OPINION: Questioning decisions made in treating 9/11 disaster
Targets selected by terrorists are usually symbolic in nature and reflective of a political statement. Flight 93, which was believed to be headed for the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., and the plane that crashed into the Pentagon building, were literal and metaphorical attacks on our government and military, respectively.
Much has been said about the U.S. government’s response to the attacks on that day. While I cannot pretend that our government did not make egregious errors, I do not wish to say more about what has already been addressed; it is sufficient to say I recognize the many errors our government has made, but also recognize they have learned from them.
The attack on the World Trade Center was a symbolic statement on the U.S. citizenry, culture and global trade practices. It was a statement against what al-Qaida saw as affluence, an undisciplined pursuit of wealth, the unrelenting global expansion of our multinational corporations, and our love of money over God. While I do not sympathize with al-Qaida, I do see a degree of truth in their analysis of us. I fear that the economy, which was once expanding, has become the only thing in our lives. I am, at times, deeply saddened by our collective response to the events of 9/11. I am proud of the way our country rallied in a time of great duress, yet I fear we have learned little. Not much has changed since then in the way we conduct our business and daily lives. It was that same greed and undisciplined pursuit of wealth, which al-Qaida targeted, that lead to the market crash of 2008. Still, to this day, millions around the world with no interest or connection to the U.S. are bearing the burden of our irresponsibility. Yet, Wall Street continues to see itself as the almighty hand which turns the globe, and Washington puts its official stamp of approval on that view with excessive bail outs.
I do not wish to condemn the market or imply that we must strap it down with further regulations. I believe in the market and its ability to raise the living standards of all people. But, I do wish that we as Americans, particularly those in the business and financial sectors, will become more cognizant of the world we live in and our place in that world. We are the most powerful country on an increasingly small globe. The decisions we make no longer concern only our nation and ourselves; we must respect that.
As I reflect on the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, my wish is we will learn from the past. I hope we will engage the market with greater responsibility and respect for the global impact it has. Are we proud that al-Qaida chose the World Trade Center, our nation’s ultimate symbol of affluence, as the centerpiece of our country? I cannot help but think this is a poor reflection of our culture. My wish is that we will uproot monetary things from the center of our lives, not to supplant them with the ideologies preached by terrorists, but with the American values we would be proud to have there.
Mike Burnham is a junior majoring in international relations and economics. His interests include studying international peace and security. Comments can be sent to him at mike.burnham@gmail.com