Our Resonse to the 9/11 Question

When September 11th occurred, it was a reality check to the United States that anything could happen at any given time. The attack on the United States came as a surprise, and threw many people off guard, especially those living in New York City. Almost six years later we are still trying to deal with rebuilding our society. We have crushed others in efforts to rebuild ourselves. We have degraded ourselves by becoming ignorant when dealing with others cultures. This tragedy has taken a great toll on our country and affected our ways of living.
The citizens of the United States have felt the impact of the terrorist attacks in many ways. We have felt it economically, security wise, and including our racial tolerance. Economically we have felt the impact; the price of gas has gone up tremendously. Gas on average costs about $3.50 for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline. And this price is going to continue to grow as time goes on and the longer we are in the Middle East and fighting the war in Iraq and the War on Terrorism.
As a whole, the students have been most dramatically impacted by the change in security and racial tolerance after the attacks that occurred on 9/11/01. Many students know people who are being sent to Iraq and Afghanistan to fight. People also have friends and family who are close to them feel the effects of 9/11. The following is one of our class mates accounts of the effects:
Kathryn, 18, Senior (12th grade): I can remember the day that it happened. I was in school and as soon as the attack hit the news, we were all sent home to our families. I knew that the matter at hand would not end so lightly. The attack was aired on TV for days, almost months. My family was concerned about my aunt who lives in New York with her husband and daughter. My aunt worked at the Twin Towers. My mother must have called her for 2 days straight before there was an answer. When my aunt answered her phone, there was a moment of relief in my family. My aunt’s story sounded so miraculous that it has stuck with me, “I was supposed to be at work for six and I ended up waking up an hour and a half late. But as I walked to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth, something told me to forget work because something wasn’t right. So I changed my mind and took D’Nayja [my daughter] out for breakfast.” So that day has affected more than just my family. It has changed the lives of those who have lost loved ones, those who were rescued from the remains and those who have died. I can not say that the United States is now a “safer” place but I can say that the United States has suffered greatly and is in the process of regaining stability from this one event. People now have changed there views and opinions about others. People are now judgmental by race, ethnicity, color, gender, sexual orientation etc. My parents still let my siblings and I have the freedom we had before this tragic event. But that is because my mother believes that there are other things that may come before another terrorist attack similar to 9/11; for instance, the pedophile up the street, the 4th grader with a hit list of students from school and local crime. The possibility of another terrorist attack is less likely to happen rather than a rape in the nearby alley.

There has been an increase in security everywhere especially in the airport. As soon as you walk into the airport terminal you are greeted by crying children, elderly couples, and teenagers standing in the long lines waiting to be searched, bomb sniffed, and have their luggage x-rayed. When you walk up to the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) officer, they will greet you with a smile and kindly ask you to put your bags on the table, your shoes in a container, and walk into the bomb sniffing machine. You walk in and feel a cold blast of air, and from that cold blast of air the TSA officer is able to tell whether or not you have bomb residue on you. You then walk slowly through the metal detector, grab your carry on luggage and shoes and go sit patiently waiting for your plane. Your family is no longer allowed to wait with you for they are not allowed to go past the TSA officer. The following is a personal reflection about 9/11 from our exchange student:
Christian, 17, Exchange Student (Germany):
The war on terrorism since 9/11/01 somehow had an affect on values of tolerance and freedom.Personally it did not really change anythng, except for being a little more scared about going on a plane. Since the war started, people became more scared about flying, and traveling to Asian countries. Since I am a German citizen, not American, I only can speak for Germany not for the American society. Economicly there were no real changes, but there were politicaly. Germany created new rules and laws to stop the immigration waves and security became one of the most important issues. Security systems and checks at airports changed, and more security guards were put in different positions. Since Germany does not participate actively in the war in Iraq and is only there for rebuilding and humanitarian issues, we are not really affected by terrorism. Sure, people started to be more afraid of talking to people with people from conflict zones, or do not want to sit next to them on planes, because they are scared it might be a terrorist. But on the other hand, many people did not change regarding tolerance and freedom.

Every since the events that took place on 911 there has been a division between two groups in America. Americans tend to single out and discriminate against Muslims. While another group of Americans have come together as one. We are more involved in politics, and people have more pride in their country. After 9/11 we as the American People do not have as much freedom as we once had. Everything we do is monitored in some way, like going to the library. The books we take out are more closely monitored and watched especially if you take out a book on bomb making and terrorism. Even as students in school we are watched, just recently the school has installed cameras all over the school. We are practically watched everywhere except in the lavatories.