As far as direct impact on my life, 9/11 and the Shoe Bomber, as I used to travel a lot for my job. Getting through security can take an hour at Bush International Airport in North Houston.

It's even worse at Chicago's Midway.

None, especially any large scale crimes. This might seem blunt, but I don't give a gak about them. I can't say for any personal crimes since I've experienced none.

Being burgled had a huge impact on me.

My grandfather being falsely accused of diving offences (this caused him problems with stomach ulcers) caused me to become utterly disillusioned with the law here, especially as when the truth emerged the officer in question didn't even lose his job.
Edit: to clarify, it was a police officer who falsely acuused him.

Some idiot tried to steal my car.
He broke it, then failed completely by leaning on the horn.
He'd gone by the time I got there.
Worst. Car. Thief. Ever.
Police arrived 1 week and 10 hours later.
Car got written off.

PredaKhaine wrote:
Some idiot tried to steal my car.
He broke it, then failed completely by leaning on the horn.
He'd gone by the time I got there.
Worst. Car. Thief. Ever.
Police arrived 1 week and 10 hours later.
Car got written off.

Friend of mine stationed in Sicily had a car stolen. Cops didn't even bother to come out and file a report. You guys got winners over there.

My cousin was murdered, knifed to death by his girlfriend's ex, who waited outside a nightclub for them. The little gak that did it was sentenced to only 14 years and will be released in a year or so, despite being classified as high risk and retaining a category B instead of being reduced to a category C convict.

We all played together as kids, my brother and I, with my cousins. He was a soft kid, a musician and always smiling. He went to Uni in the north and met a girl he really liked, a couple of years younger than him and they started dating. Her ex took exception to it and so took a combat knife, waited for two hours outside the nightclub they were in and then jumped my cousin and stabbed him through the chest and heart, multiple times in a rage.

He still claims self defense and denies murder. I cannot even fathom that excuse, my little cousin was a gentle gentle kid, he'd stop running around outside gran's house sometimes, just to lift a bug off the road or pavement and put it gently into a bush.

I ponder what my uncle will do when he is released, he swore to me he'd kill the guy, seek him out and end him. I hope to hell he doesn't and that this nasty little lunatic stays the hell away from the family and especially my cousin's sisters. It destroyed my uncle and auntie, losing their son. They went into little bits and have never recovered and I don't think they ever will. It scorched the family, left us all with this weird wound that cannot heal.

Well, small time ones were:

When my car was stolen. :(

When my Pastor Uncle went to jail as a con-man, fraudster and embezzler.

However, I'm talking more about the big "national" crimes.

I'm sorry for your loss, no one deserves to have to go through that.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
He still claims self defense and denies murder. I cannot even fathom that excuse, my little cousin was a gentle gentle kid, he'd stop running around outside gran's house sometimes, just to lift a bug off the road or pavement and put it gently into a bush.

I ponder what my uncle will do when he is released, he swore to me he'd kill the guy, seek him out and end him. I hope to hell he doesn't and that this nasty little lunatic stays the hell away from the family and especially my cousin's sisters. It destroyed my uncle and auntie, losing their son. They went into little bits and have never recovered and I don't think they ever will. It scorched the family, left us all with this weird wound that cannot heal.

So he had the foresight to get a combat knife, not just any knife, then wait for two hours, attack your cousin and then claim self defense? I hope that whoever heard the case laughed at his excuse because that's pathetic.

I wouldn't like to see your Uncle do anything rash, as much as he may want to his family would only end up suffering a second time - first losing their son, then possibly having him jailed.

The DKR shooting in Colorado is the one that haunts me.

Small crimes, let's see, let's see...

I was abused for over a decade by my brother in my childhood. Nobody did gak about it though.

The shootings at Virgina Tech on 4/16/2007. I went to school there at the time.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
My cousin was murdered, knifed to death by his girlfriend's ex, who waited outside a nightclub for them. The little gak that did it was sentenced to only 14 years and will be released in a year or so, despite being classified as high risk and retaining a category B instead of being reduced to a category C convict.

We all played together as kids, my brother and I, with my cousins. He was a soft kid, a musician and always smiling. He went to Uni in the north and met a girl he really liked, a couple of years younger than him and they started dating. Her ex took exception to it and so took a combat knife, waited for two hours outside the nightclub they were in and then jumped my cousin and stabbed him through the chest and heart, multiple times in a rage.

He still claims self defense and denies murder. I cannot even fathom that excuse, my little cousin was a gentle gentle kid, he'd stop running around outside gran's house sometimes, just to lift a bug off the road or pavement and put it gently into a bush.

I ponder what my uncle will do when he is released, he swore to me he'd kill the guy, seek him out and end him. I hope to hell he doesn't and that this nasty little lunatic stays the hell away from the family and especially my cousin's sisters. It destroyed my uncle and auntie, losing their son. They went into little bits and have never recovered and I don't think they ever will. It scorched the family, left us all with this weird wound that cannot heal.

