Why do they hate us?
Why did they bomb Boston? Why did they do it? Why did they change from seemingly nice guys into monstrous, cruel terrorists? I think everyone has been asking that in the last few days.
The news commentators flooded us with these questions and some even offered answers. Some blame Al Qaida or some kind of radical Muslim group, some blame domestic right wing terrorists, some the tea party, the list goes on and on. Most are hoping to get answers from the living bomber as to why they did it and whether they had help. We all wait for that report. Most want someone to blame!
But I too have been thinking about this all week along with other issues that have come out. It was interesting to hear the bombers’ friends describing them from high school days. They thought the guys were as normal as them, and were surprised they could do this deed. Were they influenced by a foreign terror group and taught to set bombs? They may have, but I have another opinion to offer.
My question is why do people living here hate America? I believe many people right here encourage this hatred, not discourage it. Colleges are part of the blame. Columbia hired Kathy Boudin, a Weather Underground terrorist who just got out of prison, as a professor. Another terrorist, Bill Ayers is a retired University of Illinois professor and a “distinguished Professor” as well. Minnesota State in Mankato recently named him as that too and welcomed him to speak at the college. And he was a bomber too! Rev Wright, Obama’s pastor from Chicago, became famous for his remarks about America during his sermons.
Then I read some articles on high school education programs currently in place. Most notable was an article about a Corpus Christi elementary school doing a teaching on 911 to its students. The article had a sample question from the final quiz about the why they bombed us. The correct answer was that America has done some dastardly things to other countries and they are mad! We live in a country that has free speech so we allow all kinds of ideas. Education encourages exploration of ideas and hopefully develops the thinking skills to sort them out and find the best ones. Yes, I believe many educators have political ideologies that I don’t believe should be taught; they should be discussed from both sides. That could be explored further and is by many.
My thinking is that we may have part of the answer to our question of why? I fear that if you come to America from countries that hate us that you will only be encouraged to hate America more! If you are a young impressionable student, it may be in style to hate America too, even if you didn’t when you enrolled! If we teach kids that we America is bad some will believe it. They should add that even in spite of some things we have done wrong that we are still the best country in the world!
I shouls also add that we have right-wing America haters too. Timothy McVeeigh may be the best example of a right wing terrorist. And many right wingers make severe criticisms that hurt America too. Their intentions may be honest, as the others, but what do they promote?
I’m just thinking on paper. I hope this gets others thinking too!
I believe the old adage that there is going to be war until the end….When isaac and Ishmael split and there became 2 nations…The Judeo Christian nation and the Islamic nation….they will war until the end of time ..per the Bible and i believe that.
I have read and heard some interesting thought on A National Strategic Narrative offered by Captain Wayne Porter and Colonel Mark Mykleby , both on special assignment to Admiral Michael Mullin, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They proposed this narrative in 2011 under the pseudonym of Mr. Y which is reminiscent of the X article in 1946 which galvanized the last Strategic Imperative. That strategy of Containment was once appropriate but is dated and we are well beyond its relevance. They make several points related to a question of Why do they hate us?
Colonel Mykleby (special ops Marine) during one of his talks shares some very poignant insight about our allies. In his story he tells of a conversation with our largest/best ally in Africa. He spoke with him of the desire for the US Military to have a larger presence in west Africa. The ally responded by asking- who will you invade? The colonel goes on to speak about how most of the world views us today.
Much of what we are informed by in our culture today about the world is framed in the political context of them and us. One major change that this conversation around the Strategic Imperative hopes to achieve is moving from a complex array of Threat and Risk into one of Opportunities for Prosperity.He goes on to discuss the need for our country to close the Say/Do gap and has a wonderful insight into the implications of being a citizen as opposed to a mere resident. Within all that there is insight as to why they might hate us.
One has to define what the blogger might specifically mean by the terms “they” and “us”. Does “us” refer to good US Citizens? LA
My point is that people living here hate America too. Yhe professors I mentioned have bombed America. What are the students being taught?
Of all that I’ve heard that crazy week with the overwhelming media coverage, what stays in my mind was the emotional interview with the suspects uncle.
He was concerned for his nephew’s safety trying to convince him to give himself up. He was heard to be angry with his nephews.He used the word shame.
Shame that they brought upon the family
Shame that they brought on their ethnicity.
He was disappointed in their father, his brother
He hinted that he had fallen short as an uncle as well
Separation was present, the family suffered and scattered
The family was barely present
I trust his insight and judgement of the situation
I think you start there
In American history, every wave of immigration has been disruptive, always difficult and as it turns out always beneficial. When people immigrate they bring with them what matters most; their beliefs, their family and ethnicity. How well citizenship blends with religion, family and ethnicity relates to social trust, education, economic pressure and it doesn’t happen overnight. In some ways the beauty of the melting pot is similar to politicians making sausage.
In American history there has existed examples of hate groups going back to before the KKK. This is nothing new although the numbers of domestic groups has recently grown. One need not look hard for other examples in history. We didn’t use the term terrorist back then. Why we now label these terrorist groups with defining adjectives like liberal and conservative is beyond me. The Boston bombing brought with it another example of terrorism. Consider also the Westboro Baptist Church which picketed the funeral of a victim of the Boston bombings. This is a form of protest protected by the Supreme Court. One might ask again , why do “they” hate “us” still?.
I think it would be too simplistic to lay the blame at the feet of educators. We have all had experiences with good professors and some “not as good” professors. Some leaning this way or that. I think what is being taught continues to reflects the stature that American higher education has held since it surpassed Germany, before I was born. I don’t know that hatred is taught anymore in education or religion than in our respective professions, or journalism , or political science. I do realize that in our culture those involved with higher education are low hanging fruit for some political ideologies/agendas.
As one wrote, especially at a time of national tragedy we have to remember that one of the most valuable characteristics of a society is trust. When that sense of trust in the world around us is challenged, a broad range of emotions follow.
Incredible stress, to anxiety, to amazement to pride.
We hear surprising statements from people we thought we knew
The horror of what happened is revisited over and over
The examples of compassionate support to all affected
Those are the emotions surrounding grieving and reflection
Experiences like these naturally lead people to be more circumspect about the choices we make,
We scrutinize and search
This introspection makes us very uncomfortable
Blame in turn can be handy
It can save us from he pain and work of too much reflecting
Part of the conversation that Colonel Mykelby has begun relates to citizenship. How is a citizen different from a resident or constituent. He provides informed definitions from the Constitution.
He also deals with the topic of education as a cornerstone to the National Strategic Imperative. It is a very challenging conversation that they have begun and has generated a lot of discussion.