Unfortunately, we live in a society where people are paying less and less attention to the news and the key events in the world.
They come home from work, watch their TV shows on their Foxtel planner, turn on the Playstation, absorb into social media or go to sleep immediately . Current affairs are ignored, simply because they aren’t as ‘stimulating’.
Well now there is terror in the streets. Our streets. It doesn’t matter if it was Sydney and Brisbane; if it can happen in those cities, it can happen in Melbourne.
Australians woke to the sound of choppers, to the sight of heavily armed police and to the threat of mass violence.
600 officers patrolled the generally safe streets and arrested 15 men on suspicion of terrorism. The plans of these criminals were to capture locals, initiate violence, behead innocence and post the videos to social media. All in the proximity of a terrorist cell that is yet to be unveiled.
A terrorist cell in an undoubted central location that lingers near schools, playgrounds, work buildings and bars.
Yet still the awareness is lacking. Despite the happenings on home soil people still woke, changed the channel, ate their breakfast, plugged in their iPods and commuted to work in blissful ignorance. Even though that very commute could contain the issue. Defiance is one thing, but disregard is another.
Now I’m not asking you to look around every corner and read every news article. That’s as stupid as it is unnecessary. We will not live in fear or alter our habits to succumb to their attempts at destroying Western life. But please, pay some attention to the problem; this isn’t a threat overseas, it’s in the streets where your children play, or travel to school. It’s in the streets where your girlfriend or boyfriend ventures alone to go to work. It’s where your grandparents visit their friends, or your sibling walks the dog.
It isn’t hard to watch five minutes of the news every morning, or read a solitary article about a pressing issue as you scroll through Facebook seeing cats go ballistic and friends complaining about the inclement weather.
If a problem is to be stopped, it must be understood.
There’s talk of some firms funding terrorism. If the money keeps flowing, the chances of innocent civilians being captured multiplies.
As harsh as it sounds, this is the truth: many will turn a head to the influx of information flowing through all media systems, until someone they love faces the terror personally. Then they will tell everyone else to be aware, to pay attention, to be a scholar of the issue. But it’s too late. Be proactive, not reactive, and you can save the pain. Hypocrisy glides in many forms.
This was the largest anti-terrorism swoop in Australian history. I wouldn’t be illuminating something that wasn’t important.
But in this day and age, a status about stupidity gathers more likes than a status about war on home soil. I did this experiment; my article about the ISIS received one like and one comment, while my status about an 80 year old man shitting himself gathered 20 likes and more than 30 comments.
We’re a funny bunch, we love a good laugh, we enjoy a beer and are passionate about the areas of concern. This is an area of concern. Terror lies at your doorstep, armed with a knife for beheading and a gun for intimidation. And they will not knock.
The people who read this article are people already aware. You clicked on this link because you care about your country and the people within it. If you direct even one generally unaware person to the issue, you’re doing more than most.
Awareness is the key to the battle, but it’s a weapon ignored. Even though it stares at you from every angle. Scrolling past is easier than looking within.
Understand the enemy.
Chris Sutton
