|
Americans have a
remarkable ability to accept any atrocity.
This is not to say they are apathetic but only that to do otherwise
would too greatly disrupt the "American way of life". "America The
Free".
On September 11th 2001, Americans were attacked. We were hit hard and by
an enemy we never truly feared before. Others in the world feared them.
But we in America were, before the 11th, immune. We are no longer
immune.
The first question is "Why did we not fear them?" They had been active
in many other parts of the world for years. Their hatred for America and
Americans was well known. Their attacks on Americans in other countries
was well known. The hijacking of airplanes was well known, to the point
of being the punch line to many, albeit inappropriate, jokes. This all
we knew but still we were not afraid.
Fear of an enemy is a natural defense. For a great many years following
WW2, Americans were afraid of "Russia". The age of Nuclear weapons
brought that fear to a full and formidable head. As a child I was taught
that "They" were evil. That "Nukes" meant the end of the world. That WW3
was inevitable. Fear.
When that fear ended we did not look for the next big fear. We did not
want a new fear. We had had enough of fear. But the fear was still out
there even if we did not recognize it. We could not recognize it. If we
did then we would never have any peace of mind. We needed to recoup from
the fear before we could accept a new fear. But the fear has a way of
rearing up again and again. There is always another enemy.
This is a new type of enemy. One without the set "homeland" one without
a known arsenal. One who may be right next-door or in the office next to
you. This is the scariest enemy we have faced so far. But are we facing
this enemy?
We need to attach a homeland and name to our enemy and today it is
Afghanistan and Osama Bin Laden. But that is not the truth, or at lease
not the full truth. The full truth is that the enemy is far more
terrifying than one evil man, one corrupt government, one weapon of mass
destruction. This enemy has no specific face. Their home may be the one
next to yours. Their weapon is any that gets their job done.
For the last month I, along with my neighbors, have lived with the
enemy. (Oct. 2002 Just outside of the Washington DC beltway.) They may
not turn out to be connected to Osama Bin Laden. They are almost
certainly not of Afghanistan or Iraq nor even of middle eastern decent.
They may not even be Muslim. But they are definitely the same enemy as
those who attacked on 9-11-01. They ally themselves with terror and
chaos. They have caused at least the first.
Why then do Americans now try to resist the idea that these monsters are
"that" enemy? Why do we try to call them "isolated incidents", "serial
killers", "psychos"? Because to acknowledge them for what they are would
be to put a different face on the enemy. The face of your neighbor. The
face of an American.
It is easer for us if the enemy is not invisible. It is easer if the
enemy wears a big red star, an iron cross, a turban. But this is not the
case with this enemy. They will all be "isolated incidents". At least as
long as we view them as such.
Next time a bomb may blow. Next time a handgun may fire. Next time a
poison may be spread. This is the true weapon of the terrorist. Faceless
people walking amongst you committing a crime you had not thought of,
yet. Lest we forget that the men of 9-11-01 lived along side of us long
before they boarded those flights.
How then do we fight an enemy who cannot be seen until after they
strike? The answer is "We can not". That is why we see these atrocities
as "isolated incidents". To see them for what they are is to live in
fear with no hope of resolution.
This is the world we live in now. A world of "random" death and denial
of the cause. A world where your neighbor who you ate with last night my
kill your child tomorrow in the name of a god you never spoke against. A
world where your only defense would destroy the very thing you are
trying to defend. "The American Way of Life".
Race war. Religious banishment. Holy war. Mass deportation. Segregation.
Genocide. These are all words that if applied properly would resolve the
issue one way or another. Alas all would also cause an end to "America
The Free".
There is nothing more to do then. Simply stay outraged at the "isolated
incident" of the moment and punish all who are caught crossing us.
And never forget your fear is now a part of the "American Way of Life".
Thank you,
From just another American
~Kid Kaos
Note: This was written at a time when I and my loved ones were truly
under a daily attack from the so called “DC Snipers”. One of the
shootings occurred in the gas station less than a block from my home at
the time. I reposted it here from my personal website rants section
because I felt it needed the critique from my peers. Please I ask that
if you have read this far take another moment to pass on your thoughts
to me and all others who have trudged through this.
|