That is a terrible story.

 BlapBlapBlap wrote:
Small crimes, let's see, let's see...

I was abused for over a decade by my brother in my childhood. Nobody did gak about it though.

I'm very sorry to hear that. I hope you have sought out counselling about it. I worked with abused kids for some years and I know that those who, even as adults, finally sought out and received counselling and were able to share their burden with someone trained to help and shoulder some of the weight were helped by the process.

 djones520 wrote:
9/11 most likely. There were many changes in the military following that.

9/11. Now the state makes me take off my belt and shoes in the kabuki theater that they are somehow protecting me. Horse .


Automatically Appended Next Post:

It's my experience that the crimes that impact you the most are ones that affect you personally.

Indeed. Thoseare the real impacters.

 Frazzled wrote:


9/11. Now the state makes me take off my belt and shoes in the kabuki theater that they are somehow protecting me. Horse .

That's Government logic for you:

We must do something.
This is something.
Therefore we must do it.

 Frazzled wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
9/11 most likely. There were many changes in the military following that.

9/11. Now the state makes me take off my belt and shoes in the kabuki theater that they are somehow protecting me. Horse

That is a lot to go through just for a Quiznos sub.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:

 BlapBlapBlap wrote:
Small crimes, let's see, let's see...

I was abused for over a decade by my brother in my childhood. Nobody did gak about it though.

I'm very sorry to hear that. I hope you have sought out counselling about it. I worked with abused kids for some years and I know that those who, even as adults, finally sought out and received counselling and were able to share their burden with someone trained to help and shoulder some of the weight were helped by the process.

Well, currently I'm having to go through therapy and I'm on anti-depressants, because my life is generally terrible.

Plus, it only really stopped a few years ago when my brother went to college in Norway. He's still a dick when he comes home on holidays and such, but the thing that alienates me further is that I'm not even on my GCSEs quite yet and all of this is happening. It's hard to describe.

Goddam it, I think I need a bit of a rest...

 BlapBlapBlap wrote:

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:

 BlapBlapBlap wrote:
Small crimes, let's see, let's see...

I was abused for over a decade by my brother in my childhood. Nobody did gak about it though.

I'm very sorry to hear that. I hope you have sought out counselling about it. I worked with abused kids for some years and I know that those who, even as adults, finally sought out and received counselling and were able to share their burden with someone trained to help and shoulder some of the weight were helped by the process.

Well, currently I'm having to go through therapy and I'm on anti-depressants, because my life is generally terrible.

Plus, it only really stopped a few years ago when my brother went to college in Norway. He's still a dick when he comes home on holidays and such, but the thing that alienates me further is that I'm not even on my GCSEs quite yet and all of this is happening. It's hard to describe.

Goddam it, I think I need a bit of a rest...

If your family is refusing to take it seriously and allowing him to continue to abuse you, you should go either via your school counselor or directly to child protection services and get them to intervene. You can also get further advice by calling childline and requesting help.

But you must be the one to call, to take the action and to seek out help in preventing this from continuing.

Big national crimes?

9/11 easily since it's changed so many things we used to take for granted or just at face value. For example, just driving across the border used to be just a show of your driver's licence, a quick word or two and a smile. Now? You need a passport and can have your vehicle randomly searched, and there's even talk of arming the Canadian side of the border.
Also just watching it happen live when it took place. I know some kids at my old high school who just got completely fethed up watching people jumping to their own deaths because they knew they had no chance of being rescued...

As for crimes that affected me personally. The Paul Bernardo rape & murder case.
One of his victims was abuducted from Burlington where I live. While I was only a young 'un at the time, it was scary to see police cars and armed officers patroling outside your after-school daycare, or seeing the hordes of search teams and police/military S&R helicopters out in force in area fields and creeks looking for a missing girl who was only 5 or 6 years older than myself.
Definately will never forget those few weeks where the city was searching for a victim of what turned out to be one our country's worst serial rapist/killer.

There are crimes that impact factors in my life, mostly new laws and rules that I must observe that I didn't have to previously (airport security nightmares for example).

As for personal impact on my emotions, I don't think a single crime has ever had an emotional impact on me.

Not to sound like an ass, and absolutely not to diminish the impact the event had on MANY people, but 9/11 is just another day to me. The only way it impacts my life regularly is that 1-2 days a year History Channel doesn't play anything worth watching. It was a terrible event, yes. It affected many lives. Mine was not one of them. I didn't lose family, nor did anyone that I know personally. No one got drafted, no one that I know suffered any form of loss from it.

Therefore, like countless other crimes perpetrated every single day, of massively varying degrees, it means nothing to me.

Don't mistake this for complete apathy. I feel that we as a nation should respond to such actions, and take steps to prevent repeats. But those decisions should be made rationally and objectively, not at the whim of emotion.

All of the gun control flare ups after high profile crimes are emotional responses that are hasty and not well thought out.