Explosions at Zaventem Airport (Brussels airport)/Brussels metro

[Valmy]

So far much less than the US born population's shooting sprees, but they are catching up nicely.  Soon they'll be fully assimilated.

Well they have one. I was about to say that Spicey's scenario describes them as well.

[The Minsky Moment]

Don't try to reason with these people.  As much as they would like to continue denying the problem, events such as this new attack keep conspiring against their idyllic worldview.  So now they've started yet another round of hand wringing about 'what to do!?!' (cue little bleating squeels) . . .If islamism is the disease then Islam is the vector and all Muslims are carriers - even if most of them will never develop the symptoms. 

With friends like these, derspeiss . . .

[Crazy_Ivan80]

there's still two at large apparently (one from Zaventem who's bomb didn't detonate), and one from the metro.

[derspiess]

True. But the number of US Muslims who have actually launched terror attacks is pretty small. In percentage terms, miniscule. 9/11, for example, was caused by foreigners.

I think I'm missing your point here. 

[derspiess]

So far much less than the US born population's shooting sprees, but they are catching up nicely.  Soon they'll be fully assimilated.

Well they have one. I was about to say that Spicey's scenario describes them as well.

[Josquius]

That is a bit of a mistake with the left.
Really the left should make more of an effort to highlight WHY some of them go bad and push harder to fix it- the shitty situation in these ex-working class towns is the primary culprit.

part of the problem, not the primary culprit.  Lots of people of all origins come from there.  Only some of them will radicalize, and quite often, due to external influence.

I considered that.
I think the thing is that there is no outlet for depressed white kids. If it was the 60s then maybe there could have been some kind of radical communism (an interesting theoretical that I pondered a lot there- what if the west's economic situation was shifted back a few decades). Pre-war of course fascism. But these days....what is there?
With muslims though they've the fucked up situation back in the home country breeding crazy stuff there and giving them an outlet to turn to.

[Valmy]

Well it is true dude. Those shooters are not typically coming from impoverished backgrounds.

[derspiess]

Well it is true dude. Those shooters are not typically coming from impoverished backgrounds.

Still irrelevant to the discussion.  It's like you guys are so uncomfortable with the conversation about violent radical Islamic terrorism here that you just have to blurt out that native-born US citizens also kill people.

[Valmy]

Well it is true dude. Those shooters are not typically coming from impoverished backgrounds.

Still irrelevant to the discussion.  It's like you guys are so uncomfortable with the conversation about violent radical Islamic terrorism here that you just have to blurt out that native-born US citizens also kill people.

I am very comfortable with it. I have been saying resources should be spent monitoring people who fit profiles that are likely to commit violent crimes and not other ones.

[Zanza]

Malthus' well-written posts in this thread pretty much cover my views on this.

[frunk]

Still irrelevant to the discussion.  It's like you guys are so uncomfortable with the conversation about violent radical Islamic terrorism here that you just have to blurt out that native-born US citizens also kill people.

Cause we kill more Americans each year than the radical Islamic terrorists have since the founding of the US.  I'm assuming that it's inevitable that as the US Muslim population increases the number of Americans killed by Muslims (radical, terrorist or otherwise) will also increase.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

as a thought: eastervacation starts in 3 days. Imagine the carnage if they attacked then. Small favours I guess.

[Valmy]

Still irrelevant to the discussion.  It's like you guys are so uncomfortable with the conversation about violent radical Islamic terrorism here that you just have to blurt out that native-born US citizens also kill people.

Cause we kill more Americans each year than the radical Islamic terrorists have since the founding of the US.  I'm assuming that it's inevitable that as the US Muslim population increases the number of Americans killed by Muslims (radical, terrorist or otherwise) will also increase.

Ok I guess I am missing your point here. Therefore we do...what exactly?

[Malthus]

True. But the number of US Muslims who have actually launched terror attacks is pretty small. In percentage terms, miniscule. 9/11, for example, was caused by foreigners.

I think I'm missing your point here.

The allegation raised is that alienation of Muslim youth living in shitty ex-working-class towns in Europe is a major problem, causing them to radicalize.

You rightfully point out that this isn't an issue in the US. In the US, those radicals who attack, don't come from that background.

My point is simple: actual numbers of attacking Muslim radicals in the US are tiny. Europe is more at risk. 

In summary, you can both be right: alienation of impoverished youth can be a major problem, in that it inspires a larger number of attacks; and this pattern does not persist in the US, which lacks an equivalent alienated mass of Muslim youth. The US still gets attacks, but a lot less.   

[Valmy]

Does poverty breed terrorism? I am not so sure. I know the 9/11 guys were from privileged backgrounds were they not? Are the poor over-represented in ISIS or other groups?