1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff you should know 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 1: from house Stuff Works dot com? Hey, and welcome to 4 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Josh Clark with me as always as 5 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: Charles W. Chuck Bryant looking as spry as ever. Have 6 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: you ever seen Bad Santa? Yeah? Remember the kid? He's like, 7 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: you're granny? Is she spry? And it is. He's putting 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: on a ski mask and they come in the door 9 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: and he goes, Granny, are you spry? Really? Yeah? And 10 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: she's like, I'll make you some sandwiches. Now you're looking 11 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: very sprited it. Chuck, you've done something that you've never 12 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: done in me before. What man? What's going You literally 13 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: put a video on your laptop and just turned it 14 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 1: around and then started the podcast. And I'm waiting to 15 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: see what happens because I think it might have something 16 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: to do with the podcast. Did you see it? Did 17 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: it happen? It happened. It's pretty awesome and and it 18 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: has nothing to do with what we're podcasting, does it. 19 00:00:57,680 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: I just wanted you to see it. Putty General Interest. 20 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: I will be putting that on the Facebook page okay, 21 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: because ain't no party like our Facebook pages party. Yeah, 22 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: you're into people getting flung off of things. Apparently I'm 23 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,040 Speaker 1: in a little a little bit of that mood right now. Yeah, 24 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: how how are you doing? I'm great? Well good. We 25 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: should probably tone it down a little bit because this 26 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: is a grim, grim subject we're about to talk about. Yeah. 27 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: That was the first minute, was about all the fun 28 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: we're gonna have here. Yeah, so chuck, Um, I got 29 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: an intro for you. I was, um jogging you mean? 30 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: And I were jogging on tread mills, as is our 31 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: want usually, and um, I prefer tread mills because I 32 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:38,759 Speaker 1: can watch TV while I do and just totally forget 33 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: that I'm running. Right, the guy kills me, but it 34 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,959 Speaker 1: works so well. Like I'm up to like five miles 35 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: each time, right, you know what's soubring though I try 36 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: to run a single mile on pavement, I don't need to. 37 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: There's no TVs on pavement, you know, much different. During 38 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: one of these ventures, UM, I was watching CNN and um, 39 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: this weird It was Wolf Blitzer and this weird segment 40 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: came on where one of wolf Blitzer's journalists was in 41 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:13,080 Speaker 1: Libya meeting with the family of a man who had 42 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: blown himself up in a car full of explosives to 43 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: um gain entry for Libyan rebel fighters into this city. 44 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,839 Speaker 1: It's very disputed city. I can't remember which one. And 45 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 1: the guy was sitting down with the family, the two 46 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 1: daughters and the wife, who were grieving but holding a 47 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,119 Speaker 1: picture of the man talked to his best friend, who 48 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,519 Speaker 1: picked up the pieces of the guy and I realized 49 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: that it took me a minute, but it was dawning 50 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: on me that this is exactly what say um Afghani 51 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: or Talibani um State Television would do with one of 52 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 1: their suicide bombers. It was just like the embargo on 53 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: discussed over suicide bombing as a general rule was lifted 54 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: because someone CNN was rooting for blew himself up and 55 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: suddenly it was okay. But I mean, like step for step, 56 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: it was like a celebration of this man's heroism for 57 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: blowing himself up. And I just thought it was really nuts. 58 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: And I guess it's probably as unobjective as I should 59 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,720 Speaker 1: be throughout this podcast, but it struck me as really, 60 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: really strange. I wrote a blog post on it called 61 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: um CNN oddly celebrates suicide bombers hero or remember like that. 62 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: But it was just so weird, And there's in the 63 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: blog post there's video. Somebody found it and posted it. 64 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: So there's a video of this weird segment that just 65 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: sticks out like a sore thumb. And um, I guess that. 66 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: