Monday, January 12, 2015
APUSH Week 2 Article
This week your article is about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev who stands as the only accomplace of the Boston Marathon Bombing that remains alive and recently went on trial for his actions. This ties to the topic of Domestic terrorism that we will be discussing in class throughout our lectures on the Gilded Age. Respond and Comment on this Rolling Stone article named "Jahar's World" printed July, 17th 2013. The link to the atricle itself is under the APUSH pages titled Jahar's World.
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The Rolling Stone is trying to humanize a terrorist and add an emotional connection to a man who bombed a densely populated group of people. The Rolling Stone almost seemed like they tried to glorify him by using quotes from his close friends about he wasn't a bad kid.
ReplyDeleteI agree and disagree with Addison. I think that the Rolling Stone is trying to make the world more aware of terrorist and give the side of Jahar to the readers. (even though he doesn't deserve it) I do not think they are trying to glorify him for what he did. But I do think they are agreeing and emphasizing some of the things that he said that shouldn't be.
DeleteAddison I understand where you are comming from however, I do not think the Rolling Stone was trying to "glorify" him. I think the purpose of including these quotes from his friends and all his accomplishments as a way to disprove certain stereotypes. It is eye opening that this seemingly normal boy was a terrorist. Most people imagine a stereotypical image when they here terrorist and this article was to make us more cautious and aware of the people we trust.
DeleteI absolutely agree, Jetta. This article shows everyday people are capable of abnormal actions i.e. bombing. Jahar was an average boy, he had accomplishments, dreams, and friends. the average stereotype is just the opposite. The article shows exactly what people are capable of.
DeletePeople are people in my eyes Addison, I agree with you that in no way should he be glorified for what he has done however, I will say one thing great people have done horrible things. and as odd as this may sound I heard some lyrics in a song that I think may just apply. "everyone is a killer if you push them to their limit".
DeleteKeisha H M3.
ReplyDeleteThe whole Boston situation was very messed up. None of that should have happened. The thing that was hard to believe would be the fact that a teenage boy, the captain of the wrestling team, a student who gets good grades, someone was very liked by his fellow classmates. Was possible of doing this. Nobody that knew Jahar saw this coming, they all saw him as a leader and a nice person. You can never judge a book by its cover. This boy may have looked like a very nice, smart kid but he obviously was hiding something from people. Even his own wrestling coach, who had been like his father, didn't even think that Jahar was even capable of doing something horrific. " I knew this kid, and he was a good kid," Payack says, sadly. "And, apparently, he's also a monster." You can never expect things like this to happen, it could come from anyone.
Although I agree with "Jahar" on the subject that our government is not the best, this is not the way he should have approached his feelings for this country. If he actually felt this way, he should have done his best to make a change and make a difference, not kill innocent people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Sasha, there was so many other ways he could have dealt with things without killing innocent people. He could have taken a different route, and done things to make it better.
DeleteLots of people have different personalities and sides to them, this just so happened to be one of these people. Jahar grew up a normal teen going through things that he never let out until the bombing. Some people that want violence do not even know what they are doing because their minds are so up in the air. Jahar knew what he was doing because he took full responsibility for the bombing. He admitted he didn't like killing innocent people but he had his reasoning. Jahar states, the US Government is killing our innocent civilians."
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy how normal teens can become such crazy pason eople. Yeah, our govt is killing innocent people but those people are mainly in war zones and there is no way that we could tell if they are innocent or not. The way he is doing it is just brutily killing people for no reason at all. If he didnt like killing people then he wouldnt do it. Simple as that.
DeleteJera, I totally agree with you in the aspect that teenagers have a lot that goes on in their lives that is never brought to the surface. I think it would be great if more schools brought in more programs to encourage kids to talk about things going in their lives. I believe if this happened less of these crimes would be happening. When you look around America there is so much going on that nobody knows about.
DeleteCole L. M3
ReplyDeleteThe Boston Marathon bombing was a tragic event that took the lives of many people, and had a huge impact on many people around the world. The fact that someone that so many people knew and liked could do something like this is crazy. Someone who everyone thinks is doing well that suddenly kills people for no reason is something many people don't know how to deal with.
Liam J. W6
DeleteI think that it is crazy in the fact that a young kid would do such a thing. But he is mentally ill and in his mind, what he did was for the better. We, as a country, are targeted by many different groups of people and it is often difficult to spot people of these groups before they act. He obviously had two sides to him and the people around him were oblivious the the bad side that hated America.
