Terrorist Spree

[spmetla]

One way would be to appeal to the crowd you're trying to win over. Establish that these fanatics are apostates and traitors to that religion so that the isolated Muslim communities can adopt this perception. Choosing words like "terrorist" for headlines only furthers insecurity, fear, and victimhood narratives. Think about it, the word now has become synonymous with derogatory terms that shouldn't even be at the same level. Imagine if that word was replaced by "mass murderer" or "apostate?" What glory would there be in 'martyrdom' then?

It might be a dishonest approach to some, but it's a compromise and might save lives.

You can use those words if you like but it would likely have very little effect. Part of the problem lies with the ability today to insulate oneself from the outside world. It's too easy to go on the internet and find people you choose to self-identify with. Every little sub-culture today is able to find all it's other members via internet and feel that there's nothing wrong with them but instead find a caring community that blames the rest of society for not being like that particular subculture. This applies to many things beyond terrorism too like anti-vaccinations, general conspiracy theories and so on. You can't win an argument with people that refute all your terms and facts and prefer their interpretation of whatever other sources.
The Afghans Army folks I worked with use those words all the time in their propaganda against the Taliban together with videos of converted Taliban etc... and it only won over a few people, not the quantities that matter though if a single life can be saved I guess it is worth it. Not to mention it'd be a strange cross over from church/state in most Western countries if they start to define what is apostasy when they don't have a state religion.

It is a very difficult conundrum of how can we win over dis-enfranchised young men. Probably would be better to point out a way in our society in which they can be 'real men' to confirm their masculinity that working a minimum wage job doesn't provide. The people that would rather be thugs or gangsters instead of working a 'lame job' are equally as dangerous as those with extreme religious convictions.

I see it often enough in the US, people have their redneck pride. Young men don't want to go to school and be yuppies, they'd rather be lumberjacks, fishermen, cowboys or something else simple and 'manly.' Mechanized work doesn't make it easy for these people though who are more likely to just fall into alcoholism, drugs, and illicit under the table work that eventually turns criminal. This is part of the reason that women are becoming the larger percentage in colleges. Studying to be a librarian, nurse, bank teller, etc... are unmanly and therefore not to be pursued. The military which probably used to be the destination for these people has too high standards with too much discipline and so on to appeal.