Relevant Background Information

Relevant Background Information: The observations that I provided in the

analysis take place within the lives of the major terrorist group Al-Qaida
and the homegrown terrorist Ted Kaczynski aka the Unabomber. The
main reason on why al Qaida exist and performs terrorism is through
religion. They are all Muslims and follow the Karan very intensely which
justifies these actions. The main reason for Teds act of terrors are mainly
psychological/social unconformity. He feels as though he does not belong
in society and feels the need to go against it. All of the events that I have
analyzed in the documentary are significant parts of the United States
history and for the majority have taken place within the last fifty years.
Several important sites and events I will be talking about are the central
part of London and the twin towers in New York City which are two
places effected by major attacks by Al-Qaida. Other places include
Northwestern University and UC Berkeley which were a couple of the
places targeted by the Unabomber. There will also be a more in depth
look at Afghanistan and Montana which were the places where the
terrorist resided in my observations.

Figured World: A figured world is

a social structure in which
people are recruited and
designed to have a set of social
standards and conventions that
each member is expected to
obey.

Actors: An actor is a person that

plays a role within a figured world.

Artifacts: objects that pertain a

significant value to a certain
character or to a group as a whole.

Rules and Conventions: The figured world I chose to

do my research topic was based on terrorism more
specifically the sociology behind terrorism and why
the groups choose to do what they do. In my paper I
decided to focus on two main terrorist groups one
being a domestic or homegrown terrorist and the
other being a group outside of the United States. I
decided to choose a specific terrorist rather than a
group for the domestic aspect of the observation
because I wanted to compare and contrast the
reasons and how the events are performed between
both a group and an individual. The reason I chose
this field to do my research on is because of the fact
that it is such a big problem globally and despite the
security we put up people still seem to have the urge
to commit these acts. Also I have always been
interested in anything crime or violence related
weather it has to do with in neighborhood crime or
even all the way up to terrorism. Terrorism has had a
great impact on the strength of our national security
and I think that it is an overall very interesting and
important topic to gain knowledge on.
The figured world I decided to base my project off of
is the sociology of terrorism. I really want to focus on
why people choose this kind of activity to prove a
point. I also will be studying two separate form of
terrorism the first being group and the second being
individual. The reason why Im doing this is to prove
that the reasons and tactics vary between who and
how many people are involved. The purpose of the
field Im observing is so that we get a better overall
view of how the mind of a terrorist works. This study
could be very beneficial to all parts of society based
on the reason that anybody at any given time could
initiate or be involved in an act of terror. We need to
get a better view of what initiates somebody to do
something of great impact so we can help people
and minimize the risk of something happening.
When talking about the rules and conventions of
terrorism it is really all over the map. Terrorism can
range anywhere from verbal intentions to blowing
things of great importance up to decapitation. In
other terms there really are no rules or regulations
for terrorism except for the fact that they all use
some sort of violence to solve a problem. I think that
terrorism has a huge part in the key words we saw in
the communities of practice reading. The words
domain, and community have significant connections
to terrorism because terrorism is usually started
among a group with common beliefs/interests. Most
of the times they commit these act to feel a sense of
purpose within their community.

Actors

Ted Kaczynski: Also known as the

infamous Unabomber is a homegrown
terrorist from Evergreen park, Illinois. In
the research I conducted Ted served as the
solo terrorist who was anything but
normal. He embodies the social role of an
outcast that never properly conformed to
the norms of society. At a young age he
was known to be a very serious individual
that was deeply focused in his studies. He
always like being alone locked away in his
room far from everyone else even his
family. He was considered a child prodigy
at the age of six after scoring a 170 on an
IQ test. He went through high school and
college continuing with the same social
issues he developed as a kid. In his early
adult life Ted makes some drastic move
and discovers who he really is as a person.

Osama bin Laden: Born in Riyadh,

Saudi Arabia Osama bin Laden was most
well known for being the leader and
founder of the Islamic terrorist group alQaida which was founded in 1988. The
group focused on symbolic acts of
terrorism instead of military campaigns. As
a child he was recognized as an
outstanding student at school. He received
a personal invitation to join a small Islamic
study group with the promise of earning
extra credit. He was to memorize the
Koran when he graduated but the group
lost its original focus and started education
of the principles of violent jihad. Osama
joined the Afghan resistance soon after to
fight the invading soviets. This is when he
saw how corrupt the Saudi government
was and his frustration with the U.S.
occupation of Saudi Arabia during the
Persian Gulf War grew. This was the start
of the formation of al Qaeda.