I think this article is a great example of the claim that you never really know anybody no matter how close you think you are to them. Your next door neighbor who you have lived by and befriended for many years could be a serial killer for all you know. Jahar was described by friends as an average teenage boy who was on a very good path for the future. This boy had never showed any signs of hate towards Americans and seemed happy to be here. Perhaps this is the scariest part of the whole thing. We often think of murderers and terrorists as these scruffy, dirty, creepy, or scary looking people but we tend to forget the most important lesson we were taught growing up: "Never judge a book by it's cover." Stereotypes are dangerous to both the people being stereotyped and also to the one's doing the stereotyping.
ReplyDeleteThat is put very well Jetta, we have these dangerous stereotypes that make us much more vulnerable to people like Jahar. Even his best friends and family had no idea this was coming, he was just like everybody else. Sometimes people are so good at hiding there feelings and emotions, that others become oblivious to what they are causing.
DeleteThis article makes me think of the people that I know are going through hard times but are hiding there emotions so well that we have no idea what is going on. Jahar was just a normal kid who had a hidden anger for our country. His friends and family were oblivious to what was going on and had everybody fooled. America was also clueless and before we knew it, three innocent people were dead and thirty plus were seriously injured, some even loosing appendages. We need to be more aware of what is going on around us and read deeper than the cover.
ReplyDeleteI agree Harrison. Sometimes people can hide their emotion so well that people have know idea whats going on. If Jahar would have talked to someone about what he was feeling, then all of this could have been prevented. If we want to stop these kinds of things from happening in the future we need to get to know the people around us better.
DeleteI agree Harrison. It really makes me feel more aware about the people around me. What if i make the wrong joke and offend someone? Maybe something i say is damaging to other people and I've just never cared enough to think about others before myself.
Delete
ReplyDeleteMost articles like these are meant to create a fear in the people by anonymity. Jahar was an average boy, not the stereotypical turban wearing, middle eastern. He was known by many, had friends, neighbors, and hopes, but no one could have ever suspected these actions of him.. I feel empathy for him because he will never be able to accomplish his dreams, and since he was so young we will not know if he was capable of any good, that is the fault in losing someone so young.
I agree and disagree a little bit. It's awful that it all happened, especially coming from such a well know guy, But it's also his fault. He should of handled his pain in a different way, instead of hurting so many others.
DeleteMakenzi Carlgren M3
DeleteI agree with him not following the stereotypes, but I don't think this article was meant to scare anyone. I think it would be dangerous if articles tried to build fear in the reader, because it could create an uncontrollable paranoia like the Salem Witch Trials. Instead, this article was meant to separate stereotypes from truth, as well as show the audience to be kind to others because you never know the situation someone is in.
I do not agree that this man should receive any empathy at all, though i agree he was not the stereotypical terrorist. He was a terrorist plain and simple. it doesn't matter if he had dreams or ambitions in life. He ended people lives, and injured many others very badly. I believe he lost his right to people being empathetic towards him the second he decided to end innocent lives. I don't understand how anyone could feel sorry for him.
DeleteThis news article really brings life into prospective. We have no idea what others are going through. A smile, or bubbly personality could be hiding pain and hurt, like Jahar was in this case. It's unfortunate that the sorrow of two people, caused so much for so many other people. Treating each and every person like they matter, even if they aren't your best friend is so vitally important. Maybe all it would of taken for Jahar is someone reaching out and realizing all the pain he had inside. So sad it ended the way it did, leaving so many families helpless and hurt.
ReplyDeleteThat's so true Lindsey, little things that we can do are what really matters in life. Sometimes we are scared or embarrassed to talk to people that you normally wouldn't, but that small thing that might seem so unimportant to us, could change their world.
DeleteThis is absolutely true Lindsey, a lot of times we dont realize how much some people are hurting away from school or away from home. And most of the time those people are just reaching out for help and a lot of times we dont give them it. We are too shy or scared to notice them calling out.
DeleteMakenzi Carlgren M3
ReplyDeleteStereotypes are harmful to not only the person being stereotyped, but also the people who stereotype. Rolling Stones showed how both sides are dangerous by providing the memories of old friends who knew Jahar as a normal kid without any red flags. Many people, like Jahar's friends, believe that you can spot a terrorist by judging the way someone looks. However, that isn't the case, which is the point Rolling Stones wanted to make.
I agree. Stereotypes are harmful and should be avoided as much as possible. We should not make assumptions of others and should realize that appearances mean very little. While Jahar made a huge mistake that is unjustifiable, if others had realized his pain instead of assuming he was just a "normal' kid, the bombing might of been prevented.
DeleteYou're absolutely right Makenzi. The article even says that people put on public and private faces, which can be just facades that hide what they really feel. It sounds like Jahar was either very good at keeping his facades in place, because his friends never noticed any changes, or like his brother Tamerlan, was becoming two different people in the same person.