What I learned is that my personal opinion is suicide 67 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: bombing is wrong no matter what side is doing it. 68 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 1: I think I would agree with that. All right. So 69 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: this is a relatively new thing, right, suicide bombing it's 70 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: new because there bombs are fairly new, right, Yeah, But 71 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: it's far far more ancient than that. It is the 72 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: concept of killing yourself or dying in the name of 73 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: religion is pretty ancient. Oh yeah, you want to go 74 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: all the way back to martyrdom in general, might as well. Okay, 75 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: start at the beginning. Martyrdom is what we're talking about, obviously, 76 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: when you talk about suicide bombing, it's forsaking your own 77 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:25,119 Speaker 1: life for a higher cause, for a principle, for your faith, 78 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: anything that is not for your direct like earthly benefit, 79 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: but maybe benefit later on to elevate your cause, but 80 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: benefits for you in the afterlife. And so generally that's 81 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: what we suspect make suicide bombers tick. That's what is martyrdom. 82 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,040 Speaker 1: And it's because although it is like a very deep 83 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: there's a deep religious afiliation between martyrdom and um suicide 84 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 1: like this suicide bombing. It doesn't necessarily have to be religious. 85 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: It can be sure your side, your cause, like the 86 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 1: forty one year old oil worker who is Libyan Um 87 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: was for the rebel faction. It had nothing to do 88 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:10,520 Speaker 1: with religion. He was just willing to die for his cause, 89 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: as all suicide bombers are. Religion kicks it up a 90 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 1: little notch though so well. The and the reason why 91 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:18,160 Speaker 1: is because it's so ingretened. The two are so entangled 92 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: from such an ancient place, right like our lamb who 93 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:27,360 Speaker 1: did this article? Who did this? He wrote it? Um 94 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: he he he traces martyrdom back to um the second 95 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:39,119 Speaker 1: or third century BC. Right. What with King Nebuchadnezzar. Yeah, yeah, 96 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 1: the famous story in uh in Bible history, the Book 97 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: of Daniel. We all know King Nebuchadnezzar gave as the 98 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:51,159 Speaker 1: best boys called them, shad rack mishak the bed nig. Yeah. 99 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 1: I can't, I can't see this three names together without 100 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:58,159 Speaker 1: thinking about that too. Well, these boys were three Jewish guys. 101 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,279 Speaker 1: That's probably why they called themselves at in the song, 102 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: and they in the in the Bible story, he never 103 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: cand as gave him the choice, you can renounce your 104 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: Jewish faith or you can burn alive. And they said, 105 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 1: you know what, we're the Beastie boys and we don't 106 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: give in to anybody, and so we're gonna not renounce 107 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 1: our faith. They were thrown into the fiery furnace and 108 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: they lived, which the lesson there was an early lesson 109 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 1: in martyrdom, which was, hey, you know what, God's gonna 110 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,720 Speaker 1: protect those who die in his name. Doesn't it make 111 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: you wonder? Like, don't you don't you tend to think 112 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:36,799 Speaker 1: that in stories like that? Somewhere eons ago, something happened, 113 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: possibly with these three people. What happened and eventually got 114 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 1: translated into they were thrown into this furnace and they 115 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 1: walked out unscathed, like did somebody like lose their grip 116 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: on them? And they skirted across like a camp fire, 117 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:54,880 Speaker 1: you know, and like their robes didn't catch and everybody 118 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: was like, oh my god, you know, and and then 119 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: it just to just to make it more easily died 120 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: juestable for the masses. It was transformed into this larger thing. 121 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:08,040 Speaker 1: My feeling when it comes to parables like this, where uh, 122 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: to me, it's obvious that someone wasn't unscathed and a 123 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 1: burning fire was that maybe someone was burned like they 124 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: were being tortured and saying renounced religion, being burned with 125 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: like fiery torches or something, and they refused and refused, 126 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: and they couldn't be broken, and so they were set free. 127 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: And that becomes a parable in the way of something 128 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,680 Speaker 1: miraculous like this. That makes that makes sense. It's good analysis. 