Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/05/25/britons-unbowed-by-terrorists.html
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My two Muslim coworkers love this one.
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A reminder to the violent religious fundies, authoritarian governments, right-wing populists, and those that make excuses for any of them that they are outnumbered, even under duress.
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Britons, with the exception of the ruling Conservative and Unionist Party, are unbowed by terrorists—or by the hysterical Islamophobes demanding they panic, with the exception of Tories planning on using the event to make internet browsing in the U.K. very unsafe.
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This reaction is the most appropriate one. Of course we’re all upset and angry over the needless deaths of innocent and young people at this concert, but striking back in anger doesn’t help anyone. More restrictions on refugees or muslims, more surveillance, less personal freedoms, etc. These things take away everyone’s freedoms. How much is Britain willing to sacrifice in order to be safe, because safety does not equal freedom. And terrorists want exactly that, to take away people’s freedom.
Striking back with inclusion and messages of love is the best thing we can all do these days.
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In Britain, we tend to believe that there’s no point in panicking and over-reacting yourself when you’ve elected a Government to do that for you…
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… and the sizable portion of the 51,89% that didn’t want more “muslims send by the kleptocrats of Brussels”
Much:
One may think the headline is actually false when you take a look at the legislation introduced in the last few years. The terrorists have the Britons scurrying for cover.
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Brits aren’t particular bothered by the odd terrorist blowing themselves up, because everyone over thirty remembers the IRA bombing the shit out of us, and we lived through that ok. (Substitute ‘the blitz’ for the over eightys).
If you’re not scared of them, then they’re not begating terror, so they’re not terrorists, they’re just sad wankers who’ll do anything to get on tv
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Wow, that’s level-headedness of almost Norwegian proportions.
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The government doesn’t like calling the terrorists ‘ISIS’ or ‘Islamic State’ - I think we should make it national policy for all officials and the media to refer to them as ‘sad wankers’.
Bonus points if we can get the Queen to do it.
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Call them something ridiculous like Tiddlywinklers.
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If you call them Tiddlywinkers, Boris Johnson will probably want to go and join them.
Actually, I now don’t know whether I’m disapproving or approving of this idea… 
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Exactly what infuriated me with Republicans after 9/11. They presented themselves as the party of courage, while demanding we all piss ourselves with fear, and anybody who pointed out that the world’s mightiest country would not be brought low by a bunch of glorified goatherds were unpatriotic and wanted everybody to die, or something.
We’re past that now. Being terrified of terrorists is not enough for a true patriot - one must also root for the guy who’s giving away the store to the Russians, and of course he’s innocent, everybody’s innocent, and who cares, the Russians are good. Or something.
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Only if there’s an opaque, absurd and possibly obscene initiation ceremony involved.
And he’d be beating-off our ex-PM to get there.
Allegedly.
I remember the first time that I went up to London without any parental supervision, at about 12-13. I was very, very suspicious of dustbins. Not quite afraid - pensive and anxious is about the best I can summarise it as.
Then I realised that I was wasting my time. If some idiot had lobbed a bomb into a dustbin near London Bridge, what could I do about it except not go to London Bridge? And I’d already failed to do that, as I was at London Bridge. (For some kind of space simulator ride that was near there, in case you were wondering.)
So I stopped letting it affect me, and got on with my life.
I think most people in the UK that went to a major city during the IRA campaigns probably had a similar experience at some point.
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Between us, I’m sure we can come up with something. I’m going to offer “smeared with honey”, “gingham dress” and “release the weasels” as my components for this ceremony…
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The hysterical Islamophobes should be reminded over and over again that it was the Islamic community who had warned UK security about this terrorist.
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Islamophobes and those seeking to take advantage of terrorist acts either don’t realize, or are unwilling to admit, that by being inclusive and sending messages of love (translation: staying strong) it tells the terrorists that their tactics aren’t working. Giving into fear signals that terrorists are succeeding, thereby encouraging them to commit further acts. But the fearful and fear-mongering boneheads out there just don’t get it.
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And Theresa May/The Conservatives who cut funding so much that we had to draft the army in when reacting to it.
Something she’d been warned about, but ignored as exaggeration.
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This reminds me very much of when the GOP Congress poo-poo’ed Bill Clinton when (based on intelligence) he urged that Osama Bin laden (this is before 9/11) be considered a significant threat and looked at closely.
I hope she feels the heat as far as that and makes the needed adjustments.
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