Sunday, July 13, 2008

Obama and 9/11   [Byron York]

Speaking of The New Yorker this week, the article that the cover art accompanies, a long piece on Obama by Ryan Lizza, quotes at some length from Obama's response to the September 11 terrorist attacks. And it was kind of…tepid. In the Hyde Park Herald on September 19, 2001, Obama wrote that the U.S. needed to improve security at airports, improve intelligence and "be resolute in identifying the perpetrators of these heinous acts and dismantling their organizations of destruction." Beyond that, Obama called for understanding — lots and lots of it.

We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness. The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity and suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy, such numbness to the pain of a child or the desperation of a parent, is not innate; nor, history tells us, is it unique to a particular culture, religion, or ethnicity. It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, and may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics. Most often, though, it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.

We will have to make sure, despite our rage, that any U.S. military action takes into account the lives of innocent civilians abroad. We will have to be unwavering in opposing bigotry or discrimination directed against neighbors and friends of Middle Eastern descent. Finally, we will have to devote far more attention to the monumental task of raising the hopes and prospects of embittered children across the globe—children not just in the Middle East, but also in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and within our own shores.

07/13 11:02 PMShare