Injury turns to aggression
By Alex Platt '02

The United States has suddenly become a sort of macrocosm of Deerfield Academy. Here at Deerfield, when faced with adversity, our leaders ask us to come together as a school to face problems as a group. I realized after some initial skepticism about the prayer in the dining hall that it is reasonable and helpful to community mindset for Mr. Widmer to call us together, as it is for President Bush to call Americans together to contemplate our losses through prayer.

Bush, however, has also done something that is unacceptable from any leader in this type of situation. He has taken the same emotions-the natural confusion and frustration arising from grief-and has been transforming it into anger, and a thirst for vengeance. He does this by using almost religious language in his speeches, repeatedly labeling the upcoming war as "a battle of good and evil." Whatever Bush's motivation for encouraging this hollow and over-zealous language, it contributes to the increasingly militant mindset of Americans as represented in mainstream media.

Another characteristic of his recent addresses -- this "we're gonna win" mentality -- draws in my mind another comparison with Deerfield.

The ultimate downside of "school-spirit" at Deerfield is the annual Beat Choate syndrome that sweeps through the campus in the fall weeks leading up to athletic competitions with our "rival" school. As is customary with these types of events and traditions, there are always those who take it a little too far, for example, burning effigies of Choate students in a bonfire.

We have been shocked by the recent abuses of Muslim-Americans and their places of worship. Bush does not condone these actions, but when you fan the flames of aggression, only violence can result. There is a difference between wearing green and white and burning something blue, just as there is a difference between flying the American flag and destroying a mosque. Both are done in the name of school-spirit, or patriotism.

I have found it very hard to know where I stand after this. This type of unprecedented violence cannot be ignored. Yet after America's experiences in the Gulf War, during which tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians were killed, and Saddam Hussein's stranglehold on the country left intact, I can't help but feel hesitant about entering into another such conflict.

Blind Patriotism
By Blair Bodine '02

Since the tragedy that occurred on September 11, America is faced with the difficult challenge of healing. We grieve for those who have been lost to this brutal act of terrorism, we pray for their families and the heroic rescuers in New York, and we hope for the safety of tomorrow. I have seen an amazing strength in Americans these past two weeks, one I never knew existed, the strength to unify and to endure. From the windows of Park Avenue to the storefronts of the Midwest, from car windows across the nation to lampposts in Greenfield, American flags are proudly waving. And why not? Who shouldn't proclaim the freedom and democracy America stands for? No terrorist can target or destroy these liberties; they are embedded in our soil, they stand resilient at the core of our country.

I do, however, fear what is at the core of all this patriotism. We are a nation upset at this attack on innocent civilians. Some are angry at the senseless loss of our brothers, and some are feeling the powerful emotion of hate, hate towards the violent acts of terrorists, and hate towards the individuals who perpetrated those acts.

I was in Greenfield the other weekend, where the people of the town, like so many people across the nation, were holding a candle light vigil to morn America's great loss and to gather together in a spirit of healing. However, this particular ceremony took a violent, forceful turn, as the participants started shouting and forming human chains across the street. They would not let cars by unless drivers honked or waved a flag. There seems to be a mob of Americans forming with core sentiments of anger, hate, and rage. I deeply fear for where these sentiments are directed. It is no secret that since the World Trade Center tragedy, people of Islamic descent have been victims of verbal abuse and physical attacks.

The fight America is waging is not against another nation; it is against terrorism. And it is a global fight or, rather, a global effort to ensure peace. I pray that we do not mistake justice for revenge, that we do not confuse the act of a terrorist group with the beliefs of our fellow Muslim citizens, and that we seize this opportunity to unify, not only America, but the world, under hope for peace.