Explosion

The discovery that the perpetrators were home grown suicide bombers is the worst possible.  It’s no longer ‘Them’ and they’re no longer ‘Cowards.’  The bombs have shaken everyone. In different ways.  We’ve had the argument before, albeit in different contexts.  Again I’m nonplussed by the illogicality of the statements and passion.  And again I’ve noticed that faced with defeat by reason, the instinct is to ‘go nuclear’ - to say something so outrageous that any response will shift the whole row into another domain.  It’s a ghost of the same mentality as the bomber who, unable to win the debate, resorts to cruelty to provoke a terrible retaliation.