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Fear.
It's why we don't pet a growling dog, or swim in shark infested waters.
It's why we activate our burglar alarms at night.
A little bit of fear keeps us safer.
But it's also why George W Bush was in office for 8 terrible years.
And why the news media is still in business.
Today the headline on the free newspaper they hand out at the subway was "Is there a terrorist among us?"
Talk about fear. Or should I say, fear mongering.
By now, most of you heard about the car-bomb that was found in Times Square this weekend. Thanks to a quick thinking street vendor who alerted a police officer of the smoking SUV, lives were saved.
It could have really, really bad.
But while the thought of an attack on the city is scary, it's also not surprising. NYC is a target. It always has been and always will be. Mayor Bloomberg said it well: "Terrorists around the world, who feel threatened by the freedoms that we have, always focus on those symbols of freedoms – and that is New York city,"
But I want to get back to that cover and that headline. The picture of your average New Yorkers going about their day combined with that headline:
"Is there a terrorist amongst us?"
Yes, there is. Likely more than one. Remember the failed subway bombing plot?
But why frighten people more than they already are? Is that really the first thing our bleary eyes need to read as we begin our morning commutes?
I'm planning to leave New York City in three months. Not because I'm afraid of the big bad wolf. Not because the news media has scared me away. Because I'm ready for something new. But I will always love this city and it saddens me that there are people out there who would try to harm it and the people in it. We didn't start the war. We didn't steal the oil. We're just human beings trying to make it through the day. Just like everyone else on the planet.
We can't let the fear win. And we can't let the media exploit the fear.
We must continue riding the subway. We must continue to visit Times Square. (Not me, I hate Midtown)
We must feel the fear and we must do it anyway.
That's how we send the message that we won't be bullied or scared into silence
That's how we win.
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