A View On America

     Before moving to the United States with my family, I had only heard of 9/11 once. I saw the BBC report of the event on the news while I was eating dinner at my home in England. From a UK perspective, which would probably also include the general European perspective, 9/11 was seen as a surprising and tragic event in the history of the USA and that was all. Sure there were concerns about who had hijacked the planes and why, but beyond that, it was just another tragic event. I don't want to downplay 9/11, I'm not trying to be disrespectful, it was a truly horrific event which resulted in much loss and sadness, but given that I and my parents were not raised in the United States I understood and saw truth in the concerns of women from other countries in the article "Whose Security?".
     In the article it says, "So while [feminists collegues elsewhere] agree that this was a terrible and shocking event, they consider the US obsession with it, including the assumption that it is the defining moment for everyone, to be self-indulgent and shortsighted". I believe this statement is consistent with what much of the world believes. My dad and I like to discuss these sorts of topics, and while driving somewhere one day he told me something that has always lingered with be because I found it to be so interesting. We were talking about 9/11 and he said that Americans are so obsessed with 9/11 because it burst their bubble. Until 9/11, Americans have considered themselves immune to such tragic events the rest of the world has to deal with. They thought that no one could attack them on their own soil. America is out of reach, too far from all those other countries. Before that day, America had been safe from harm from the rest of the world since the end of WWII, which Americans often claim they won all by themselves. This confidence in the minds of Americans created the bubble of immunity that burst that day when the twin towers were hit.
     I believe it was the shock of the event, the proof that America was not immune, that lead to such rash decisions by the government. The fear and dropping of the safety net America believed it had created a cascade of responses, many that hurt the United States more than help it. Security increased exponentially to a level that many believe is too much. For example, the United States has the strictest airport security in the world that many feel is too invasive. Bush had to react quickly to keep support and show America that there was a plan of action, and so from that the militaristic threats began and US foreign policy drastically changed. Also there was a reputation to uphold, for those times directly after 9/11 the world wanted to see how the United States would handle itself in it's time of crisis. The United States wanted to make sure they would still remain and look like a strong world power.
     I know this blog post isn't really about feminism, but I really wanted to touch on 9/11 and the opinions of those women, because I share the same one. 9/11 is really an interesting event that changed the course of American history for certain as well as affect the view the rest of the world has on the United States.