All over the country, people are jubilant. Throughout the night, following the release of the news that Osama Bin Ladin had been killed, Americans partied in the streets. Many people probably chose to do so because they felt relief, as I did, that the enemy had finally been vanquished. Some people may have joined in the celebrations because they were swept up in the moment by the people around them. Others were simply celebrating the death of an evil man.
The celebrations have left me feeling very uneasy.
What do these celebrations say about us?
The Americans celebrating in the streets didn’t know him personally, and neither did I. We only know of his deeds, as told to us by others. Bin Ladin became a symbol of our suffering and grief, and rightfully so, because he caused so much of it. The problem with symbols is that it’s easy to applaud their destruction. It’s easy to celebrate someone’s execution when we believe that the world would be better off with them.
The Nazi regime turned the Jewish people into a symbol of the German people’s suffering. Hitler made the Jews into The Enemy, and we all know how that turned out. But the Jews weren’t the only people that the Nazis targeted. They also systematically killed the mentally and physically disabled. They justified their actions by declaring that these individuals were burdens to society – that the world would be better off without them.
The Enemy.
Better off without them.
Osama Bin Ladin was a monster, to be sure, but he was also a human being. From my vantage point, celebrating the death of anyone – even a wretched brute like Bin Ladin – is dangerous. It’s dehumanizing. It’s a slippery slope.
I’m relieved that he’ll never again have the opportunity to harm my fellow citizens.
I’m grateful to the men and women who’ve worked tirelessly for years to help us reach this day.
I’m thankful that justice has finally been done.
I believe that he deserved to be executed for his atrocities.
But I’m not celebrating.
Further reading:
Andi, I’m a little scared here. I’m not making this up:
Barely a few minutes ago, I opened my RSS reader to catch up on my blogs. I realized that many blogs would be commenting on this story. For some reason I distinctly thought to myself: I wonder what Andi will say? I wonder if Andi will say the same thing I’m thinking?
(Really, I’m not making this up.)
And you did.
I was a tiny bit apprehensive before I hit “Publish”. Happy to find out there were many like-minded people out there in the world.
Andi,
On Good Morning America this morning, Chris Coumo was very quick to say that to use the term celebration did not describe the emotions of what he was experiencing at Ground Zero. He preferred the term “coming together”. It is like you said a very slippery slope. One thing for sure, the world is a better place without Osama Bin Ladin
I’m scared too. This isn’t going to be a good thing, in the end. I think it’s just the start of something worse than the last ten years.
Andi,
It has been a very trying day in the classroom for me and many of my peers. We were struggling with how to justify the death of a person ( no matter how horrible). In the end we just said that a really bad man died and that many people thought it was a good thing only so he could not hurt anyone again.
I am worried about what will happen next. Because honestly I feel like we just woke up the bear (Bin laden supporters) and are they going to be angry.
Again I am so thankful for all that the military( and their families) does to keep us safe but I am truly worried about retailation now. Just my thoughts.
I was concerned about how to address the situation with Sarah Kate. She wasn’t born yet when 9/11 occurred and we’d never really talked about it before. It also worries me that she’s seen two terrible things happen this week on the news – first the tornado outbreak, and now this situation.
The thing is, it’s so dangerous (no matter you are) to talk in terms of enemies. Radicalized Muslims have determined that Americans are The Enemy, and it’s enabled them to dehumanize us in their minds.
Scary stuff.
Thank you. Very well said. The celebrations reported last night made me nauseous and I couldn’t put “why” into words. I’m relieved today to see several blogs, including yours, and a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that have explained it so eloquently.
You articulated what I’m feeling so beautifully. I think relief is the right word in many respects. I think the country has breathed a collective sigh of relief that the long journey to achieve justice has finally been completed. But even so, I agree that celebrating takes it just a bit too far.
A friend and I were discussing this very thing at work today. The idea of celebrating anyone’s death makes me uneasy and I am not celebrating. At the same time I am not someone who lost family in the Septemeber 11 attacks or in the war since, so I will not condemn those who do feel joy at this time. I have not walked in their shoes.
“I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” -Mark Twain
Well said.
”I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate can not drive out hate: Only Love Can Do That” __Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thanks for posting that quote here, Jon Michael. I saw it after I published this post – such a perfect pairing to my thoughts.