129 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: I probably get killed for that, But the point is, Um. 130 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 1: The the idea was that if that God's God's got 131 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 1: your back, if you're willing to die for him, right, yes, 132 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 1: But that eventually transformed into what we what people still 133 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: believe today that toil on this planet leads to bounty 134 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: in the next life. The Big three. I'll believe that, 135 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,400 Speaker 1: and you can trace that back to the early the 136 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,120 Speaker 1: early Church, early Jewish faith, early Christian faith, and the 137 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: early Muslim faith. UM, and martyrdom goes back just as 138 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 1: far and comes from the same tree. The idea that 139 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: if you sacrifice yourself, you're going to gain reward after this. 140 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: So what's a few minutes of pain for a lifetime 141 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: of happiness and pleasure? Yeah? Right, Well, and the non 142 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: suicide version, where you're actually killing other people in the 143 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: name of your God goes back to maybe not the 144 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: first time, but one good example Robert Use was in 145 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: d rather than surrendering to the Roman authorities, a rebel 146 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:46,920 Speaker 1: group basically killed their own themselves and every last man 147 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 1: and woman. This one I think was probably literal, Yeah, probably, 148 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: so does like do you think about how that would 149 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 1: be treated today though? Yeah, like the authorities are coming 150 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 1: and you kill every man, woman and child inside and 151 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:09,840 Speaker 1: sounds like a standoff at at Waco or something. Um. So, 152 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,080 Speaker 1: but your your point is, I think the larger point 153 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,199 Speaker 1: is is that people were willing to kill themselves, kill 154 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 1: those close to them, um, and kill others eventually and 155 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 1: in the name of God, and expected some sort of 156 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 1: reward for it. So you were talking about the rise 157 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:31,720 Speaker 1: of Islam, right, So it was a D six ten 158 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:35,640 Speaker 1: when the prophet Muhammad received his first vision right and 159 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: basically was set about going forth to found um Islam, 160 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:45,959 Speaker 1: and within fourteen years, uh, he had amassed something of 161 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: of an army and was taking on other people in 162 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: in the in the area. Right. It was pretty successful 163 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:56,440 Speaker 1: at it, Right, So what I gained from this, And 164 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: I'm certainly not a scholar in Islam at all. I'm 165 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:04,160 Speaker 1: not a scholar in any religion. It um the Islam 166 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:09,920 Speaker 1: came out of a place of strife and battle, and 167 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:15,520 Speaker 1: so thustly this concept of jihad came about fairly early on. Yeah, 168 00:10:15,559 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 1: there's two two parts to jihad. If you've never you've 169 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:20,400 Speaker 1: heard that word a lot used, probably for the second part, 170 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:23,960 Speaker 1: which was a righteous battle in the physical world. But 171 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: the first part of jihad means it's an inward struggle 172 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:30,200 Speaker 1: of the soul uh in Arabic. So it's a two 173 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 1: pronged thing there in the Kuran, basically vindicated defense and 174 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:39,960 Speaker 1: compact in the name of protecting the faithful as well 175 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: as retaliation. So it's traced back to the Koran as 176 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: far as probably the birth of the notion of something 177 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: like a suicide bombing, even though it certainly doesn't say 178 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 1: that anything about that anywhere in the Kuran. So jihad 179 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: played a big role in the Crusades, which was the 180 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: Christian version of the Holy War right um, and that 181 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: was taking it to the Muslim's doorstep, basically invading the 182 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 1: Middle East. Right, Europeans invading the Middle East. It was 183 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:16,800 Speaker 1: the Crusades UM. And so from these conflicts UM, during 184 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 1: the the Dark Ages, the Medieval ages UM, the Crusades uh, 185 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:25,200 Speaker 1: and after the birth of Islam UM, this this idea 186 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,840 Speaker 1: of taking a single person and going and doing as 187 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:32,200 Speaker 1: much