Episode 4487: TERRORISM: HOAX or TOO REAL?

What end of the scale are you on? Do you believe that terror attacks are hoaxes, or can you relate to a terror attack survivor whose mental pain drove her to euthanasia? Today, we look at the spectrum of reactions to terrorism, starting with a new poll that reveals a shocking percentage of people who believe in terrorism conspiracy theories. Not only do some believe that attacks weren’t real, they believe that the victims and their families are lying. You will hear what: gender, age, denial, cynicism, Covid, and where you get your news from has to do with it. Next, we move down the scale and look at an example of what contributes to people believing conspiracy theories: the recent terror attack in Belgium, where a man knifed two policemen patrolling the neighborhood of the terrorists who perpetrated the Paris and Brussels attacks. But, as usual, the ‘authorities’ are stalling to avoid calling it what it is: terrorism. Finally, we look at the other extreme of the scale - the tragic story of a young woman who was collateral damage of the 2016 terror attack at the Zaventem airport in Brussels. She wasn’t physically injured, but she was so traumatized and haunted by these memories, that she developed psychiatric problems that tortured her to the extent that she requested euthanasia. As your Terrorist Therapist, I have personal knowledge about these stories that I share with you.