Thursday, September 13, 2001

Posted by: stark | Posted at: 5:18:48 PM

I’m not sure we’ll ever get back to normal

I took yesterday to watch the news, take in what has happened to America and NYC in particular, and to get my head around the way the world will be soon. I was not successful. I saw the footage of the plane crashes, the fires, the crumbling towers, the ash, the rubble, I saw it so much that I dreamed about it last night. I wasn’t anywhere near NYC, and yet I can’t stop thinking about it.

I know I’m not alone.

The other side of this coin is the response that will be coming from the US. The feelings we seem to share, as a general rule, of bloodlust, bordering on racism, may not be healthy. They aren’t appropriate. Retaliation against the perpetrators is appropriate. Swift, massive and destructive response is appropriate, but not on this continent. We’re hearing reports of people of Arabic descent being attacked, arrested, etc. This is wholly uncool.

On the other hand, this was so unbelievably horrible and destructive, isn’t it natural to be scared to death at the thought of an Islamic person right now? Granted, there are millions of people practicing Islam and they have nothing whatsoever to do with this. But the radical fundamentalists are so vocal, so scary, so violent, that they dwarf everything else. It’s like the Christian Coalition in this country...everyoine thinks they represent the Republican party, just because they yell the loudest. They do NOT represent the Republican party, but they certainly get the press…

We’re going to have to struggle to be fair in our treatment of others now, and yet carpet-bomb whomever is responsible.

All I know is, we’re getting an American flag and setting it out on the house tomorrow. Cheesy? Maybe. But now is the time for solidarity. Fly them flags, America. Notice the flag still atanding in that photo...they destroyed the towers, but our flag was still there.