Even as you read this, constant updates are coming through about the blast in New York, in which about 30 people are said to have been injured
Even as you read this, constant updates are coming through about the blast in New York, in which about 30 people are said to have been injured. Reports state that some devices have been found in the vicinity, with a pressure cooker with an attached wire and cell phone. Readers will recall that pressure cooker bombs were used during the Boston Marathon in 2013, when three people died and many were injured.
Before the explosion in Chelsea, reports flooded in about a pipe bomb explosion in New Jersey. There too, other devices were being looked at and the discovery resulted in cancellation of a charity 5K race for US Marines and their families. There were no injuries in New Jersey. Even as you read this, there is constant change in the reports and shifting stances by politicians.
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What is evident, though, is that even an intentional attack like this does not evoke as much outrage as it would have earlier. It was in the same city that the 9/11 attack took place, which forever changed the way we view the world.
There was a palpable sense of shock, horror and rage. Today, those emotions are played out on social media, which is more robust than it was during 9/11. And yet, there is a feeling that such events are expected.
Politicians often use phrases like ‘the city has bounced back’, or that people have gone back to work or life goes on as usual. What they do not tell you is that this is because people do not have a choice. This resilience may not be bravery — there just is no other option.
While nobody is advocating hysteria or panic, our sense of shock has been overpowered by the need to get on with our lives. One does not know whether that’s a completely good or bad thing, but it does indicate that such attacks are no longer unthinkable. And that is a tragedy.
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