9/14/2010
Keli Goff: Three Ways to Prove You're Not a Bigot This 9/11
If the media coverage is any indication, you would think that President Obama's biggest concern this 9/11 is where he will be photographed, not what he, and the rest of us, must do to keep our nation from descending back into the darkness, fear, and hatred that consumed us in its immediate aftermath of that event. Based on the last several weeks, I'd say the president and the rest of us, have our work cut out for us but I believe enough in the greatness of this country that I don't think it's a lost cause.
It seemed as though our nation was finally beginning to heal from 9/11. After the immediate, intense pain that followed, the feelings of endless sadness and sorrow, and of not daring to openly celebrate any of life's milestones on that day (birthdays and anniversaries) in the first few years after, it seemed that our nation, was finally beginning to find some peace. Not beginning to forget, but beginning to move on.
But in recent months it's as though we've begun to journey backwards, not forward, and the wound now seems more open and painful than ever. The recent stories are almost too disturbing, and frankly embarrassing for our country, to recount, but I will anyway.
• On July 25th, a Gainseville, Florida "pastor" announced that he will host "International Burn a Koran Day" at his church to commemorate 9/11 this year, an act that General David Petraeus has said will make U.S. troops in Afghanistan less safe.
• An August 16th poll revealed that nearly a third of Americans believe Muslims should be barred from running for president or sitting on the U.S. Supreme Court.
• On August 24th, a cab driver was asked if he was a Muslim by a passenger, who upon receiving confirmation that he was, proceeded to stab the driver repeatedly. The driver has since been unable to work due to his injuries and has received very few contributions to aid with his medical expenses and lost wages.
• On August 25th, a drunken man burst into a mosque located in Queens, NY and urinated on prayer rugs there.
• On August 28th, a mosque being built in Tennessee was a target of arson.
• To address concerns regarding rising hate speech and crimes directed at Muslims, days ago the campaign "My Faith, My Voice" created a public service announcement featuring American Muslims making the case that they are real Americans who we don't have to fear. You can watch it here. (Perhaps I'm getting softer as I get older but I find it hard to watch it without becoming emotional that our fellow citizens felt compelled, by fear for their lives, to do this.)
I'm sure there are those who will argue that it is not that Americans are bigots or unwilling to move on, but that some of our countrymen are simply reacting to the insensitivity being displayed by those who don't understand what we lost on that day. To put it bluntly, they would argue that our collective wound was beginning to heal, until an unacceptable amount of salt was poured on it. First, when a guy named Hussein took over the White House, and second when he and his "elitist," non-patriotic buddies (including apparently GOP Senator Orrin Hatch) defended the right of a bunch of Osama look-alikes to build a religious center too close for comfort to Ground Zero. Despite much of the opposition hailing from outside of New York City, they would also likely argue that those of who share a different perspective simply don't understand what "they" and our country lost that day.
They would be wrong.
Let me say from the get go that I didn't lose anyone personally on 9/11 and have no right to compare my experience at all to those who did.
But I know I lost something personal. To this day, I still remain uncomfortable discussing my 9/11 story -- every New Yorker (and D.C.-er for that matter) on the ground that day has one -- and I continue to change the subject when curious friends and family from other states ask about it, just as I'm about to do with you right now.
But aside from that day I know it changed my life long after, just as it did so many Americans. For months I was terrified of the subway, so much so that my entire life was rearranged around never setting foot below ground. And as hard as this is for those of you who are familiar with me and my work now to likely believe, I stopped watching television altogether and reading most newspapers and magazines because I knew that I was just one terrifying, painful image away from falling apart emotionally, throwing in the towel and making my family happy by abandoning the Big Apple altogether and moving home "somewhere safe." (I'm sure there's some mental health professional reading this who's thinking that I should have seen someone about this and I'm sure you're probably right but I didn't.)
While I didn't lose anyone I loved that day, as a recent college grad working in constituent services in a congressional office on the Upper East Side, my work and my life revolved around trying to help those who did. From spouses who lost loved ones and were trying to navigate the complex benefits process, to those who needed help arranging alternate travel for family members to grieve their loss after all flights were grounded. (For anyone who's looking for a way to help his or her college age kid grow-up overnight, putting him or her in a job in which he or she is surrounded by people in that kind of pain is a surefire way to do it.)
This is all to say that I am someone who has strong feelings about 9/11 to this day. I am angry that those people hijacked those planes, and also hijacked our peace of mind. I am angry that they hijacked my peace of mind. And I am angry that to this day even though I am a rational human being in most aspects of my life that I still have a mild phobia about subways that has occasionally reared its ugly head in the form of panic attacks years later.
I am angry. But I am not angry with Muslims.
