Stephanie Pedersen: Terrorism generation is the sad truth

I wanted to talk about local shopping for an entire month, but last weekend’s events changed my gameplan for this week.

I watched Friday afternoon as the first reports of shootings and hostages crossed the news wire. When it's international news, you're forced to wait and watch as a tragedy unfolds.

When I came home, I watched the news as I fell asleep. When I woke up, I skipped ESPN's "College GameDay" show for an update on what transpired in Paris.

I've watched while it seems like everyone I know has voiced their opinions on what military action we should take and whether to allow Syrian refugees in the United States. My timelines range from "Drop a bomb on those terrorists" to "Don't forget Christmas is about a Middle Eastern couple seeking refuge and shelter."

The sad truth is, I'm numb to most comments.

Sociologists say I'm part of the millennial generation, but I read something that was more accurate.

We're the terrorism generation.

That's what Jill Vejnoska, a reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, called us in a story this weekend.

After speaking to a few 20- to 30-somethings who didn't show strong reactions to the Paris news, Vejnoska perfectly summed up our generation.

"Indeed, it's that somewhat calm, rarely cavalier attitude of 'Things are going to happen' that seems to be the hallmark of this generation. Ask them whether they feel cheated out of a more innocent childhood and adolescence than previous generations, and they mostly shrug it off as if they've never known life any other way. Probably because they haven't."

On my 10th birthday, Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb and killed 168 people in Oklahoma City. That was the first time I heard the word "terrorist."

I was in Mrs. Boutwell's pre-calculus and trigonometry class when Mr. Vickers, now the principal at Central High but at the time was a math teacher, ran into the room and told us to turn on the TV.

We sat atop our classroom desks as we watched a plane crash into the second World Trade Center tower. Like others, we thought the news station was showing a replay of the first crash. But we were watching live television.

I cried as I watched President George W. Bush's speech that night. It's the first time I really remember being scared.

We're the terrorism generation because that hasn't stopped. Fear lives in the deepest parts of our souls because we've learned the next attack is almost inevitable.

And, unfortunately, we've learned to live with it and move on, knowing there's more to come. Everything we know tells us that because we've been at war most of my life.

Do we feel safe?

Not really. There's no peace in sight, but, like Vejnoska said, we've never known life any other way. But fear won't stop us from continuing to live.

Stephanie Pedersen, senior editor, spedersen@ledger-enquirer.com.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Stephanie Pedersen: Terrorism generation is the sad truth ."