Gunshots and explosions pierce the city sounds in Paris, normally a city of love, culture, and romance. At least 130 bodies lie lifeless in the stadium, in the concert hall, in the cafe. Just last Friday, Paris, France was rocked by simultaneous, coordinated ISIS attacks supposedly carried out by 8 operatives, one still at large. Around the world, even in the halls of Jesuit, people are reacting in a broad spectrum of ways to the unprecedented attacks.
Yet when it comes to dealing with the tragic events, art teacher Mr. Joe Howard is not sure how to act. “I have to believe that people in power know better than me what the best solution is,” he said. On the hacktivist group Anonymous’ declaration to fight ISIS through cyber attacks he admitted, “[It’s] not the best solution, it might get in the way.” Mr. John Skrhak, who runs the help desk here at Jesuit also was at a loss for solutions to the ISIS problem, saying, “I’m not sure how we’re going to catch these guys…It seems that they are all over the place.”
Many students, like Jacob Dewa ‘18, expressed fear for the repercussions of the Paris attacks. “I feel that the world’s not safe to live in,” he said. Still others see this as a call to action against terrorism, especially that of the Islamic State. Will Fynes ‘18 said, “The bombings, while extremely tragic, have given us a renewed awareness of Isis.”
All in all, the tragedy will no doubt drastically transform the security landscape of both France and the world as past large-scale terrorist tragedies like 9/11 have; nevertheless, Paris will pick up the pieces and move forward.