damage as you possibly could came about. So do 188 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: you remember in the Sniper podcast we talked about sniper's 189 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 1: being considered militarily forced multipliers. So are suicide assassins. And 190 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:46,400 Speaker 1: the term assassin actually comes out of this era and 191 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:53,280 Speaker 1: from the Middle East. UM, from the word hashishan Persian word, Uh, 192 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:56,439 Speaker 1: the name of a radical Shiite sect. Didn't know that, Yeah, 193 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:01,559 Speaker 1: So hashish An assassin are one of the same Hashian 194 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 1: Hashihan assassin. Right the the you may recognize the word 195 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:14,079 Speaker 1: hashish as a type of pot residue. So if if 196 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 1: you find it odd that the word hashish pops up, 197 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 1: um be advised that the sect, the Hashihan um smoked 198 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:28,200 Speaker 1: hash as part of their religious ritual. Yeah. They were 199 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:30,840 Speaker 1: also the ones though who would go out and Um. 200 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:36,239 Speaker 1: There they were tasked with um killing like public officials 201 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:41,120 Speaker 1: in very public places to basically terrorize the population. Like 202 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 1: like if you kill somebody like that, you cut someone's 203 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:47,760 Speaker 1: head off in a crowded square, you're gonna die. But 204 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 1: the leaders had just got cut off in front of me, 205 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:53,200 Speaker 1: and now I'm really freaked out. It was the first 206 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,840 Speaker 1: early versions, ancient versions that would later become suicide bombings. 207 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: But that sect was wiped out by Mongol in twelve 208 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:03,320 Speaker 1: fifty seven, and there was kind of a break on 209 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:05,960 Speaker 1: this activity for a while as far as world history goes. 210 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,920 Speaker 1: And then you get to World War Two and the 211 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:16,400 Speaker 1: Japanese Kamakazi pilots who are most essentially suicide bombers except 212 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 1: by way of a plane. Yeah, through the Bushido code. Yeah, 213 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 1: But usually think suicide bombing is someone on foot, but 214 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:26,319 Speaker 1: it can really, you know, you can do. There's been boats, 215 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 1: there's been cars and trucks, humans walking, and then obviously 216 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:34,960 Speaker 1: planes flying into aircraft carriers. Really a male cart filled 217 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:39,400 Speaker 1: with explosives, you're gonna get the same. You're a suicide bomber. Well, 218 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:43,199 Speaker 1: Robert Lamb puts the first modern suicide attack in Lebanon 219 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: in nine during War between civil war between Christian and 220 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 1: Muslim militants, and there was a loan suicide bomber Shiite 221 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: hit in Iraqi embassy in Beirut, and the US entered 222 00:13:56,800 --> 00:14:00,720 Speaker 1: the conflict the next year, and so a side bomber 223 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:03,880 Speaker 1: drove into the U. S embassy I remember that, actually, 224 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 1: killing sixty three people. Yeah, that was in April, and 225 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,000 Speaker 1: most folks say this is like the beginning of the 226 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 1: modern suicide mission, right. And then in October two truck 227 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,720 Speaker 1: bombs drove into the marine barracks in Beirut and killed 228 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:21,200 Speaker 1: two people French and American I think two D forty 229 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 1: one Marines. So, like you said, that's the birth of 230 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: the modern suicide bomber. And unfortunately it's just basically been 231 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:31,240 Speaker 1: gaining momentum ever since. This whole concept of I'm going 232 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: to strap a bunch of explosions to myself and walk 233 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:36,360 Speaker 1: into a crowd and blow myself up and kill as 234 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:39,840 Speaker 1: many other people as I possibly can. Yeah, let's poke 235 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:42,320 Speaker 1: around inside the mind because people have been curious what 236 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:46,240 Speaker 1: kind of person does this um? Because obviously, if you 237 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 1: look at UM just from a straight physical standpoint, they 238 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:52,160 Speaker 1: did find between the ages of eighteen and twenty four 239 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:55,160 Speaker 1: is your average age of a suicide bomber. Apparently Israel 240 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:57,880 Speaker 1: conducted studies in the late nineties to figure out what 241 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 1: they you know, who sus eye bombers were, right. So, 242 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: so the sense of despondency and teens is playing a 243 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 1: part here. The whole world is against them teens. How 244 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:11,880 Speaker 1: many teens feel that way? I know I did, uh, 245 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:14,520 