You do? Well here it is–the last paper I have for ENG101…
The 9/11 Society:
Changes in Society since the Events of 9/11
Attitudes have changed quite a bit since the events that took place in the United States on September 11, 2001. American citizens have gone searching and finding new definitions of war, terrorism, patriotism, and heroism. Flags have been waving in places where a flag had never been erected. Memorials, in the forms of paintings, signs, flowers, and even monuments, just to name a few, have been erected all across our nation so that we may honor and not forget the souls that were lost in the strike and the aftermath of the fall of the Twin Towers, and the crash of Flight 93. Since that day American citizens became outraged, and fearful. The nation put up its defenses and dared for anyone to cross us, and proclaimed that anyone who was not with us must be against us, in our newfound fight against terrorism. And through our actions, we have not only changed our attitudes or our perceptions, but we have effectively changed the attitudes of other nations.
An Outside View of the US: The Iraqi Perspective
The Iraqi’s, though they might not have ever truly liked the United Sates prior to 9/11, hate America even more – and with understandable and justifiable reason. Prior to the attacks on 9/11, America had been in disagreement with Iraqi policies, and the governance of that nation led by Saddam Hussein, however, we were not actively at war, nor had the position of Hussein-influenced Iraqi media changed. America was still hated by the Iraqi’s, but they had been content in their hatred. The people of Iraq had no intent to challenge the United States. This attitude changed greatly following 9/11.
Iraqi media had a field day with the event, enjoying every moment of the attacks. Long before the 9/11, back during the Gulf War, Saddam had preached that the US would never strike hard or enter a war against another nation, due to the experiences encountered during the Viet Nam Conflict. Saddam had also prophesized (without intent to play a role) that one day America would be faced with an incident where a people would strike, and bring our nation to our knees if only for a moment – to make the US realize that the country was weak and had faults in spite the arrogant feelings of being a super power. Saddam had been partially correct in his assumptions (Farber, 2007). The nation had been forced to eat a slice of humble pie. He did not realize, however, how fast we would spit that foul bite out of our mouths, and that we would so strongly desire to force feed a bakery full of apple pies down the world’s throat.
“The American cowboy is reaping the fruits of his crimes against humanity,” and “It is a black day in the history of America, which is tasting the bitter defeat of its crimes and disregard for peoples’ will to lead a free and decent life,” were statements made by Baghdad Republic of Iraq Television. “These are the fruits of the new US order.” Iraqi people, or the majority thereof, having lived under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein for most, if not all, of their lives agreed with these statements, seeing the US paying for crimes against Palestinian and Islam nations – or any nation that vied for control of another that had no connection to Christianity. The US had been viewed as a bully, who was finally getting what he deserved. (Farber, 2007)
In the wake of 9/11, the battles on Iraqi soil in 2003 and the current ongoing occupation of Iraq, the people’s attitudes have changed. The people are not thankful of the US for stepping in and removing the oppressive dictator – many hate it. Many fear it. When Iraq ad formed in the aftermath of World War I, the country fell under the leadership and control of the British Army. These times were not pleasant for the Iraqi’s – and now, the people feel that the US is replaying the British role in their history. The Iraqi people also fear that once an order is established, the US will remove all troops, and leave the country without offering some form of help, thus making the nation collapse. The Iraqis look upon what has happened to Russia since the dissolution of the USSR – and the turmoil that the people have faced there of an unstable economy. (Farber, 2007)
The Iraqi’s also look to the happenings at Abu Ghraib and see the forcefulness and dehumanizing treatment of prisoners in what was supposed to be a military run prison – a prison run by people who were supposed to have had honor and respect. These images distort the views of Americans even further, and make the US less appealing.
A Look In the Mirror: American Perspectives
Before 9/11 our nation sat proud as a strong nation, without fear. There had been previous instances of attacks by foreign nations, or foreign nationalists. In World War II we faced an attack on Pearl Harbor. Following this, we lived in fear throughout the Cold War – always keeping an eye on the Soviet Union and other communistic/militaristic nations such as Cuba. We had went to the aid of others and fought in Korea and Viet Nam. We went to the Middle East and made bases in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Kuwait. We fought to keep our nation and other nations secure – and had only seen one “foreign” attack on American soil since in the basement of the North Tower, only eight years prior to the attack which brought both of the Towers down.
The terrorist attacks on 9/11 surprised the nation – changed the nation; and now, things seem different. For a seemingly short period of time the nation had wept, and cried for vengeance. Troops were dispatched to Afghanistan, to hunt down the organization responsible for this ballsy, yet cowardly attack. Bills were drawn, passed and enacted. The Patriot Act had been developed. Our government agencies went through several levels or reorganization. The Office of Homeland Security was born. And all the while our troops were on a crusade searching for the evildoers who organized and plotted the attacks; yet we never actually got the man that the President and the media were looking for. Some of us started to question our military, and our leadership.
