Response to breaking news - opening a can of worms edition
In the light of Osama bin Laden's death, I've seen a plethora of responses to the event. Overall, a lot of it confuses me and frightens me rather than making me feel patriotic or proud. So I've decided to express my concerns here.
While I am glad that Osama bin Laden is dead, I cannot help but remember that Osama was a figurehead; the movement is like an anthill. For everyone one you see above ground, there are thousands below. Besides the fact that we are fighting a war against an idea, we are also waging a war that is promoting racism, religious persecution through fear and misconception within the United States.
What does “America” have to do with killing Osama besides that it was our soldiers that pulled the trigger? What do people really mean when they chant “U - S - A”? Is it a chant for our country, or a chant that celebrates White America against a group that has been misconstrued as an accurate representation of a country and a religious group? What about our country are we celebrating when we chant this?
To me, this isn’t justice: this was revenge. And yes, it does have its benefits. It definitely does (namely the death of a man who promoted cruel, inhumane values, taught twisted values while bastardizing the normally peaceful, beautiful Islamic religion, who organized a group willing to kill others and killed people himself. And the list goes on and on). But growing up in America during these 10 years, I have seen and read about the effects of this war on the people here, namely a rise in anger, hatred and racism masked by a war on Terror and a wild goose chase that tried to prove that our President was not born in the US. Is this what we mean when we chant “U S A”?
While I am glad that Osama bin Laden is dead, I cannot help but remember that Osama was a figurehead; the movement is like an anthill. For everyone one you see above ground, there are thousands below. Besides the fact that we are fighting a war against an idea, we are also waging a war that is promoting racism, religious persecution through fear and misconception within the United States.
What does “America” have to do with killing Osama besides that it was our soldiers that pulled the trigger? What do people really mean when they chant “U - S - A”? Is it a chant for our country, or a chant that celebrates White America against a group that has been misconstrued as an accurate representation of a country and a religious group? What about our country are we celebrating when we chant this?
To me, this isn’t justice: this was revenge. And yes, it does have its benefits. It definitely does (namely the death of a man who promoted cruel, inhumane values, taught twisted values while bastardizing the normally peaceful, beautiful Islamic religion, who organized a group willing to kill others and killed people himself. And the list goes on and on). But growing up in America during these 10 years, I have seen and read about the effects of this war on the people here, namely a rise in anger, hatred and racism masked by a war on Terror and a wild goose chase that tried to prove that our President was not born in the US. Is this what we mean when we chant “U S A”?