Ever since the terror attacks that ensued in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015, the West has been shell shocked with a wave of fright associated with travel and public events.
The Paris attacks were conducted by gunmen and suicide bombers, who caused terror at a concert hall, a major stadium, and restaurants and bars throughout Paris.
The significance of the Paris attacks is not just from the hundreds of innocent people who were killed or injured by them, but also by the alarming nature of these attacks and the trepidation it has caused for people who weren’t even directly affected by them.
Similar to how government agencies issue travel warnings –statements that provide information about the relative safety of travelling to a specific foreign country–people have developed their own internal barometer of when and where they feel safe.
Many people, like senior RJ Meyer, find it hard to feel completely safe when traveling because of the continuous track record of terror attacks the world has seen this year.
This past summer, Meyer went on a European cruise with his family, and stated how he was innitially apprehensive to go on the trip.
“Predominately, I was scared of the airport. I didn’t want to be at a public airport, in a foreign country, when all you hear on the news are these terrorist attacks targeting highly populated areas such as airports and tourist sites,” Meyer said.
It is evident that terror is on the rise, when looking at a timeline of how often the news highlights terror attacks such as the work-place shooting in San Bernardino on Dec. 2, and the Brussels suicide bombings on March 22.
Similar to these examples, all terror attacks have one thing in common: no one could possibly expect or prepare for them, because no one wants to believe these tragedies could happen to them.
That’s where this anxiety and possible paranoia rises, leaving people questioning whether or not they want to go to nightclubs or even music festivals, places that people once had never thought twice about attending.
Popular music festivals such as Lollapalooza and Country Thunder are now under even stricter security restrictions and safety precautions. Security was at the top of people’s minds, since the festival took place just weeks after a truck rampage through a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France, and the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando that left 49 people dead.
“With this year being the 25th anniversary of Lollapalooza, and existing as one of the biggest attractions of young people in Chicago, I could see how people would be nervous to go to these events,” senior Isabel Egan said.
The question then rises, should people avoid traveling to foreign countries and going to highly populated events?
Sophomore Ella Schotz believes that people have different reactions to these events, “Since these attacks have occurred so far away from me, it doesn’t stay in my mind or affect my day cause I haven’t directly been affected.”
Schotz states that when she wants to go to a concert or the city, she doesn’t think of what could happen. “If I were to travel to another country where an attack had taken place, I would definitely be thinking about it more than I do here,” Schotz said.
Contrary to Schotz’s statement, senior Nate Denberg actually flew into Istanbul airport seven days after the bombings, “It didn’t bother me at all. I didn’t even think about it,” Denberg said.
Junior Alli Schwartz states that it’s important to trust our country’s security, “I am not particularly worried to travel, though outside of the country could be scary because you don’t know other country’s security policies. I think there’s a chance of something happening anywhere you go, but you can’t just not go places because you’re afraid an attack may happen,” Schwartz said.
French teacher Franck Greaux, chaperoned the trip to France this summer, and explained how safety was especially on their minds this year. “We tried not to get anyone too anxious about the whole process because that steals away from the experience of going abroad and enjoying yourself. We initiated a safety routine with each student. As chaperones, we asked students to look out for each other more, and more often than past times,” Greaux said.
Greaux stressed the importance that they did not avoid places in Paris or change the itinerary of their trip due to fears of an attack occurring.
Junior Michael Kolovos believes that these fears of not knowing when and where these terror attacks could occur, should not handicap you from doing things you want to do.
“It’s okay to be more cautious and aware, but don’t let your fears control what you do. I was going to the pride parade, and my parents didn’t want me to go. I regret not going and showing my support because it’s something that I wanted to do,” Kolovos said.
Many people, like Kolovos, believe that avoiding things in life and living in fear is not the answer when these terror threats become prevalent. “Just be cautious and aware of your surroundings, and stay at Perry’s at Lollapalooza,” senior Gus Raith said.