Speaker 1: and it's no different in other countries. UM combine these 246 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:19,960 Speaker 1: feelings with tyranny. You're oppressed, you're angry. Uh. And then 247 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: the final center here is usually and I think they 248 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:26,120 Speaker 1: even have a study that there's some sort of personal 249 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: loss attached to the person that ends up being picked 250 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 1: to carry out the mission. Right, their parents were killed 251 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: or wounded or put in prison. Yeah, yeah, I'll do it. Yeah. 252 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:40,040 Speaker 1: It wasn't a study, but it said it is readlarly 253 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:44,240 Speaker 1: psychiatrist UM sifted through the lives is how Robert put it. 254 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 1: And they did discover and almost all cases connections to 255 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:50,560 Speaker 1: like slain their wounded family members or friends. And for 256 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: the most part they were males. But as times worn on, women, children, 257 00:15:55,520 --> 00:16:00,360 Speaker 1: older people have UM all joined the echelons of UM 258 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:04,880 Speaker 1: suicide bombers, right, they're usually very poor. Yeah, um, there was. 259 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,320 Speaker 1: Did you hear about the woman from UM I guess 260 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:12,960 Speaker 1: she was a chechen extremist in um Moscow on New 261 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 1: Year's Eve. She had a suicide belt and was getting 262 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 1: ready to walk out into Red Square to blow herself 263 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: up and take just tons of people with her, and 264 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: she decided it didn't match her purse. She didn't make 265 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:27,920 Speaker 1: it out of the apartment because she got a spam 266 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: text from her cell phone provider saying Happy New Year, 267 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:37,800 Speaker 1: and it blew her up really, you know, in her room. Yeah, 268 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:41,680 Speaker 1: in her apartment. She didn't have her cell phone off, 269 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 1: which apparently is standard procedure. Like she they went out 270 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: and bought a cell phone just for that purpose. The 271 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,240 Speaker 1: provider sent a spam text to everybody, because you know, 272 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: cellphone providers have been thinking, like, we're providing service to 273 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: somebody who's going to blow up a bunch of people 274 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:00,280 Speaker 1: as a terrorist, the same we want to tell don't 275 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:03,200 Speaker 1: happy New here exactly. Wow, I didn't hear about that. 276 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 1: It's true. So uh. One other common trait is that 277 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: they obviously are willing to die for their cause, but 278 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:14,320 Speaker 1: they are also willing to kill for their cause. UM 279 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:18,440 Speaker 1: most terrorists don't have, you know, they have no empathy 280 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 1: for the suffering of other people. And it helps that, uh, 281 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:24,280 Speaker 1: in the case of US versus them, that the them 282 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 1: is very very different from themselves, which is certainly the 283 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 1: case with the Middle East and the United States. It 284 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:32,679 Speaker 1: couldn't be any more different as far as countries go, 285 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:35,960 Speaker 1: and people go, yeah, yeah, there's definitely a whole sentiment 286 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:44,880 Speaker 1: that UM occupation and invasion fans the flames of suicide bombing. Well, yeah, 287 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 1: because that you see your you see Americans as an 288 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:51,840 Speaker 1: invader and an occupier and a savage and a nonbeliever, 289 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:54,480 Speaker 1: which is a big part that that part about jihad 290 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:59,200 Speaker 1: in the Koran says basically like this is what happens 291 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,199 Speaker 1: to nonbeliever. This is what you do to nonbelievers. To 292 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: an extent, Robert points out that if suicide bombers were 293 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 1: left just completely alone, they might want to back out 294 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 1: or think twice. So that's why they surround them toward 295 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 1: go time with the social network of supporters to say, 296 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: you know, you're doing the right thing. They isolate you 297 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:23,000 Speaker 1: from your family and friends and UM show you videos 298 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: martyrdom videos to reinforce that what you're doing is you know, 299 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,679 Speaker 1: you make a martyrdom video, you make your own saying 300 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:31,920 Speaker 1: like I'm about to blow a bunch of people up 301 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 1: and I can't wait to get to the afterlife. And 302 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 1: I'm like a true UM believer. You're right, I read 303 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 1: that wrong and um and so that that is it's 304 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:44,400 