The Surprise of It All
The Surprise of It All
This chapter examines the historical context of 9/11 and the culture of fear that emerged ten years after the disaster. The World Trade Center disaster came at a very unusual moment in U.S. history, and the Americans' extreme reactions to it need to be understood in that context. The disaster seemed like such an incredible surprise to Americans, though in retrospect they failed to heed many warnings. America has a long history of feeling unique in the world, protected from the sins of others, able to endure while others perish. From the outset, exceptionalism blessed—or cursed—Americans with a sense of entitlement. At the heart of American exceptionalism was a military might that evolved over the centuries from the fragile vulnerability of the Puritans in relation to the Native Americans, to absolute global dominance after about 1990. America reigned unchallenged in the world, a superpower without match, and exalted in a grandiose sense of invulnerability. The terrorist attacks were so profoundly humiliating as to demolish in a heartbeat all that security.
Keywords: fear, history, America, American exceptionalism, security, 9/11
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