DeleteSimilarly to the last article we read about starvastion, its sad and rather tragic stories that make us start to think about the people around us and our actions that can help or hurt them. It's sad to think that Jahar could live his life in so much pain and have no one realize how he really felt. Its concerning, and kind of a reminder to think about the people around you.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Sydney. I also think it is sad that people around us cause what we decide. Some people may think he's a crazy person so he should be in jail, others might think he may need help.
DeleteIt is just weird to think about what goes through peoples heads in situations like the Boston bombing. Why would anyone want to put people and a country through that. To think that people around us could be twisted in the mind really is desturbing. I know he had some serious problems in his head but some things just push situations a little to far. Bombing people is one of those times.
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy to think that someone this young and involved in the community could be hiding all this hatred and violence. This really shows how much people can be hurting without us knowing it. As a community we need to do a better job of realizing when people like Jahar is hurting and needs some help or someone to talk to. While Jahar is obviously mentally unstable, maybe he wouldn't have done what he did if he had someone to talk to so he could vent his frustrations.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree JD. People could be hurting around us and we don't even notice it. It's kind of like bullying, the bully will bully this kid yet no one knows that the only reason the bully is bullying the kid is because he is jealous of the kind of attention or affection he is getting. I also agree to the fact that we as a community need to be looking out for these sorta things.
DeleteIts really hard to grasp the fact that this kid has all this hatred towards America for what "we are doing to the Muslims." I don't really know the whole idea of this topic, but it seems to me that he wanted revenge in a way. Some way to get back at us as Americans for our wrong doings. This shows how people from different ethnic groups portray America. I think, they think we are evil.
ReplyDeleteBy acting "normal" any person can fit into what is considered an average american. here's what I mean by that. Have you ever asked a stranger about your same age and social class how they are? I bet you'd get about three different answers consistently. They might be like: not bad, good how are you, or I'm alright thanks. From the youngest of ages we are taught how to act in what situation and taught what to say to who and how to hide almost everything we feel when in any type of public situation. This is why america is targeted and terrorized when someone steps outside the box. When someone says 'I'm angry" "I hate this place" "I hate America." people are baffled shocked, disgusted. But why its because we aren't allowed to say that. Because that's not what your supposed to do. And then even better yet they act! a bomb goes off or a building goes down. Americans, the giant robots we are cant process how anyone could do it. How on earth could someone show anger? How on earth could someone say they hate something in such a way? the death of many innocent people is tragic but the death of a population is even more scary to think about. your opinions will never matter and your feelings will never change a single thing because you're programmed to be like the rest. Your goal since 5th grade has been to fit in. You may never express these things to anyone in anyway until the day you die...How scary is that?
ReplyDeleteThis article really shows that you almost never know everything about a person. I do feel a little bad for this guy, because he had almost everyone turn their backs on him, and I can't imagine what it would be like to have your parents leave the country without you. He probably felt abandoned, and found happiness through his faith. I do find it a little hypocritical that he would get upset when people would say Islam is not a peaceful religion (which it is supposed to be), and that he would try to follow his faith closely, but the way he chose to show his feelings was to attack innocent people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point about his actions being hypocritical. If he felt strongly about his faith, he should've prioritized acting in a way that fits his beliefs. This is why I don't believe the attack was purely about Islam. I think there was a lot of anger in him, anger at being and abandoned, like you pointed out. And as it's stated in the article, he felt a lot of anger and hatred towards America, a country that appeared to have screwed him over for much of his life. This anger doesn't excuse what he did, or excuse the fact that he committed an act that is in direct violation of what he believes as a Muslim. It's simply a possible explanation for what was running through his head as he decided to commit an egregious act of violence.
DeleteI think articles like this are extremely important. Not because we should always be looking for reasons to justify a tragedy or a terrorist attack, but because it is so tempting to see these things in black and white. The bad guys bombed the place and the good guys picked up the pieces. The truth, as always, is much more complicated. This isn’t to say that what those two boys did was justifiable; it’s not. Innocent people were killed and what should have been a joyous occasion for many was turned into a horrible, scarring experience. But to pretend like those two boys were simply two-dimensional representations for evil does an injustice to the entire situation, which deserves to be treated like the complicated and serious event that it was.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. There's never a simple understanding behind anything. There is always bad in the good and good in the bad. If a soldier joins the military just to kill people, not to protect the country (as his motive) the people will see him as a hero and good even though its not that great.