Speaker 1: not only inspiring, it's also like, you can't back out 305 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:47,320 Speaker 1: now you've made your video, like you you this is 306 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:49,879 Speaker 1: your point of no return. Well, because yeah, that'd be 307 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,560 Speaker 1: probably even more shameful. But I think people, you know, 308 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 1: that survival instinct is very strong. So there's these people 309 00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:59,520 Speaker 1: that are handling them. Usually one of them will go 310 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:04,560 Speaker 1: with the suicide bomber to the target area and we'll 311 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: basically keep them encouraged and um on on track and um, 312 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:14,040 Speaker 1: I imagine will blow them up if they decide that 313 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: they want to back out. Yeah, well, and beyond that, 314 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:21,439 Speaker 1: sometimes it's planned that way. Sometimes the the assistant is 315 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:26,320 Speaker 1: has the detonator to prevent any kind of backout. I 316 00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 1: think that there's probably a backup detonator, Yeah you think, yeah, Okay, 317 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 1: that's my suspicion. So we're talking about the nuts and 318 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:35,720 Speaker 1: bolts of it all A sudden then let's go ahead. 319 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 1: And with that you mean the shrapnel. Yeah, suicide bomber, 320 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:42,400 Speaker 1: it's not a very elaborate, expensive operation that costs about 321 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 1: a hundred and fifty bucks probably worth of explosives and 322 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,880 Speaker 1: one human life willing to do so. And you've got 323 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:51,360 Speaker 1: yourself a suicide bomber, whether it's a duffel bag full 324 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:55,960 Speaker 1: of stuff or something you strap on your chest. Uh. 325 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:58,560 Speaker 1: Like you said, they've used trucks and boats. Well, deffel 326 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 1: bags are um apparently out a vogue because you will 327 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:03,120 Speaker 1: get shot in the head if you look like you 328 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,639 Speaker 1: are dropping remotely Middle Eastern and you have a duffel 329 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,560 Speaker 1: bag at least if you're in London in two thousand 330 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:14,080 Speaker 1: five in your Brazilian right. Yeah. Um, but you were 331 00:20:14,119 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 1: saying this, it's just one person with a duffel bag 332 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:24,000 Speaker 1: or a vest or a belt. And uh, the the 333 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:28,640 Speaker 1: attack of um a suicide bomber is threefold, right. One, 334 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:32,560 Speaker 1: it kills a bunch of people, so it's terroristic. Two, 335 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:34,679 Speaker 1: it draws a lot of attention to this cause that 336 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:38,000 Speaker 1: at least one person is willing to die for. And 337 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: then three it's it's a force multiplier because it has 338 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:44,240 Speaker 1: like a huge effect on morale in the psyche of 339 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:47,880 Speaker 1: the population. But it can also go the other way. 340 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,680 Speaker 1: Um has pointed out with World War Two, Um, it 341 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: can either Like it's happened both ways in America because 342 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 1: when two forty one Marines were killed in the truck 343 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:03,679 Speaker 1: bombing in nineteen eight for UH, President Reagan said in 344 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,960 Speaker 1: his in his memoir that that had a big deal 345 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:11,040 Speaker 1: with his pulling out of that region. Like he was like, 346 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:14,159 Speaker 1: now you know what, forget that these people are willing 347 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:16,080 Speaker 1: to do this. I'm getting my guys out of there. 348 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:18,439 Speaker 1: Or in the case of World War Two with the Japanese, 349 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:21,640 Speaker 1: let's drop two bombs on their country that they won't 350 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:24,360 Speaker 1: be able to recover from because they're willing to fly 351 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:27,679 Speaker 1: their planes into our aircraft carrier. You know, that's not 352 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:30,240 Speaker 1: how the Japanese tell it. How they tell They tell 353 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:32,399 Speaker 1: it like they were starting to make moves that they 354 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 1: were willing to surrender, and the Americans had so much 355 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:39,840 Speaker 1: money invested in this research that they basically needed and 356 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:43,399 Speaker 1: wanted to see what happened. It certainly doesn't surprise me. 357 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:45,880 Speaker 1: There are two versions of that story. That's the way 358 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:52,639 Speaker 1: history works. So Chuck, yes, Um, what I guess what 359 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 1: are these things made up? You said you can fill 360 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 1: a truck belt all this stuff, what is it? Well, 361 00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:01,240 Speaker 1: it varies, of course between what your resources are. I 362 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:04,040 Speaker 1: think in the early days they would just re jigger 363 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: land mines and I use those. But now it's everything 364 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 1: from T and T too, something called t a TP 365 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:18,359 Speaker 1: triacetone triper oxide and then other plastic explosives stuff. They 366 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:20,560 Speaker 1: can do a lot of damage. And they found too 367 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:25,879 Speaker 1: that uh, the more people around the suicide bomber the better. 