Your cynicism is astounding. I'm keenly aware of all of the United States' sins throughout its two hundred or so years, but your stereotype of Americans as ignorant, exploitative fools is hardly any more accurate than the stereotype of the people who did this as the representatives of "shithole backwater nations." We have a lot of blood on our hands that we'll eventually have to account for (slavery, expansion, capitalist imperialism), but none of that justifies what happened yesterday. This was a surprise attack against thousands upon thousands of innocent people, many of which had nothing to do with American politics or American policy. Murder is not a "wake up call", whether it's committed by the United Fruit Company in Central America or by anonymous terrorists and it will never force enlightenment. So I'm afraid now for all Islamic Americans that will face assaults and hatred over the next few years. Does this mean that all Americans are bigoted fools? No, but I have been around the world enough to know that human nature sometimes reacts this way out of anger and hatred--the same hatred that brought down those buildings yesterday.
I am disgusted with my country sometimes, but I have enough pride in what it has accomplished to cry with it and give it the benefit of my doubt.
Slashdot Mirror
Your cynicism is astounding. I'm keenly aware of all of the United States' sins throughout its two hundred or so years, but your stereotype of Americans as ignorant, exploitative fools is hardly any more accurate than the stereotype of the people who did this as the representatives of "shithole backwater nations." We have a lot of blood on our hands that we'll eventually have to account for (slavery, expansion, capitalist imperialism), but none of that justifies what happened yesterday. This was a surprise attack against thousands upon thousands of innocent people, many of which had nothing to do with American politics or American policy. Murder is not a "wake up call", whether it's committed by the United Fruit Company in Central America or by anonymous terrorists and it will never force enlightenment. So I'm afraid now for all Islamic Americans that will face assaults and hatred over the next few years. Does this mean that all Americans are bigoted fools? No, but I have been around the world enough to know that human nature sometimes reacts this way out of anger and hatred--the same hatred that brought down those buildings yesterday.
I am disgusted with my country sometimes, but I have enough pride in what it has accomplished to cry with it and give it the benefit of my doubt.