Upside to a down economy? The terror-recession

Last week in New York City reminded me of the old days—i.e., pre economic downturn. The UN in session meant street closings and incessant sirens as the president journeyed from Letterman to the East 40s via secure caravan. Protest clusters camped out on street corners hoping to get a little bit of attention for their cause, whether it’s anti-healthcare, anti-globalization, or anti-Ahmadinejad. Cops formed their own clusters to direct traffic … and, just in case. Traffic, well, it sucked.

And then there’s the latest in terror news: Denver airport shuttle bus driver Najbullah Zazi, 24, was arraigned last week and appeared in court in Brooklyn Tuesday to plead not guilty to conspiring with others to make bombs—likely for use in the New York and other major subway systems.

This has all meant even more heightened alerts, and, of course, the usual disclaimers from the Feds. Attorney General Eric Holder says, “We believe any imminent threat arising from this case has been disrupted, but as always, we remind the American public to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.”

New Yorkers (and others in urban settings around the globe) get such warnings regularly. Back in flush times, I used to pay a lot more attention to them, to the extent that I might not take the subway and instead would choose to commute via bus, or perhaps even taxi (I know, I know, don’t change your behavior or the terrorists have won. But don’t they also win if they kill me?).

At any rate, if I saw something, you can be sure I was saying something.

But in May I got laid off, and the last few months I’ve been collecting unemployment, like a lot of Americans. Which means that I have bigger worries than my subway train exploding. When I do commute, I use public transportation, regardless of what’s happening in the news (well, except for taking the subway rather than the bus when the UN’s in session. That’s just practical.)

This made me think: Is it possible that an economic downturn can actually help us win the psychological battle against terrorism?

Just like the recession has reined in certain excesses, whether individualized or based in broader institutions, it’s also given us a new set of priorities. Statistically, you’re far more likely to get laid off from your job (9.7 percent of us are currently unemployed) than be killed in a terrorist attack. And when you’re facing the threat of job loss, or the threat of bouncing your rent check, vs. the threat of terrorism, which do you focus on?

If, like me, you’re waiting and waiting for that freelance check to finally arrive, or mustering the strength, as a 33-year-old adult, to borrow money from your parents to cover your credit card minimum, you’re confronting terrors of a different sort—terrors that, maybe, are far more real, and far more pressing, than whether someone will succeed in their acetone-based plot to destroy our fair city.

And if the bright spot in this whole recession is that terrorists have less of a hold on our day-to-day, or month-to-month, isn’t that a good thing?

I don’t like terror any way you slice it, whether it’s global or personal, based in bombs or lack of benefits. But I’m putting my faith in those paid to stop it, hoping they have better job security than I did, and, for now, focusing on my own bogeymen.