Having fallen asleep fairly early last night (waking up at 4:45 AM and then greeting many of the 42,000 participants in the Walk for Hunger certainly helped that cause), I woke up at 4:20 AM this morning (and no, I was not high, only a coincidence that I woke up at 4:20) so I was rather surprised this morning when there was news of Osama Bin Laden’s death. First, I went into immediate disbelief (i.e. This story can’t be real; it must be a hoax). But then I turned on my laptop and saw that, yes, there was a presidential address late last night (which I would have probably stayed up for if I had known the subject). A whole flood of emotions sort of washed all over me. Shock, apprehension, pride, elation, sadness, remorse, bittersweetness.
One thing that really puzzled me was the videos of the gatherings at Ground Zero and the White House with the focus on college kids chanting “USA! USA! USA!” The macabre manifestation of patriotism was just surreal to me. I certainly felt more stoic than the images I saw on TV. The celebrations and euphoria looked like what you expect after a sports championship, not the death of a mass murderer and terrorist.
But after doing a lot of reading today, I started to empathize with some of the demonstrators and could understand what they were celebrating. When you look at the age of most the people out in the crowds, they are 18-20 or so, which means they were around 8-10 on Sept. 11, 2001. For most of their lives, Osama Bin Laden was essentially the Bogeyman 2.0. With the horrific video footage of the attacks, to the heightened terror alerts, the attacks in Madrid and London, and the on-going war in Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden was the cause for many of the evil things going on in their worldview. Most of their formative years were during this culture of fear with Osama Bin Laden being the biggest fear of them all. So it makes sense that having the death of Osama Bin Laden announced would be a cause for celebration for this group.
And it wouldn’t be the first time that people had a celebratory mood toward an act of violence. Look at how popular gladiators were in Roman times and how MMA flourishes now. There has always been something visceral in basic human instinct and it is stronger in some people than others.
People that are 25 or older (myself included) do remember a time before Osama Bin Laden and that is where my sense of the bittersweet kicks in. I could remember a time when you weren’t in fear that something terrible could happen at any time and without warning. A time before there were color-coded terror alerts. A time when you could see the cockpit of a plane. A time when could bring a tube of toothpaste to an airport. A time when the US was seen as a country that did almost everything right.
Most of the reactions I have seen and read from people that lost someone close on Sept. 11th, 2001 have been somber. The assassination of Bin Laden isn’t going to bring their loved ones back. Hearing the news only reminds them about what they lost and how their lives changed. That isn’t anything to be happy about. A Salon writer put it well when he compared the reaction as similar to how a victim’s family reacts to witnessing a murderer getting the death penalty. You don’t high five the people around you and start chanting.
I felt some of those feelings myself. I knew someone that died on Sept. 11, 2001 in the World Trade Center. Her name was Saranya Srinuan and was a classmate of mine at Boston University. She wasn’t my best friend or even a close friend. We took a few classes together so I would say hi if I saw her and vice versa. I thought about her a lot right after I found out she died in the attacks. So much potential ahead of her. She was a smart woman and had a very bright future to look forward to. As time passed, I didn’t think of her as often, but did a couple of times a year. I certainly thought of her today.
But I was happy too at hearing the news. Osama Bin Laden got what he had coming. If anything, he got off too easy. For the atrocities he committed, he deserved something much more painful and slow. I was proud that the CIA was able to put together the intelligence to find him. I was proud that the Navy SEALS were able to execute such a complex operation with precision and no casualties. I was proud of the US National Security Team deliberating the scenario from multiple angles and taking the more appropriate (yet more risky and difficult) decision of going for a confirmed attack instead of bombing the complex.
An Op-Ed on CNN also put the killing of Osama Bin Laden in a perspective that is constructive. The hunt for Osama Bin Laden was not about a war of ideas. It was about catching a murderer who orchestrated attacks around the world. It was about international law.
People are different. Not everyone thinks the same way. There is no absolute right or wrong way to react. We live in a complicated world. It is important to think about perspective. All you can do is try to make some sense of it and do as much good as you can.
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