The cheering crowds outside the White House and at Ground Zero after the announcement of the death of Osama Bin Laden were an unfortunate echo of images of Palestinians dancing in the streets of East Jerusalem after 9/11. That the news of the termination of the World’s most wanted should be greeted with cathartic relief and a sense of mission accomplished is understandable, but the scenes looked more like the tail end of a frat party. I thought we were better than that.
We recoiled in horror at the sight of dead marines being dragged behind cars in Mogadishu. We clenched our fists in helpless rage at video reports of beheadings of soldiers and civilians by Al Quaeda in Iraq. But thanks to President Obama’s decision not to satisfy the prurient interests of a bloodthirsty sector of the public, we did not parade the body of a reviled enemy in the streets of New York, nor did we exhibit the photograph of a vanquished foe like a trophy to taunt our enemies.That cooler heads prevailed in the White House stands in stark contrast to the celebrations and drunken revelry that marked the mood in the street.
Worst of all were the predictable chants of U-S-A, U-S-A, that inevitably follow victory, whether on the playing field or on the battlefield. This display of ostentatious jingoism is a natural by-product of the public’s overwhelming belief in the myth of American exceptionalism. It is an in-your-face middle finger given by a bully to a weaker opponent, a kick when your adversary is already down. It fuels the broad perceptions of America as an arrogant hegemony.
I suppose it is too much to ask for sober reflection instead of baying for blood, but the eternal optimist wishes that we could appeal to our better angels. I am reminded of the quote attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville (ironically apocryphal) that America is great, because America is good. When it ceases to be good, then it will cease to be great.
Filed under: Current Affairs, World Events Tagged: | 9/11, Al Quaeda, Chant, Osama, Osama Bin Laden, USA
