london bombing

I had a conversation about terrorism with Glen (an Englishman) and Noah (a Jewish South African) at a fourth of July gathering. Glen made the point that the rest of the world has a very different take on terrorism than we do in America. The gist of it: the English are used to bombings after having lived with the IRA's bombing campaigns for thirty-plus years.

Initially, I thought he was right. But in light of today's events and the eyewitness accounts, I would argue that one can ever really be blasé about terrorism in one's hometown. The panic and base animal instincts of those closest to the blasts just don't support his stance.

Update: Halfway through the day, I'm noticing an interesting trend toward "citizen journalism" -- MSNBC is asking those on-site to submit their stories. And the BBC is running "on the spot photos" taken by ordinary people.