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Now is not the time to Hate Americans… It’s a time for Deep Sympathy
America is a frightened child and they need our love.
Twenty four year later, the scars of 9/11 still run deep in the American psyche.
America is still a frightened child, looking to bullies like Donald Trump to protect them. They fear Europeans who are more sophisticated and chill, Chinese who’ve figured out the tricks to rapid growth, Middle Easterners who are tougher and more ruthless, and immigrants who are harder-working and smarter.
After America won the Cold War, they rightly felt like winners. But then, as they saw themselves falling behind on virtually every measure of prosperity — domestic safety, child health, and education — they began to have doubts. And then 9/11 destroyed them. Not only are they not as great as they thought, but they are also very, very vulnerable.
Before 9/11, terrorism was essentially something Americans bravely fought against in and for other countries who relied on them for protection. It made Americans feel brave and heroic, but terrorism never really affected American citizens directly.
All this to say — Americans are feeling really frightened and insecure. So, what do they do — they choose bullies and bullshit artists like Trump to (i) reassure them that they are OK and that everyone else…