I am no more angry with Islam for that horrible attack than I am at Christianity for slavery. Yes some people used the Christian religion as a justification for enslaving my ancestors. But those people were idiots. Not every Christian is. Furthermore, if I am to call myself a Christian I must forgive those who hurt us (I'll be honest, this is the tenet of my faith I struggle most with as anyone who's wronged me or anyone I love knows.) But if I am to call myself a Christian I also must not persecute those who have not hurt us. (I'm getting the impression that the Glenn Beck's of the world did not get to that part of the Bible.)
I want this on the record. I do not, I repeat, I do not believe that every person who opposes the Cordoba House Center being located near Ground Zero is an Anti-Muslim bigot. I think many of them are simply still hurting and, for them, that building represents what the subway still does for me; a reminder of the pain, terror, hurt and loss from that day that still lingers, even though everyone else says that we should move on.
But, if that's the case, and you're reading this, then prove the critics calling you a bigot wrong by doing these three things:
1) Make a donation to Ahmed Sharif, the cab driver attacked in what is being described as an anti-Muslim hate crime. You can do this through the New York Taxi Workers Alliance
Checks and money orders can be made payable to, "Ahmed Sharif"
Mail to:
Ahmed Sharif
c/o New York Taxi Workers Alliance
250 Fifth Avenue, Suite 310
NY, NY 100012) If you are a listener or fan of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh or anyone else who has been using heated rhetoric around this issue that can be perceived as Islamophobic, write to them and ask them to vehemently denounce the attack against Sharif and hate crimes against Muslims in general, as well as "International Burn a Koran Day." Contact: Glenn Beck: me@glennbeck.com, Rush Limbaugh: ElRushbo@eibnet.com
3) If you've ever sent an e-mail forward to your friends critical of Islam, which in any way may have been misconstrued as condoning hate crimes against those who practice this faith, then send an e-mail to those same friends today denouncing "International Burn a Koran Day" and hate crimes against Muslims, and encouraging them to donate to the Ahmed Sharif fund.
The reason? Because our country is better than the hatred and bigotry we are allowing to define us at the moment.
This piece originally appeared on TheLoop21.com for which Goff is a Political Blogger.
Follow Keli Goff on Twitter: www.twitter.com/keligoff
Facebook is becoming real life
Like it? Tell your friends!
I’ve covered a few articles on the blog that show how Facebook is moving out of the confines of a typical social network and becoming more and more integrated with other parts of our lives. Delta Airlines turned it into a booking engine, Coca Cola took it into amusement marks with real-world Likes and we’re starting to see many other examples that show how the site is growing at an alarming pace and steadily diversifying. The latest addition comes from Target, who are introducing Facebook Credit gift cards into their stores.
This is Facebook’s first foray into the retail world and it’s an important one. While the concept may not be all that new – we’ve had iTunes gift cards for a few years now – this has important implications for the way we consume our social content. While the iTunes card leads to one site and one purchase, the potential for Facebook gift cards is phenomenal. The area of online purchases through games and social objects is ready to hit the mainstream and Facebook have just made this a little bit easier. By providing a physical purchase point they tap into common behaviour – purchasing a gift card – but use this for something completely new. I think it’s absolutely genius and brings us one step closer to a unified shopping experience, where your real and virtual currency are no longer separated.
It’s could change the way we shop
Shopping online has never come all that naturally to me. As easy as it should be, I just find it a little too cumbersome and can never be bothered to hunt for my card, write out all the details etc.. What Facebook have potentially done is to bridge that gap. While Facebook credits are currently for use within Facebook itself, we’ve seen Facebook’s potential through the social graph and how quickly the Like button has been integrated into websites. Now imagine that instead of entering credit card details or your paypal login, you see an option to pay by Facebook. Then imagine that you just topped up your Facebook Credits while buying milk in your local shop.
As well as the opportunities in online retail, Facebook is in an incredibly powerful position as it takes over more and more aspects of not only our online lives, but daily life in general. Recent changes they’ve made to the site show how serious they are about being a constant presence in everything we do. As well as Facebook Places, a much lesser-reported change now lets you subscribe to actual people. This means that you can get a notification every time a person (or a page) takes an action on the site such as updating their status or uploading a photo. For me this becomes just a little too creepy and the ultimate in stalking. But it has huge implications for the way we communicate with each other and the very basics of human behaviour.
Facebook on the go
And just in case you thought you were safe from Facebook while you’re not even remotely online, think again. In a further twist to Facebook becoming a bigger part of our everyday lives, you can now get Facebook on the go. General Motors have just introduced a new service in their in-car communication kit that allows members to receive Facebook updates read to them in the car. That’s right, you read that correctly, Facebook updates in your car. Now I’m all for being connected 24-7, it’s how I live my life. But I’m not sure I have a need to hear my Facebook updates while I’m driving. This may be a nice marketing stunt to launch their new service, but it shows just how big a role social media now has in our lives. The need for constant communication is growing rapidly and Facebook is driving this forward more than anyone.