Artifacts

Kaczynskis Manifesto: The manifesto that ted wrote served as

a center piece of his way of life and what he thought life should be. In
his manifesto he stated that the industrial revolution and its
consequences have been a disaster toward the human race. He also
mentions that they have destabilized society, have made life
unfulfilling and have subjected humans to indignities. Ted sent his
manifesto to the New York Times to have it globally published which
was ultimately how he got caught. His brother recognized the style of
the writing as his brothers then turned him in to the FBI.

Koran: This is the sacred Islamic book written in Arabic that is

believed to be the word of God as dictated to Muhammad by the
archangel Gabriel. This book is a major influence and really a way of
life for the Islams. This book is the basis and the reason why Al Qaeda
commits such acts of violence. The book calls Muslims to war with
nonbelievers for the sake of Islamic rule. Some are quite graphic, with
commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels. Muslims
who do not join the fight are called 'hypocrites' and warned that Allah
will send them to Hell if they do not join the slaughter. This book is
considered sacred and a huge part of the Muslim community.
Communities of Practice: People that share a common
interest/passion that come together to collaboratively get better and
seek advice on that particular passion.

Library in Lincoln Montana: Though Ted did not like to interact

with other people he occasionally went to a library near his cabin in
Montana to keep himself sane. Though he did like isolation from
society he is still a human with emotions and needed some kind of
psychological boost to keep himself connected with the outside world.
At the library he liked to read books on philosophy and also practiced
his writing style and abilities. He also liked to share his intellect about
mathematics and his perspective of life to other people in the library.
The people he talked to at the library were perfectly normal. He was
not trying to get anyone else involved in his schemes mostly because
he didnt trust anyone else and like to be alone.

Al Qaeda: Al Qaeda has become one of the most prominent

and feared terrorist groups in the world. The group will go to any level
to obi by the sacred text of the Karan which means performing
outrageous acts of terror. The year of Osama bin Ladens death is the
year that the overall al Qaeda network became stronger. The United
States still doesnt know exactly what al Qaeda is or exactly how they
are structured so it is very hard to shut them down entirely.

Communities of Practice: People that share a

common interest/passion that come together to
collaboratively get better and seek advice on that
particular passion.

Domain: A domain creates a common

ground for the members of a community to
participate within group activities, gives
meaning to their actions and guides their
learning.

Library in Lincoln Montana: Though Ted

did not like to interact with other people he
occasionally went to a library near his cabin in
Montana to keep himself sane. Though he did
like isolation from society he is still a human with
emotions and needed some kind of psychological
boost to keep himself connected with the
outside world. At the library he liked to read
books on philosophy and also practiced his
writing style and abilities. He also liked to share
his intellect about mathematics and his
perspective of life to other people in the library.
The people he talked to at the library were
perfectly normal. He was not trying to get
anyone else involved in his schemes mostly
because he didnt trust anyone else and like to
be alone.

Al Qaeda: Al Qaeda has become one of

the most prominent and feared terrorist groups
in the world. The group will go to any level to obi
by the sacred text of the Karan which means
performing outrageous acts of terror. The year
of Osama bin Ladens death is the year that the
overall al Qaeda network became stronger. The
United States still doesnt know exactly what al
Qaeda is or exactly how they are structured so it
is very hard to shut them down entirely.

Religious freedom: One of the

main reasons people form terrorist
groups is because of their religious
guidelines promise them a certain
afterlife or to achieve religious freedom.
Religion is a very controversial subject
and is the reason many wars were fought.
These groups will do just about anything
to follow their religion.

Change to Government: Another

common goal of terrorists is to somehow
change the structure or policies of a
government. This will usually happen if a
person or a group of people do not agree
or fit into the structure or norms of
society. They feel like they need to have a
voice and society and choose to do this
through violence

Change/Retaliate against society:

This was one of the main reasons/goals
that led Ted into bombing. He believed
that the industrial revolution really
negatively impacted the way society ran
because of the new technology it
brought. He felt like he had no say in what
was going on so relied on bombing to get
everyones attention and to force a point
across.