Post 9/11: Two Years Later and Beyond
President Bush had declared that anyone one housing, funding, aiding or sympathizing any terrorist or terrorist militia/group/sanction was equally a terrorist. The US military pressed on, and went to Iraq. The mission to find Bin Laden had somehow changed into the mission to dethrone Saddam Hussein. The American media went along with this, as did many of our nation’s people; still, a few questioned these actions, and these policies. Only since the dramatic entrance and address delivered on May 1, 2003, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln by President Bush, underneath the “Mission Accomplished” banner did it become more noted that the media and public started to change their views.
People began to question The Patriot Act, which had been held as a promise to enable our government to fight the global war on terror. The public had been told that the act “provided for only modest, incremental changes in the law,” and that Congress “simply took existing legal principles and retrofitted them.” It has been realized, however, that the act “dramatically expands the power of the Executive Branch.” The act also “empowers the FBI to disregard the Fourth Amendment’s usual requirements – including the probable cause and notice requirements – in some criminal investigations.” The act also defines “domestic terrorism” far too broad, broad enough “to include groups like Greenpeace and Operation Rescue.” With these interesting additions to our laws, it’s no wonder that various conspiracy theorists have come to denounce the events of 9/11, and our ongoing battle in Iraq. (Simon, 2006)
Criticisms in the Media
Michael Moore released a noted documentary in 2004, which had been received with mixed reviews across the nation. While everyone has different ideas of the current administration, and may have viewed the film as having an obvious agenda, most people comment that the film does inspire the viewer to sit, and think. Questions commonly raised are in regard to where the connection between Al-Qaeda and Iraq is. No connection has ever been made – not even by our Presidents advisors. (“sbudach,” 2004)
Keith Olbermann, a news anchor/commentator for MSNBC hosts Countdown, a show where the days’ top stories are reported and reviewed. Olbermann is quite critical of the Bush administration, and has made numerous on air commentaries, one such being an openly voiced letter to the President following the announcement of President Bush’s commutation of “Scooter” Libby’s sentence:
I accuse you, Mr. Bush, of lying this country into war.
I accuse you of fabricating in the minds of your own people, a false implied link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11.
I accuse you of firing the generals who told you that the plans for Iraq were disastrously insufficient.
I accuse you of causing in Iraq the needless deaths of 3,586 of our brothers and sons, and sisters and daughters, and friends and neighbors.
I accuse you of subverting the Constitution, not in some misguided but sincerely-motivated struggle to combat terrorists, but to stifle dissent.
I accuse you of fomenting fear among your own people, of creating the very terror you claim to have fought.
I accuse you of exploiting that unreasoning fear, the natural fear of your own people who just want to live their lives in peace, as a political tool to slander your critics and libel your opponents.
I accuse you of handing part of this Republic over to a Vice President who is without conscience, and letting him run roughshod over it. (Olbermann, 2007)
Olbermann frequently ends the show notifying the viewers how many days it has been since Mission Accomplished, as a painful reminder that though Bush declared that the initial mission in Iraq had been completed, we are still at war, and have yet to capture Bin-Laden. Following the aforementioned commentary, however, he relied upon his favorite signature line, quoting Murrow, “Good night, and good luck.”
Recently a Stu Bykofsky, a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, commented that in order “To save America, we need another 9/11.” Bykofsky noted that Americans are now extremely separated on the issues of the war in Iraq, and the war on terrorism. Bykofsky also states that he believes that this division is due to the length of our battles in the Middle East – that we have been there too long. “The war has been a botch so far, Democrats and Republicans are attacking one another, when they aren’t attacking themselves. The dialog of discord echoes across America.” Is there a solution to this problem? Bykofksy says we need to have the unity we had gained on 9/11 – the unity that we have somehow lost. (Bykofsky, 2007)
Conclusion
Though many things have changed to affect our nation since 9/11, it seems that day to day life has changed very little, and that the views of government, politics, and patriotism have gone back to the levels they had been at prior to 9/11. People are once again untrusting of the government, the military is seemingly spending too much—costing lives and money; and the world is looking at us as the half-cocked renegade cowboys of yore.
References
Bykofsky, S. (2007, Aug. 9). To save America, we need another 9/11. Philidelphia Daily News. Retrieved August 13, 2007, from
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20070809_Stu_Bykofsky___To_save_America__we_need_another_9_11.html.
Farber, D. (2007) What They Think of Us. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press
“sbudach” (2004, June 28) “If this is news to you, wake up!” Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) – IMBD User Comments. Retrieved August 20, 2007, from
http://imdb.com/title/tt0361596/usercomments
Simon, H. (2006). PATRIOT Act Propaganda: The Justice Department’s Top Ten Myths about the USA PATRIOT Act: An ACLU Analysis. Counterpoise, 10(4), 9-12. Retrieved August 13, 2007, from Alt-Press Watch (APW) database.
Olbermann, K. (2007, July 3) Commentary. Olbermann: Bush, Cheney should resign – Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Retrieved August 27, 2007, from
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19588942/