DeleteNash Johnson M6 ^
DeleteLiam J W6
ReplyDeleteI think that this article expresses that there are always two sides to a person, one that everybody loves, and one that isn't necessarily shown by that person. To us, what this kid did is unjustifiable. The way that he expressed his anger and disgust of our nation was terrible and it will never be forgotten. But something that is taken out of proportion, is the fact that religion was involved. There have been multiple school shootings in the recent years. The shooters, most of whom were mentally ill, killed children and teachers, which could be considered an act of terrorism. But, because the shooters didn't have a connection to religious based reasoning, the event happened and was forgotten by most of america. In the Boston bombing case, the two boys did have a religious backing and therefor, the entire thing swarmed across the world. People need to look at this kid on a smaller level and forget about religion, he killed people, which in our country is illegal. If you don't have sympathy for a school shooter who is mentally ill, then don't have sympathy for Jahar.
Nash Johnson M6
ReplyDeleteAlthough events such as the Boston bombing are terrible acts against another person or group, is it possible to justify anyone's actions surrounding a time of crisis in their life? Jahar claimed that the American government was killing "innocent civilians" in his home country. If you were abroad in Muslim country, and knew that your host was in your home country killing off your innocent civilians, wouldn't you want some feeling that you impacted the government attacking your people? I don't side with Jahar or agree with his method, but I do believe he wanted something to change in American's lives, no matter the cost.
I like what you said. It makes me wonder what effect on person or a group of people can have on someone. I also thing the point of killing inocent people is interesting because we see our war in the middle east as ending terrorism but we have no idea what is actually going on over their. It is crazy to think that we might be willingly supporting our government killing inocent people. All things aside two wrongs don't make a right no matter how tragic.
DeleteI couldnt imagine how it would feel to be the friends of Jahar. Being friends with him while they think hes just some normal kid and he turns around and does what he did. I dont get how some people can make those decisions that end up hurting or even killing people, but yet again we dont know how bad their life may be at home. Some of us have it easy while others are at home with parents that just dont give their kids the time of day. I feel this would drag you down a lot as a person having nobody give you attention or talk to you and care for you.
ReplyDeleteI agree his friends and teachers have no clue what went on at home. Maybe there was things going on at home and maybe he just snapped one day. But it still doesn't justify him killing all those innocent people.
DeleteI have mixed emotions about this article. On one hand I feel bad for the kid and people around him because he lived a normal life and touched so many different people. Like his coach who mentored him and now is half def because of Jahar. On the other hand, actions like this are terrible and their is just no way to justify it. I don't know enough about the Muslim religion to say this, but I just don't understand how people believe that religion justifies actions of that magnitude.
ReplyDeleteAkiyaa Hagen
ReplyDeleteIt really hurt me that a boy with so much potential and life and love to give is now being looked down upon by everyone who ever meant anything to him. They are now letting the media shape their views of him and losing sight of the jahar they once new. The coach said he is a monster, think of how that would affect jahar to hear this.. He may feel guilt he may not and he may never but one thing is sure he is human, he is apart of the human race, he makes mistakes, he'll be insensitive, its no need to disregard him. He's a sad lonely young adult now that has lost his brother to a cause he believed in. I do like that rolling stone tried to show us a positive view of jahar and not focusing solely on the bombing. We may never know what led this talented and loved individual to do what he has done but we should remember that he is not a monster, he is human and those who were close to himn should know that best.
It's so sad that stereotypes and harmful comments could lead a boy like this to do a crime to this degree. I think crime rates would drop severely if there were programs introduced in schools that encourages students to talk about what's going on in their lives. I think it would also be helpful if more teachers paid attention to their students instead of turning their heads to bruises and bullying. When people are labeled a certain thing I think after awhile they start to believe that that's who they are also.
ReplyDeleteWe learn about many different massacres, and wars throughout the duration of American History and the fact that we're learning about just another one in the present and not history is unacceptable. Humans have to learn that hate and killing does not solve problems, it only causes them. It is now no question that the bombings were a terrorist attack. Thankfully, we have technology that can teach us things that we never would have had even 10 years ago. It was an unexpected tragedy for everyone involved with the massacre. These events are so scary because they are unexpected. But if everyone was held to the same expectations, without bias, then maybe problems could start to be solved.
ReplyDeleteTo me this is very shocking. All of his friends and teachers and family thought he was perfectly fine and had no knowledge of this. But at the same time I realize almost all the massacres are like this. The school shootings the family and friends of the shooters had no clue about them getting ready to do this. But if it was me i probably wouldn't tell anyone anything like that so maybe it wasn't that weird for his peers to not know about it.
ReplyDeleteJahar was a normal person just like you and I, and I understand that he had many dreams and plans in life. But no matter how great of a person he was before becoming a terrorist, he does not deserve any empathy, or respect, or even understanding from any of us. He killed and injured many people for no real reason. He does not deserve any of our respect.
ReplyDelete