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May 28, 2011
"Terrorism is almost exclusively about branding."
What we call terrorism is always asymmetric warfare.
You’re a small group with no reputation, and you start covertly blowing up or murdering the people of a big group, like a government or a nation-state or a whole race. And you can’t just do it and then go and do the next one. You have to do it, and then go and do your PR. “We just bombed your mall. It was us.” And then maybe you do it, and some other guys, these upstart assholes across town, are calling up the news and saying, “We did it! We bombed the mall!” So then you have to get your PR guy on the phone and say, “No, they’re full of shit. WE bombed the mall.” So it’s about branding to that extent. The scariest terrorists would be guys who keep doing terrible shit, but they never call anybody. -- WILLIAM GIBSON - Viceland Today
Posted by Vanderleun at May 28, 2011 5:22 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
The Chinese have the sayings for those 'moments'.
"The nail that sticks up gets hammered down." or "The tallest tree gets cut down first."
Let some one else have the glory, misdirection is the first rule of successful clandestine warfare. Getting caught puts an end to your 'string' of -heh- successes.
Posted by: Peccable at May 29, 2011 5:40 AM