Terrorists have a Walter Mitty complex

[badlands]

Do all these cowards have a Walter Mitty complex?

[Michael]

I suppose you might be able to find a few people who dream of doing "great things" but I believe most of the "terrorists" are simply misguided fools following the wrong leaders. They are like Nazis and the legions of conquering soldiers who followed all the war-mongers and evil leaders throughout human history.

People join violent causes for intensely personal reasons. I doubt, though, that many of them are doing so because they secretly dream of being great heroes.

[rkomar]

Besides, I took Walter Mitty to be a dreamer who did it to escape reality. Actually doing something heroic wasn't in his make-up. Whatever terrorists are, they aren't behaving like Walter Mitty.