Letters to the Editor
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Pay Attention!
There are all kinds of crazy excuses why we should not pay attention to the views espoused by Wright. The general trend seems to be that we should pay attention only long enough to be properly outraged, then quickly put it away. Best not spend too much time thinking about such outlandish claims, like the idea that America is not a paragon of moral purity. Or that the 9/11 attacks did not come out of the clear blue sky but were a response to specific American policies.
Xanthro says Kamiya erred in stating that Wright placed 9/11 in a historical context, because Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and apartheid had nothing to do with 9/11. Xanthro, was it Wright who talked about these things? Cuz Kamiya didn't. Oh hell. Who cares. It's a red herring: there IS a historical context for 9/11.
McGarrett50 and ShawnM both mistake Kamiya's ideas for contempt for Americans. On the contrary, friends, Kamiya shows utmost respect for America. A great faith in America and its ideals leads people like myself and Kamiya to challenge the painted-on TV patriotism that allowed the USA to declare war on Iraq. I reject the "patriotism" that gave us Abu Ghraib, warrantless wiretapping, "free speech zones" (their existence would imply the existence of "un-free speech zones"), extraordinary rendition, and so forth.
McGarrett50 had a question I wanted to tease out a little further...
As one specific question to Gary, what policies would he have us pursue that would make our enemies not attack us? The Chinese don't get attacked by Islamic terrorists. Is that because they are somehow more supportive of Islamic people? Or, is it because they more allied with the oppressive regimes favored by the terrorists? For me, I oppose all oppressors and if that means that they don't like us, then I add that to my list of things to be proud of being American.
-- McGarrett50
China has large Muslim populations already. I don't know how they're treated within China. I imagine they face some difficulties. It would be interesting to find out more about that.
I know you asked Gary, but here's my two cents: I think a big thing America could do to gain more support from Muslims worldwide would be to ease up in its fanatical support of Isreal. Throw the Palestinians a bone. Give some news coverage to the desperate conditions in the Gaza strip. Make Israel stop turning a blind eye to illegal settlements. A little would go a long way.
Also, the USA could cease its saber-rattling towards Iran. History flash: the Iranians hate us because our CIA helped depose their first democratically elected leader in favor of the repressive and torture-prone Shah and his son. We also supported Saddam Hussein (remember him?) with money and weapons during his unprovoked attack on Iran in the early '80s.
As far as alliances with oppressive regimes favored by the terrorists, what oppressive regimes were you thinking of? What popped into my head was Saudi Arabia! I think 14 of 19 of the 9/11 attackers were Saudi, no? Saudi Arabia, you know--the monarchy, the place where women aren't allowed to drive, the place where Bin Laden came from. Uncle Sam's big buddy in the Middle East.
So there's another answer to your question: the USA can win some goodwill by reconciling its more hypocritical positions, such as: "We support freedom and democracy and oppose tyranny in Iraq, and will sacrifice the lives of our people and those of many more Iraqis to achieve this!" ... "We support the tyrannical, free-speech-suppressing monarchy in Saudi Arabia, for reasons we prefer not to discuss but are most likely related to our need for oil and for military bases in the region (which are necessitated by our need for oil)." See, McGarrett, the thing is, YOU might oppose all oppressors, but your government isn't necessarily on the same page.
The dialogue about America--who we are, what it means to be American--has been so restricted for so long. The fact that people are shocked and dismayed by Wright's words reveals a vast disconnect in America--between, essentially (IMHO), those who believe the mainstream media, and those who are skeptical. These categories break down largely along race lines because, well, blacks have so many excellent reasons to be skeptical, whereas whites usually benefit from believing the talking heads of the establishment. It's easy to be skeptical about the claims of the American government when your people have been systematically, legally brutalized and deceived by that same government for the majority of America's history. We (meaning white folks) need to LISTEN to Wright; we need to listen to black folks in general, and stop getting so freaked out when they display some anger. It's okay. It's just anger. Emotions are not the same thing as riots or uprisings or whatever. If you make space for the one, you can avoid the others.