Monkey, I know it might sound completely off-topic, but I just wasted five minutes of my life watching your avatar 'complete' itself.
It was hypnotic to say the least.
XD
That said, I think we can divide 'actions' in three categories.
Those to Raise an Issue
Those to Spawn Terror
Those to Kill Someone.
The first is like the Buddhists who burn themselves, or suicides committed by indebted people. They bring forth an issue, but they don't have the 'push' to make someone find a solution to it in a reasonable amount of time.
The second are those who commit actions to potentially harm others, like explosions, messages about bombs in schools, and things like that. Terrorist actions are generally here if they target the population or public areas.
The third and last are those who 'attack' to kill, not to display an action of fear but to bring across an objective with killing. Kill the president to topple the government type of things.
The third type is the one that is generally done by 'enemy of state' groups. There are no explosions, no massive 'we fight in the name of god' or 'Jihad for all!' The third type is the 'You government suck. We anarchist hate you. We kill as many of yours as we can' or 'We wanted money from the bank, excuse us while we lay waste to your economy'. It's clear-cut. It's easy to NOT fear it because you don't know who's enemy and who isn't. There isn't a 'common trope' with whom you can associate the enemy, and that is why it isn't fearful.
'Neo-Nazi' in Germany strike immediate reaction.
'Muslim terrorist' does the same. Why? Because they are identifiable 'tropes' that ring a bell.
And they 'bleed' out into common life too.
I see a white skinned guy with blond hair and blue eyes striking down a black skinned man? He's a Nazist! Arrest him officer! (Nevermind it might actually be self-defense or what not)
The Italian over there claims the Government should rule over everyone with honesty? Oh damn, a Fascist! Let's arrest him!
The American is ranting about mexican immigrants, when he himself is an immigrant? Yeah, hello 'murican'.
This 'Tropes' identify a 'Genre' of population.
Humans categorize people. No need playing a 'racist!' card. It's the truth.
I think of English people as guys who drink tea at five.
Then they can be as diverse as they are, but 'He's English' always makes me think 'he'll take his tea with milk at five o'clock, then'.
'French' makes me say 'Frogs and baguettes'.
Russian goes with 'Vodka'.
American actually goes with McDonald.
Iraq goes with 'petrol' and 'sand'.
We associate things, and the game of association is risky, because it isn't 'logically deduced' but 'instinctively' deduced.
Think 'Muslim'. The first words you thought are what you truly think them to be, even when your brain comes around and says 'now come on, don't be hasty'
If you say anything different than your first thought words, then you're an hypocrite, but it doesn't matter...because the words you first thought are your undeniable truth of what you truly think.
And what you were brought to think too.