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November 13, 2002
Taboo thoughts on Sept. 11
Maybe Sept. 11 wasn't such a big deal after all.
As far as world catastrophes go, just compare Sept. 11 to other disasters of the 1990s:
| Place | Event | Date | Casualties |
| New York | WTC Bombings | 2001 | 3,000 |
| Chechnya | Second Russian invasion | 1999-2000 | 4,000 |
| Sierra Leone | Freetown massacre | 1999 | 7,000 |
| Ethiopia-Eritrea | Border war | 1998-2000 | 50,000 |
| Zaire/Congo | "Africa's world war" | 1996-2001 | 200,000 |
| Chechnya | First Russian invasion | 1994-96 | 70,000 |
| Turkey | Ethnic cleansing of Kurds | 1994-95 | 7,000 |
| Rwanda | Genocide of Tutsis | 1994 | 800,000 |
| Tajikistan | Civil war | 1992-96 | 20,000 |
The overwhelming majority of deaths in these conflicts were civilians. Some of them received international attention but little real action. Others were virtually ignored by the international media.
Even if you consider only events that involve Americans, remember that 3,000 people are killed by car accidents in the US every month. Yet somehow Sept. 11 has been magnified as if it were one of the worst crimes in recorded history, the start of a new Islamo-fascist reign of terror, the beginning of a stark us-versus-them battle between America and terrorism.
Terrorism suddenly becomes the top priority in American foreign policy. But to me, it seems that the emotional response people have had to Sept. 11 is way out of proportion to what actually happened. Conservative columnist Ann Coulter wrote that "we should invade their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity." Peace activists and other critics of the US were branded as being apologists for the terrorists.
I say that the Sept. 11 atrocities did not change the world. Terrorist strikes have happened before and they will happen again. Like crime, terrorism is endemic to human society and can be reduced but never eliminated. Sept. 11 was simply a terrorist strike that killed thousands instead of hundreds, and destroyed buildings widely regarded as icons of a society.
Now the United States is pushing hard for an invasion of Iraq because of its refusals to admit UN weapons inspectors. But there have been no inspections in Iraq since 1998. Why was that not such a big deal from 1998 to 2001 and suddenly a big deal afterwards? The reality on the ground hadn't changed, but Americans believed that Sept. 11 changes everything.
Among conservative pundits, Sept. 11 is used like a trump card. A single terrorist act somehow became "proof" that America was the Good Guy and any of its opponents the Bad Guy. CNN's footage of Palestinians dancing in the streets after hearing news of the attack left them thoroughly discredited in American eyes. Politicians who fretted about the wisdom of invading Iraq, or the fairness of using a new government department to destroy civil service union protections, found themselves defeated and battered at election time.
Sept. 11 has passed from fact to myth. The reality is that 3,000 people were killed in an unexpected terrorist attack; a terrible act, but not as terrible as many other wars and massacres around the world. But the myth is that it was the beginning of a new cold war, with radical Islam taking the place of communism. And just as happened in the anti-communist cold war, the enemy is being portrayed as far more endemic, far more powerful, than he really is. Americans' fear is way out of proportion to the actual threat posed by terrorists. They voted for a president whose media allies have used their fear and anger at Sept. 11 as ammunition to justify policies that were relatively unpopular before the attack.
Do I weep for the dead of Sept. 11? Yes I do. But not as much as I weep for the 800,000 dead in the Rwanda genocide of 1994. Emotionally Sept. 11 doesn't even come close. Call me a monster for writing this if you wish. But that is how a rational person feels.
Posted by Tyrone at November 13, 2002 08:01 PM