The interesting thing is that as reliant as we have come on instant communication from Facebook and relish the opportunity to be ‘always on’, I’m increasingly hearing about Facebook fatigue. Mention Facebook in any conversation with your friends and the chances are you’ll start a wave of people saying they want to quit it. Students have chat on in the background while they study and put this down as the biggest distraction. Yet they choose to have it on. We can’t seem to stop ourselves and we get caught in a cycle – you fear cutting it out for what you’ll miss out on. Just how far can Facebook go?
Possibly Related Posts:
- New Facebook Feature Helps You Find More Relevant Pages To Like
- Is It Time For Facebook To Split The Stream?
- Facebook Search Based On Likes – The Future Of Search Is Nearly Here
- A Simple Guide To Privacy On Facebook Places – Video
- Some Important Questions About Facebook Places
Seth's Blog: Why jazz is more interesting than bowling
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Why jazz is more interesting than bowling
Bowling is all about one number: the final score. And great bowlers come whisker-close to hitting the perfect score regularly. Not enough dimensions for me to be fascinated by, and few people pay money to attend bowling matches.
Jazz is practiced over a thousand or perhaps a million dimensions. It's non-linear and non-predictable, and most of all, it's never perfect.
And yet...
when we get to work, most of us choose to bowl.
Posted by Seth Godin on September 12, 2010 | Permalink
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An Open Letter to Love: It’s Not You, It’s Me. « Life After College by Jenny Blake
Dear Love,
I think we should take a break.
I find myself bumping into you in all the wrong places. I know people and books say you are everywhere, but for some reason I keep wanting what I can’t have. And I don’t want that.
It’s not you, it’s me. I just want to relax and appreciate the fact that I am single and have the freedom to do whatever I’d like. I’m tired of wondering why I am not in a relationship and wishing things were different, but then getting scared when I think they might be. Please just let me love my friends and my family and my dog and puppies and the sky cam…and let that be enough. Enough.
I’m also tired of people troubleshooting, advising and analyzing me (I’m as guilty of this as anyone). Single is not a disease that needs to be cured. It is not a problem that needs to be fixed.
I’ve read book after book after book after book on dating and relationships, and they are driving me crazy. It’s like self-analysis and dating experts are competing to see who can drive me insane first.
While I appreciate the wisdom behind it all, I am tired of the endless stream of paradoxical clichés:
- You will find someone when least expect it or when you aren’t looking / You have to be proactive and put yourself out there
- You have to appear available / Don’t come across as desperate
- You have to get clear on what you want / Maybe you shouldn’t be so picky
- You have to look inward, fix your issues, and love yourself completely / Nobody is perfect. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
- You’re too busy; you have to make room in your life / Get out there and do activities you enjoy, pursue things you are passionate about
- And on….and on….and on.
So with all due respect Love, I would love if you could just give me some space. Let me enjoy my time alone without looking for you.
Here’s to being single & fabulous & perfectly lonely,
Jenny***
“We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand.”
—C.S. LewisThis post was a tough one for me to hit “publish” on — I feel all exposed and sort of want to run for cover, but my desire to be honest with you has won out. That said, for fear of over-analyzing things too much I may not reply to every comment (though I really value what you have to say and will read every single one). I hope you understand.
Are you new to Life After College? Welcome, and thanks for visiting! If you liked this post, consider subscribing via RSS, subscribing via email, or following me on Twitter. Want the inside scoop on my book project (email updates with personal stories, tips and resources)? Sign-up here. I look forward to keeping in touch!Related posts you might like:
- Yes It’s True…I Blogged About Love Share Well, folks! A small family of pigs somewhere just...
Etan Thomas: Stop Using Our Soldiers As Political Propaganda
I speak out against this war not in anger, but with anxiety and sorrow in my heart. Above all with a passionate desire to see our beloved country stand as the moral example of the world. I speak out against this war because I am disappointed with America. There can be no great disappointment where there is no great love.-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Why I Oppose the Vietnam War"
I'm not going to focus on the fact that this war was started on a false pretext that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, nor am I going to harp on the fact that the supposed links to 9/11 proved to be completely false. I'm not even going to talk about how the entire post-invasion strategy was a fiasco altogether. Not going to focus on the $745 billion cost of this war that could have been used domestically on things of dire importance in our economy like better schools, health care, infrastructure, or full coverage for all of our veterans who have risked their lives for our country. Not going to focus on the continuing political instability in Iraq or the lack of a functioning government six months after their elections.Not going to focus on the debate on whether our presence in Iraq has be beneficial or detrimental to the people of Iraq. Not going to argue the point that terrorism and sectarian violence is still a threat to tear Iraq apart just as it was prior to the invasion.
