Americans tend to react to sound bites and the latest blog when it comes to news.
But Americans need to look at the true American history to truly understand what is going on. We can’t jump on the bandwagon every time an event happens.
It doesn’t take long to realize that we let the government do what it does simply because we don’t want to actually read about what is happening in Washington. We react to acts committed by a group and then let Washington write superficial legislation that comes back to haunt us. Americans need to stop and think about the consequences of the legislation and consider the long term results.
What? You want examples?
How about our reaction to those of German ancestry during World War I? We had “burning parties” of German merchandise we owned. The teaching of German language was banned in schools. Streets with German names were either changed into English or the pronunciation was changed. Think about the “Witte” museum in San Antonio.
During World War II, more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, some of them American citizens, were forced to move from the West Coast and put in “relocation camps.” This was done through an executive order and was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. These residents lost everything and, when finally released, were not compensated for their losses.
The Korean and Viet Nam wars saw America again look with suspicion on those of Asian descent. They were suspected and the name calling began again.
With the 9/11 attack in 2001, Americans reacted, not with reason and contemplation, but with panic. People of Middle Eastern ancestry were immediately looked upon as potential enemies or at least as “fellow travelers,” to use a term from the McCarthy era. The laws meant to protect us – the Patriot Acts – were passed and signed with great fanfare. There were a few people in the public and even in Congress who tried to tell Americans that we were giving up some of our civil liberties. They were called un-American and traitors to the American cause.
The latest disclosure of intelligence information once again is causing Americans to overreact. But, think! We, the American people, have allowed our representatives to give this power to the intelligence agencies. We did not question the Congress in 2001 and allowed our government to do what was deemed necessary for our protection. “I have nothing to hide” was the phrase most commonly used when the legislation was passed and some protested it.
We are now in a huff over the National Security Agency’s intelligence gathering. Even in our anger or emotional reaction, we do not stop long enough to really understand what the agency is doing. The blogs and the comedians on radio and television are following the usual pattern of “Chicken Little,” with the “sky is falling” reaction. Half-truths and outright lies are being spewed over the airwaves. In other words, Americans are reacting again without even thinking.
I don’t believe that history repeats itself. I do believe, though, that we can learn from the past.
Would there not have been better laws passed after 9/11 had we and Congress not panicked? Would it be better for Americans to begin asking questions and thinking before we allowed our imaginations to run wild?
