Helpless
Airplanes are excellent targets for terrorists for one simple reason, the helplessness that passengers have when on an aircraft. If a terrorist tries to take hostages on the ground, people can try and run, the police will soon arrive, and the situation is contained within one location. On an aircraft, there is nowhere to run, no police in sight, and the location of the hostage situation is constantly changing. This presents a very difficult problem to law enforcement who are incapable of defusing a situation.
Economic Effects
The moment at which terrorists succeed at using airplanes to inspire fear in air travelers they have accomplished their aim. Since 9/11, the airline industry has been wracked with increasing economic problems, from security to increased ticket prices, to a drop in air travelers, along with a host of other fall-out factors. And, now, the increasing cost of oil is forcing once solid industry giants to lose their financial footing.
Security
Airlines have had to invest in expensive baggage and passenger scanning equipment, as well as hire many extra security personnel to help regain the public’s trust that air travel is safe. While such responses are necessary to secure the safety of passengers and ensure that further attacks are prevented, the resulting economic losses are large. This is why terrorist attacks that use airplanes have such a profound effect on society. Individuals lose their lives, fears are heightened, and companies lose money. Overall, terror in the air is a horrifying and effective way for terrorists to make their point and results in both economic and human loss that can permanently affect world markets.
Ethnic Businesses There has always been some level of distrust or prejudice between two peoples who are from different ethnic backgrounds. The United States’ history is an excellent example as blacks were forced to endure decades of unfair treatment as minorities. Practices such as ethnic cleansing can be found in places around the globe throughout the world’s history with the most publicized and large scale example coming from the Nazi Germany era when thousands of Jews were killed during Hitler’s terrorizing reign. Since the days of Nazi Germany and pre-Civil Rights America, many would like to think that society as a whole has moved forward from the primitive thinking that one race is superior to another. While this may be true to some extent, the fact remains that terrorist attacks can have a large impact promoting prejudices against certain ethnicities.Muslim ExampleAfter the events of 9/11, the American public was looking for someone to take the blame and the group that was deemed responsible for the terrorist actions was slated as radical Muslims that were bent on destroying America’s way of life. This triggered an across the board reaction against all Muslims. Muslims in America suddenly felt themselves being alienated from their communities and as a result, Muslim businesses suffered. Some American’s believed that all Muslims were in some way linked to the events of 9/11 and responded by boycotting or protesting against Muslim businesses. The financial difficulties that were faced by Muslim business owners and workers serve as an example of how today’s society is not immune to prejudice and how this prejudice can affect the economic structure of a whole society.Guilt by AssociationThe human mind is quick to associate meaning to characteristics that can at times be unrelated. In the case of ethnicity being related to terrorism, many around the world are willing to make such a jump all too quickly and at the expense of the financial status of the ethnic group that is accused of being associated with terrorism. The prejudice that was spawned in the aftermath of 9/11 served to remind the world that guilt by association can be costly to everyone involved and is an unfair practice that should be left to grace only the pages of history books in the interest of bettering the world’s economy.
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