Instead, I want to focus on the troops. The US troops have continuously been used as a part of war propaganda. When it really comes down to it, who is looking out for their best interest? They deserve more than simple praise and a job well done. They deserve to be told the truth about why in fact they went to war in the first place.
The story of Pat Tillman can be described as nothing short of tragic. Here was a man who after the attacks of 9/11 felt compelled to forgo millions of dollars playing professional football and join the army rangers. He made the ultimate sacrifice. Then, it was discovered that his family had been lied to, that there was an apparent cover up that he had died in a "friendly fire" incident in 2004. But what's even worse is that, according to an article in CNN on Aug. 20 entitled, "Tillman's parents: Army still hasn't told the truth," it was revealed that not only did they not do a criminal investigation after Tillman was killed, but his parents both believe evidence was destroyed, and that they may never rest in the comfort of knowing that they have been told the truth as to how their son lost his life. What's even worse is that they don't expect to ever know the truth.
The Army, awarded Tillman the Silver Star, the third-highest U.S. combat decoration, announcing that he had been killed leading a counterattack. However, they later admitted that officers in his chain of command knew almost immediately that he had been shot accidentally by his own comrades. Instead of being truthful, it appears as though the family was not told that the death was a result of "friendly fire." Hmmmmm interesting....
The US Army's issued a statement that read:
As an Army, we failed in our duty to the memory of a fallen soldier and to his family. The failures of a few brought discredit to the Army and compounded the grief suffered by the Tillman family. The Army truly regrets the pain and suffering endured by the Tillman family as a result of this tragic, friendly fire accident and the shortfalls in reporting accurate information to them in the days and weeks after Pat's death.However, Mary Tillman's rebuttal read:
They weren't shortfalls. They weren't missteps and they weren't errors. They were deliberate attempts to cover up what happened in order for them to use Pat's death for propaganda purposes at a time during the war in 2004 when [the] Abu Ghraib Prison scandal was breaking... it was a terrible time for the military and for that administration, and Pat's death was an opportunity for them.To use the death of a soldier for propaganda brings about a new low. However, the Republicans have not abandoned this shameful and disgusting tactic.
Republicans from John Boehner to Sarah Palin have gone on a steadfast campaign with the intent of criticizing President Obama for taking credit for the end of the Iraq War. They want to give all of the credit to George W. Bush. On a day that should have been celebrated, they were seeking political gain and further posturing. The problem is that President Obama's actual speech gave George W. Bush and the troops credit.
They assumed that President Obama would have taken a victory lap, yelled from the mountain tops "mission accomplished." Posed with a flight suit, and bragged about doing what Bush couldn't do, but they were wrong. That is the way they would have behaved, but we have a president who does things a little differently. Personally, I may have had a reaction similar to Paul Begala when he said, "We'll give you all of the credit for the surge if you take at least half of the blame for the lies that got us into this war in the first place."
And I would've added that these lies have resulted in 4,400 Americans who have died in this farce of a war, 35,000 wounded, and 18 suicides each day among returning veterans, so don't you dare try to stand there and say that you are "for the troops" now when you weren't concerned with their families, loved ones, or valued their lives in the first place. But President Obama took a different approach. He actually gave George W. Bush credit.
Obama gave credit to the troops:
These are the rough waters encountered during the course of one of America's longest wars. Yet there has been one constant amidst those shifting tides. At every turn, America's men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve. As Commander-in-Chief, I am proud of their service. Like all Americans, I am awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families.He continued:
The Americans who have served in Iraq completed every mission they were given. They defeated a regime that had terrorized its people. Together with Iraqis and coalition partners who made huge sacrifices of their own, our troops fought block by block to help Iraq seize the chance for a better future. They shifted tactics to protect the Iraqi people; trained Iraqi Security Forces; and took out terrorist leaders. Because of our troops and civilians -- and because of the resilience of the Iraqi people -- Iraq has the opportunity to embrace a new destiny, even though many challenges remain.After noting that he has kept his campaign promise to get combat troops out of Iraq, President Obama took the high road and actually praised Bush's patriotism and affection for the troops, and repeated his call for unity:
As we do, I am mindful that the Iraq War has been a contentious issue at home. Here, too, it is time to turn the page. This afternoon, I spoke to former President George W. Bush. It's well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush's support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hope for Iraq's future.This is the perfect example of how a president is suppose to conduct himself. No political propaganda, he even gave credit to the regime responsible for getting us in this mess in the first place. There is no doubt in my mind that if the shoe was on the other foot, Bush would not have done the same. The GOP is so consumed with their disdain for President Obama that they have lost all touch with reality. Obama did not take credit for anything, except keeping a campaign promise. Instead of a "mission accomplished" victory lap, President Obama attempted to provide closure to the long and divisive political conflict over the Iraq invasion. While we definitely have a way to go before we can officially say that the war is over, at least President Obama is attempting to utilize bipartisan unity instead of divisive propaganda.