368 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,680 Speaker 1: Obviously not for those people close in proximity, but if 369 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:31,960 Speaker 1: you hear that there's a suicide bomber suspect and all 370 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:35,399 Speaker 1: of a sudden the crowd disperses, it's gonna have a 371 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 1: blast zone that's much greater and cover a much more 372 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 1: area because the thick, massive people around that person create 373 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:47,480 Speaker 1: basically a human shield, which is pretty serious stuff. And uh, 374 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,360 Speaker 1: in London two thousand five, you want to I've talked 375 00:22:50,359 --> 00:22:53,159 Speaker 1: about that. Remember, Oh is that when you meant by 376 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:54,480 Speaker 1: shot in the head. Yeah, he got shot in the 377 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 1: head seven times. And he's not a suicide bomber. No, 378 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:01,680 Speaker 1: he's just some guy from Brazil the staken identity. Yeah, 379 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: that was a pretty jumpy time, if I remember correctly, Yes, 380 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:09,840 Speaker 1: it was you got anything else? M m oh. I 381 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:13,800 Speaker 1: thought the very end had a very interesting um. The 382 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 1: thing that Israeli settlers were trying was they proposed burying 383 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:23,680 Speaker 1: suicide bombers in pig skin body bags as a way 384 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:28,200 Speaker 1: of discouraging suicide bombers from because I guess if they think, 385 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:30,960 Speaker 1: if I'm gonna be buried in pigskin, that's not the 386 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 1: afterlife that I'm that I'm looking for. But the problem is, 387 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:37,159 Speaker 1: and Robert does a good job pointing, that's how I 388 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:45,640 Speaker 1: think when you the suicide bombing is capable of dehumanizing 389 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:49,359 Speaker 1: on both levels, right, that would have not only um, 390 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:55,040 Speaker 1: I guess, to dehumanize the suicide bomber, but it dehumanized 391 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 1: the Israelis Right. So part of the the whole um 392 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:03,440 Speaker 1: feedback machanism for suicide bombings is that one side doesn't 393 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:06,359 Speaker 1: see the other's human any longer. Right, you're willing to 394 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:10,200 Speaker 1: die for your cause, so you're crazy or um, you 395 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,639 Speaker 1: are worth dying to kill because I don't see you 396 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 1: as a person any longer, and so that that would 397 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 1: have been counterproductive. I'm sure, good job. This is a 398 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:25,080 Speaker 1: tough one. Yeah it was. I'm glad we got through it. Man. Okay, yeah, 399 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 1: it's a tough topic. I hope we explained like how 400 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:32,040 Speaker 1: it works in the history and was it good? Maybe 401 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:34,520 Speaker 1: I was? Okay, Okay. If you want to learn more 402 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:39,160 Speaker 1: about suicide bombers, you can type in suicide bombers, um terrorism. 403 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:43,240 Speaker 1: There's another article on how terrorism works. Um. Just type 404 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:45,520 Speaker 1: whatever you want in the search bar at how stuff 405 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:49,400 Speaker 1: works dot com and you will be pleasantly surprised. We 406 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 1: virtually guarantee it, um, I said, handy search bar. So 407 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:58,480 Speaker 1: what do you want to do? No listener mail today? 408 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:03,320 Speaker 1: All right, in lieu of listener mail, because I was 409 00:25:03,359 --> 00:25:05,679 Speaker 1: just reading listener mail itist not enough. I saw that 410 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:09,000 Speaker 1: you made a face and kind of like way and 411 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:12,159 Speaker 1: don't have another one ready, So let's just say, how 412 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:16,120 Speaker 1: about just to thank you for for listening? Is that good? 413 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:20,840 Speaker 1: That's what we're doing? Yeah? All right, thank you for listening, everybody? Yeah? 414 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:26,479 Speaker 1: Something simple? That was it? Keep it pure? Okay? All right? Uh, 415 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 1: if you want to say thank you back, we always 416 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:32,880 Speaker 1: appreciate that. You can send us an email to Stuff 417 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:41,960 Speaker 1: Podcast how stuff Works dot com. Be sure to check 418 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,120 Speaker 1: out our new video podcast Stuff from the Future. 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