[David C. Matthews]

Should I be the one to tell you that bandwagon patriotism is really weak? Or how we've pretty much forgotten Pearl Harbor?

Peral Harbor has been avenged, and the country that perpetrated that attack has been made to see the error of its ways. Japan and the US now enjoy a strong and friendly relationship. (Not always smooth, but what friendship doesn't have its rocky patches?)

December 9 might not still be commemorated by many people, but I submit it has not been "forgotten".

[btx]

Should I be the one to tell you that bandwagon patriotism is really weak? Or how we've pretty much forgotten Pearl Harbor?

Muffy, it's HARDLY "bandwagon patriotism" when I have to walk past the goddamn hole in the ground on my way to work.

BTX

[gblock01]

And it also is not bandwagon patriotism when you have family memebers or know anyone who worked there. I actually had family that worked there. Thankfully, my uncle broke his leg in a sports-related accident and couldn't make it in that day.

And also, what you are calling "bandwagon pariotism", Muffin Man, is a simple psychological reaction to the massive tragedy that appeals to the hearts of many people. In one way or another, everyone was affected by it, much like how it was with Pearl Harbor. You say that Pearl Harbor has been forgotten, but it hasn't Pearl harbor was not part of this generation, so it doesn't have the same imapct when you talk about it as it did during WWII. Those that were alive at that time probably remember it as acutely as I remember 9/11. Also, with Pearl Harbor, we had a tangable, identifiable enemy that we could focus our anger on. As such, when we basically blew the shit out of Japan (no offense meant to the Japanese, I'm just being blunt), most people felt a sense of closure. A sense of a wrong righted. Basically, they felt that those that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor had been avenged. In this case, though, there was no tangable enemy. We knew that they were terrorists, we knew that they were led by Osama bin Laden, and we knew that we had to fight back. As a result, we waged a war against Afghanistan and then Iraq, and possibly onto more countries, if the rumors hold true. Despite having attacked two countries and destroying the governments that they had, we still do not feel that sense of closure, possibly a reason behind the hostile feelings felt by many concerning the continuation of the fighting in the Middle East. It's because this enemy, dubbed Terrorism, does not have a single face and can move from country to country silently.

It is probably through a combination of these things that you probably feel the way that you do. But think, imagine what almost everyone felt when they saw the footage of the towers falling that day, five years ago. I'm sure that you felt it too. A feeling of shock, possibly rage, that someone would dare to destroy not only something so simple yet potent as a symbol held dear, but that they would dare to attack and kill so many individuals who have not wronged our agressors in any way up to that point. These people were victims who had families, friends, and other loved ones. These victims cannot be avenged as quickly or cleanly. There will be no closure in the near future, if at all, unless people cling together to fight back or at least support what little can be done.

Maybe you're right. Maybe it is "bandwagon patriotism". But maybe it's not. Cirlces of friends ever expand outwards, always overlapping over each other, creating a vast network that information and feelings are passed upon. What affects one person could easily end up affecting others, creating a ripple effect. Of course, the bigger the splash, the farther the ripple goes. So think for a second, is there anyone that you know that might have been affected directly by this one event? If not, what about people that they know? The point is that it could easily affect people that you would never suspect until it does.

So stop being so cynical and open your eyes to what other people think and feel. Look at them not with contempt, annoyance, or frustration for a concept that you feel is ridiculous. Was it so ridiculous to react the same way to the disaster of Pearl Harbor? What about the Holocaust? What about so many other atrocities that affect different people of different nationalities and cultures? The point is that there is nothing wrong with this kind of reaction. Even if it is only temporary, it still brings comfort to those that need it.

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