Literacy Practices: Ways of communicating

within a community whether it is verbal,
written, or body language.

Sending letters: In the Unabombers case since he resided out in the wilderness the only
way to get in touch with him was either to visit him or send letters through mail. Since Teds
family was concerned about him they sent letters regularly to see how he was doing and often
sent him money so that he could survive. Ted rarely responded to the letters sent by his family
but when he did he was very negative toward them saying he didnt want anything to do with
them anymore.

Underground meetings: Since al Qaeda is located in Afghanistan they use the

mountainous terrain toward their advantage. They have underground meetings in secretive
tunnels to discuss future targets and tactics they plan to develop and use. They take these
precautions to protect their leaders lives and to be remote from any government activity.

Practices of the Community:

The things a community
performs in order to have a
better understanding of the
common interest within the
group. An example of this
would be brainstorming
ideas or problem solving.

Physical force to
cause terror: The primary
goal of any terrorist group is
to change the world in some
way that they see benefit to.
Most of these groups rely on
pure force and destruction
to get their point across
rather than using nonviolent
methods like speaking or
negotiation. This is a way for
the individual or group to
get back at society and have
a voice in how it is run.

Fundraising
money/making weapons: By
no means is terrorism cheap
it takes a lot of cash flow to
support its efforts. The Al
Qaeda group gets most of
its funds through its
followers and neighboring
countries. The Unabomber
got most of his funds
through his family sending
him letters when he was in
his cabin in Montana.
Without the funding
through the outside sources
these operations would
have defiantly been
significantly reduce or
possibly nonexistent. Based
on the size of the operation
the group can use these
funds to make homemade
explosive or use the money
toward something else like
in al Qaedas case training
men for certain terrorist
situations.

Observation

Observation

2:00mins- Explains that as a child Ted was very serious and did not like affection from his parents or his family. He did not like to be
around anyone else and usually kept himself isolated in his room. His parents sent him to nursery school at the age of three to
jumpstart his poor social skills. Though he was not gifted with social skills he was a child prodigy in the classroom. At age six he
took an IQ and scored between 160 and 170 classifying him as a genius. Throughout high school he never really made any friends
or socialized with anybody. He was considered a nerd by his fellow peers and was picked on frequently. Ted skipped his junior year
of high school and graduated at the age of sixteen. After high school he went on to attend Harvard on a scholarship where he
studied mathematics. He had carried his antisocial way of life throughout college also mostly locking himself in his dorm room with
his textbooks avoiding human interaction. He went on to earn a degree in mathematics then transferred to Michigan University for
his masters.
12mins- After getting his masters degree from the University of Michigan he then was offered a job as an assistant math professor
at the University of California at Berkley one of the nations most prestigious schools for mathematics. In 1967 Ted decided to
resign from Berkley and no longer pursue the career of mathematics. He set out to find something that fit himself more as a
person. Soon after Ted decided to buy some land in the remote forest of Lincoln Montana. There he built a one room shack to
reside in without running water or electricity. After several months in the woods Ted moved back to his parents house in Salt Lake
City where he got a job in a rubber factory working for his brother. He had found happiness when he was dating one of the
supervisors at the factory but soon fell back into his isolation state when she broke up with him. He then went back to live in his
cabin in Lincoln, Montana. The reason he left to go back to his cabin was because of the breakup with his girlfriend. He no longer
felt like he belonged in society and wanted to isolate himself yet again. He felt like society was backwards and wanted to retaliate
against it. This is how he really got into sending bombs.
21mins- A package exploded on the campus of northwestern university on May 24th 1978 injuring a security guard. The incident
went largely unnoticed. A year after another package exploded in the technological institute of the northwestern campus injuring a
grad student. Six months later a package exploded in the cargo hold of an airplane in a Chicago airport injuring a dozen passengers.
The FBI now suspected they had a serial bomber on their hands. Now Ted had targeted the president of the American airlines by
sending him a package to his mailbox. The mail bomb severely injured him. In the 1980s the Unabomber expanded his bombing
throughout the U.S but still targeting colleges and airlines. The University of Utah, UC Berkeley, Vanderbilt, and the Boeing airline
company all received bombs. The Unabomber claimed his first fatality when he sent a booby-trapped package to a computer store
in California. Ted made his first mistake when he was seen placing an explosive package on the porch of another computer store.
The police drew a sketch of the supposed bomber which forced Ted to lay low for a while. They also found wood components in
the structures of the bombs which lead them to the fact that the Unabomber was a skilled woods craftsman.
28mins: After six years of laying low Ted hit back with two mail bombs severely injuring two college professors. The FBI sent out a
massive manhunt for the suspect and was more urged to find him more than ever. The bombs became much more deadly now
killing more people than ever before. Ted then sent a manifesto to the New York Times demanding for it to be published. If it were
not published in ninety days he promised to kill again. It was soon published in hopes that someone could recognize who wrote the
letter. Teds brother recognized the style of writing as being his brothers ten turned him into the FBI. The FBI searched the cabin
and found two active bombs, bombing materials, the original manifesto and a diary of him admitting to the bombing. Ted was
sentenced to eight life terms in prison without parole.

