Predictably, the mainstream media continues its characteristic commitment to the two-week-long coverage of one story, rarely offering dynamic and diverse insight or analysis. This time around, the focus seems to be on Umar AbdulMutallab, the young Nigerian man who allegedly attempted to blow up a plane during the Christmas season, and what the Department of Homeland Security has done (or did not do well enough) to protect Americans from similar incidents.
Yes, from the tax-hating, third-rate sarcasam of FOX's staunch conservatives to Rachel Maddow's every witty, ever-liberal stabs at anything anti-Obama, news correspondents and analyzers will not shut up about conterterrorism and what our president has to say on the subject.
But in all honesty, are any of them - or any of us, for that matter - really saying what we need to be saying? How productive do we think we are by expressing the same sentiments, the same dualistic approaches to debate over and over and over again until our mouths quit in exhaustion?
Here's the scoop, as I see it: terrorism, at least, the terrorism we're taught to fear and label here in the United States, is one of the few items in this world still manufactured by Americans.
As I've repeated before, supported by the writings, ideas and arguments of several authors, professors and other individuals who have influenced me, the U.S. can often be held partially responsible for the terrorist attacks it has endured in recent history.
On top of the United States' role in cultivating terrorism, we often react to threats from a well-rehearsed, limited perspective. Every time a potential terrorist threat develops, U.S. citizens, including those covering the news, rely on recycled arguments that typically render tighter security, a greater presence in foreign countries, and the adominshment of either the Republican or Democratic Party (depending on which is the majority in Congress) as appropriate methods toward the reduction and eventual eradication of terrorist attacks.
Of course, it never seems to cross the minds of those who are involved to question the roots of these issues. Rather than trying to figure out why an individual might join al-Qaeda or why an organization such as al-Shabaab emerges and matures in numbers as often and successfully as it does, we adhere to the time-honored falsehood that additional regulation or protection suffices, ignoring what ignites and inspires terrorists in the first place.
And oh yes, aren't we comfortable identifying people as terrorists, albeit their personal circumstances, backgrounds, and motivations may differ profoundly? As Americans seem to see it, terorrists are terrorists, and nothing more - a dangerously pervasive mentality that avoids all other factors and undermines the situation in discussion entirely.
Simultaneously we are inefficient and uncomfortable in discovering the roots of terrorism or how those in charge of the country can begin to replant these roots in foreign policy and international relations. Labeling triumphs learning.
Color-coordinated warnings that indicate levels of potential terrorism, a new person to facilitate security measures, or any other superficial, temprorary modification is not going to convince anyone with strong convictions against America's imperliaistic challenges to turn the other cheek.
It may seem like an idealistic rant, but I wholeheartedly believe what I am writing speaks to some truth. People do not attack the U.S. because our security is not as adept as possible. They attack us for their reasons - reasons to which we do not dedicate enough time and energy into understanding. If we did invest more in the origins of terrorism and anti-Americanism across the globe, our endeavors would likely yield more positive relationships between cultures, countries, and citizens alike.
True, I'm not the most fruitful person myself; I can't change the United States' monstrous behavior with a single blog post. However, I am documenting this not only because it is something for which I am incredibly passionate, but also because I would like to remember how angry, upset, and hurt I am by my country. Perhaps it will serve as a future incentive to galvanize my own politically charged self and do something about this when I have access to the same resources, or at least the valuable help, that many politicians and newsgathering persons do have today and refuse to proactively utilize for the benefit of our national and global communities.
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