Patriotism or commercialism?
You decide.
With the onslaught of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, I knew it was eventually going to happen.
And now, quite frankly, I’m sick of it.
Just over two weeks ago when the tragedies occurred, my heart and spirit began to sink. Looking at the 24-7 bombardment of the currently revolving news on almost every television station possible began to make me sick after a few days.
True enough, we as a nation made a great attempt to unify and come together to fight this mental war which has been thrust upon us.
We gave away flags, sang the praises of our nation and even postponed America’s favorite pastime, the sports world.
There was plenty of sympathy, donations, hugs, letters and volunteers to go around.
But in my opinion, it’s gone a little too overboard in the last week or so.
Don’t get me wrong, I condone the prayer services and the flags being displayed on houses, cars, buildings and even athletic uniforms.
But the glory and pride of patriotism has quickly turned into commercialism.
Riding down Poplar and Union Avenues last week I saw T-shirts galore being sold from vans on the side of the road for $5 and $10.
Some were plastered with American flags and encouraging words. Others displayed Osama bin Laden’s face with a bull’s-eye and target placed over it.
As a nation, and campus, we are given two paths to choose. We can be gung-ho about it, stand behind it 100 percent and plan and implement ways of taking action to fight back, or retaliate against those who have wronged us.
Or else we can sit back, think about it, get mad for a minute, and then do absolutely nothing at all (much like we, as a campus, have done in the past).
The patriotism has easily and quickly turned into commercialism, as we have become citizens who took our nation for granted until a landmark event took place.
We were people who didn’t think much about the American flag, or the American cause. We have become individuals who are willing to hang up pictures of Osama bin Laden in toilet stalls, attack individuals who have committed no crime whatsoever, plaster shirts with his face on a bull’s-eye and send e-mails featuring bin Laden’s head on a body with the Empire State Building being shoved up his rear end.
I’m not saying that we should not as a nation react to the attacks.
But there is a time, a place and a sensible manner in doing so.