Interview

Interviewee 2
Interviewee 1
Matt Hunter is twenty years of age and was my
neighbor back home. I decided to interview him to
get a normal persons reaction and viewpoint outside
of someone who was actually closely related to the
event. He still had very emotional and provoking
responses even though he wasnt directly involved.

*First response listed is interviewee one and

second response listed is interviewee two.

1.

Dave Gursslin is forty-eight years of age and one

of my dads close work friends. The reason I
decided to choose to interview him because at
the time of 9/11 he was a paratrooper and was
deployed to the towers when we first got news
they were hit. When he got to the towers he
was actually assigned to go in the buildings and
help to evacuate people. His firsthand
experience with the situation gave some very
key insight to my paper.

Define terrorism. In your opinion what do you think the objective of terrorism is? Do all terrorists groups have the same objectives?

Terrorism is committing an act of violence in hopes to change societys perspective or the way they operate. The main objective of a terrorist act is to
achieve some sort of religious freedom of to rebel against societys norms or the structure of its government. Most all terrorist groups have proven to have the
same goals.

Terrorism is when an individual or a group of people use violence and intimidation against certain persons or property to breakdown or coerce a civilian
population, government or any other social political objectives. Terrorist within a group certainly have the same goals/intentions because that is what makes
them strong and have a sense of belonging however across the board reasons of terror often vary. I think the reason objectives vary across different
people/groups have a lot to do with the way they grew up or the type of religion they believe in. These two reasons seem to drive why terrorists do what they do
the most.
2.

In what ways have the 9/11 attacks effected the United States?

The increase in security across the nation and the awareness of terrorism as a global threat.

Some of the main changes 9/11 brought to the U.S was the fact that we deployed troops to invade Afghanistan less than a month after to dismantle alQaeda, the increase in
security on the borders through the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and also the increase in technological surveillance through our phones and
online.
3.

Do you think terror can ever be justified why or why not?

No because there are other more effective ways of expressing your opinion then committing acts of terror. Why kill innocent people when they are not
the root of the problem.

Absolutely not, I never think that violence is the answer to any problem. Im more of a pacifist and tend to agree with the ways of mother Theresa,
Gandhi and Martin Luther King. These people are great examples of people who have changed the world through their words and examples without using
violence. Also these acts of terror are killing many innocent people how have absolutely nothing to do with the problem which is completely unjustifiable and
counterproductive.
4.

In your opinion will terrorism spread or decline in the future? Why do you think this?

In general I think it will remain pretty constant because there will always be the cultures whos religion supports these actions. However we are
ramping up security and preventative matters so I think we will be safer in the future.

Personally I think that terrorism will see an increase simply because of how the world is revolving and how fast technology is advancing. The advancing
technology and the web gives people a fast and easy way to communicate and browse anonymously and to hack into other servers to access private information
for the use of terror. It seems to me that as we advance so will the terrorists.
5.

Is the targeted assassination of a terrorist suspect an effective answer to terrorism? Why or why not?

No because once you kill the leader of the organization the other followers will bond stronger and want to rebel even more.

No I do not think so mainly because this will want to make the group want to retaliate even more which is just not worth it in the end because it could
ultimately kill even more innocent people. Like I said earlier violence is never a valid way to fix a problem.