There was a kid at my son’s school who made a Lego sculpture of what appeared to be, uh, the capturing of ObL. With guns and a medic with a stretcher and everything. He brought it to the front office to display it. The secretary didn’t “get it” at first, but when I pointed it out, she’s like, oh great, do I dismantle it now? What the heck? She left it up to the teacher to handle. If it’s not gone when I pick him up in an hour I’m going to take it apart myself.
I assume they would try to justify it by claiming it provides “closure” or something, whatever that means.
Personally, I don’t think the families of victims should even be allowed to be in the courtroom during death penalty cases. What do those ghouls want to be there for? So they can have an opportunity to express their death-worship if there is a guilty verdict?
Bin Laden violently resisted capture and was killed in a firefight. You would think that would help give us “closure.” You would think a small percentage of people would feel the need to see his corpse, and some people would extrapolate that to the entire population (as in this thread).
But instead, by pure coincidence the majority of the population revealed themselves to be corpse-obsessed death-worshippers, this revelation having nothing to do with Bin Laden at all.
Because, ultimately, despite the whining and hand-wringing about terrorism on American shores, and the appearance of frailty on the world stage with regard to terrorism, we aren’t afraid of them. We have shown that we will hunt and hunt and hunt, for years on end, if need be, despite internal conflicts and endless distractions. And when we find the mass murderers of so many of our citizens, we have the will and the ability to destroy them wherever they are hiding.
Next up, Ayman al Zawahiri, I hope.
That’s the maddening thing to me, really. Americans have somehow gotten this reputation as lily-livered wimps who hide in their basements and tremble at the names of shadowy international terrorists. Fuck that shit.
I think the issue is more with you. People die every day. Why does the mere act of looking upon a dead body offend your sensibilities so much? Death is a part of life, and to refuse to look at the physical fact of it seems to me to be an unhealthy position to take.
I know my previous post was harsh, so to be fair to The American Public, Bin Laden kind of put them in an awkward position by murdering nearly 3000 of them.
It is awkward to celebrate the capture (and presumably imminent death penalty) or death of a mass murderer, but if he didn’t mass murder in the first place such a situation would never have come up.
So I’d say at least half the blame for the awkwardness lies with him.
It is perfectly healthy to want to see your mortal enemy dead. I don’t know whether the OP actually thinks ObL deserved to die. There are people around who wanted him brought to trial, or some weak shit like that. Just look at the comment section at nyt.com.
America is still a badass country. We are a warlike people. If things get too boring, we stir up trouble. $700 billion a year buys a lot of whoopass. Isn’t this what the hysterical left has always accused us of? Guilty as charged.
Last time I checked the Brits dont use their hooligans as military strategists or diplomatic advisors. Nor do they think that hooliganism reflects anything good about British society.
When I look at the blood thrills some seem unable to repress, I kind of have the feeling of having been sent straight back to 2001 . With the exact same road to take, with all the very same traps, and forever falling into each one of them, over and over.
But I guess a monkey with a gun will try every posible combination till a violent discharge to the face puts an end to the experimentation.
Is this a bad time to point out that many Americans see the British, as, well, effeminate? Sure, having a proper British accent can make you sound smart and cultured, but no one thinks a cuppa tea shows your cajones, eh.
Who claims to be saints? I’m from the UK, we’ve wreaked death and destruction bigger, better and longer than most. Be glad he’s dead by all means but if you subcribe to this mindset below…
Then don’t be surprised if such telegenic sentiments end up defining you as a nation.
And that would be a great shame as that doesn’t reflect the opinions of the Americans I work with nor the mood of the nation as a whole.
Just like the Brits - always putting the letter “y” in everything.
Neither do we. Show me a military strategist or diplomatic advisor that advocated the blood lust you claim. The OP is talking about the man on the street. So am I. The average British citizen is not fundamentally more peaceful than the average American citizen so climb down off of your fucking high horse.
Out of curiosity, where are you from where something like an open casket funeral would be considered exceedingly bizarre? Or if you don’t feel comfortable answering that, can you give examples of cultures where some sort of"viewing the body," even if it’s in a shroud or casket, isn’t typical for funerals?
To answer your question, relatives of murder victims often do want to see retaliation against the murderer. I think it would be bizarre, unnatural, and not particularly good for society if people didn’t want to ensure that murder victims are avenged.
I have no idea what you mean by “death worship.” And even if you are strongly against the death penalty (which is fine), I find your lack of ability to empathize with the loved ones of murder victims disturbing. Ghouls? Really?
It is “badass” and “warlike” if you mean “happy to sit in the barcalounger and cheer while someone else goes off and does the actual killing and dying.” Americans, as a group, are sort of like humans, as a group: most of them are not very tough or warlike at all.
I’ve been waiting to see him get his, for nine years now. He in a very real sense attacked MY people, MY relatives, MY friends, in MY home town. I thought it was “an uncomfortable thing” (your verbage) when I and many others were making frantic calls on 9/11 morning, trying to find out if brothers, sisters, cousins and parents were still alive. So excuse me if I don’t care if my feelings make you uncomfortable. I’ve hated him for the full nine years and I’m OK with that. He got what he deserved and I see no reason to pretend he rates any sympathy, mourning, or compassion. So take your superior airs and shove them up your ass.
This is why I don’t see people cheering on the White House lawn a bad thing. Wanting to see a mutilated corpse may put you in an unwanted psych profile, but this…sentiment…the way 9/11 changed everything…I kind of scoff at the turn-your cheek-ers.
I don’t care to see his body and I didn’t watch Saddam Hussein’s hanging. But I can see how some need closure on this one.
Pretty sure no-one has suggested we show any of the above. The world is better without him in it.
Your language is very raw on this and your last post reveals why. The very fact that you were personally involved in 9-11 does make you a very bad yardstick by which to judge the correct response to his killing. Anyone would understand why you feel as you do but it also means people like you need to kept away from deciding what the best course of action is with people like OBL. You wouldn’t be able to be objective and would want to kill rather than capture.
So knowing a bit more about your situation at least helps me to put your comments in context.
I am fortunate enough to still have both of my sisters-- one in NY and one in D.C.-- who lived in these places on 9/11/01.
Still, I cherish the thought of buying a ticket, waiting in line and taking a huge shit across his dead body. I don’t care how bad it smells! (The body, not my shit )
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