Boston and the Terrible Theater of Terrorism
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April 18 (Bloomberg) -- The attack on the Boston Marathonis a reminder of the adage that terror is theater. Yes, terroris horror. Yes, terror is murder. Yes, terror is reprehensible.But it is theater, too, played out on a grand stage before anaudience of tens of millions. We sit riveted in front of thetelevision or computer screen, demanding the latest updates.
We don’t need to know who did it to understand themalevolent brilliance of the staging: an attack on the audienceat a sporting event where the crowd is uncontrollable. Suddenlyeveryone is worried about which “soft” target will be next. (InIsrael, everyone understands that shopping malls and night clubsare natural attractions for terrorism.)