When I...

by High School Students Sydney

Rael, 17, male, Blacktown, Filipino Australian, Catholic

When I hear about a terrorist incident in a western country I feel desensitized to terror attacks as another unfortunate occurrence. When I hear politicians telling Muslim communities to take responsibility, I think that just fuels the problem. When I’m going through airport security I wonder that I’m grateful we have them. When I go on social media for the latest news, I feel sick by the amount of fake irrelevant articles and focus on celebrities the world’s media focuses on. When I think about the world I will inherit, I’m scared for my future and the next generation. When I think about my place in the world, I feel hopeless.

Claire, 17, female, Liverpool, Anglo Australian, no religion

When I think about the war on terror, I think about fear and the power of fear to demonize a group of people who halt culture based on the actions of a few. I turn on the news, another tragedy each day, another problem each week, a new scapegoat each month. Our politicians we elected forget they’re represent us. They have used the platform we’ve given them to push their own agenda, but what can I do? Bottled up fear fills my generation. When I think about to world I will inherit, my heart aches. When I think about my place in the world, I believe I don’t have one. When I go on social media for the latest news, I feel uncomfortable. Who are we? Who are you? Who am I? We cannot truly know how we are as our identity is every changing, just as this world is constantly shifting. In fact, the only constant is change, climate change, social change, and political change have swallowed out atmosphere and my generation regurgitates the burden of it. What has the world come to? The dynamic atmosphere of our world is a Shakespearean tragedy. Growing up in the world is like an ache in my stomach ripping out my gut.

Shaimaa, 16, female, Guildford, Lebanese/Australian, agnostic

When I think about 9/11, the first thing that comes to my mind is that is changed the lives of Muslims around the world forever.

Peter, 17, male, North-West Sydney, Anglo Australian, no religion

When I think of a terrorist, I think of a Muslim, but that is because what the media has taught me.

Jamil, 16, male, Rooty Hill, Syrian Australian, Christian Orthodox.

When I hear about a terrorist incident in a western country, I feel helpless for the future. When I hear politicians telling the Muslim community to take responsibility, I think what if I was in their shoes? When I’m going through airport security, I think of the buzzer sound going off. When I go on social media for the latest news, I feel nervous for what I will see, but it is also now entertainment in the sense that I know the news will exaggerate stories for attention. When I think about the world I will inherit, I feel worried and pressured. When I think about my place in the world, I feel powerful because violence has become a way of silencing truth.

Caz, 18, female, Dundas, Anglo Australian, Christian

When I hear about a terrorist incident in a Western country, I feel disappointed in the acts of humanity, regardless of the terrorist’s background. When I hear politicians telling the Muslim community to take responsibility I think that it is extremely racist and rude to do so. When I’m going through airport security I wonder, ‘Will anyone here actually cause harm?’. When I go on social media for the latest news I feel that I have a constant need to filter through biased articles and media companies that are not credible. When I think about the world I will inherit, I hope that the future will be much brighter and that society will manage to come together in order to prevent these acts of terrorism. When I think about my place in the world I realise how minuscule my problems are in comparison to issues around the globe.