Post-9/11

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section has multiple issues. Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page. It needs to be expanded. Tagged since April 2007. It may require general cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.Tagged since April 2007.

Post-9/11 is a term used to describe the current state of living in the United States or other parts of the world after the September 11, 2001 attacks, in reference to the many changes that have occurred due to the attacks.

[edit] Suspicion

Many activities which prior to 9/11 would be viewed innocently, or as just eccentric, are now viewed with suspicion. Six Muslim imams were removed from U.S. airliner when they prayed before the flight and showed "suspicious behavior".^[1] Various government agencies and police forces have asked people to report "unusual" behavior. The United States Department of Homeland Security has advised citizens to "be vigilant, take notice of your surroundings, and report suspicious items or activities to local authorities immediately."^[2]

This suspicion relates to "discriminatory backlash", in which members of certain groups are viewed with greater suspicion, as well as photography – both amateur and professional photographers find they are questioned and even detained for their actions.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Discriminatory backlash

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South-Asian Americans – as well as those perceived to be members of these groups – have been the victims of increased numbers of bias-related assaults, threats, vandalism and arson in the United States.^[3]

[edit] Department of Homeland Security

The United States government created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. DHS is a Cabinet-level department of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters.

With approximately 184,000 employees, DHS is the third-largest Cabinet department in the U.S. federal government, after the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Homeland security policy is coordinated at the White House by the Homeland Security Council; Frances Townsend is the current Homeland Security Advisor. Other agencies with significant homeland security responsibilities include the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Energy.^[4]

[edit] Photography

Post-9/11, people photographing both public and private places have run into problems with law enforcement, because they are sometimes viewed as suspicious. In 2004, the New York City Subway attempted to institute a photo ban. This was met with fierce opposition, and the plan was ultimately scrapped.

[edit] Politics

The attacks lead to serious and widespread changes in US politics and foreign policy. Domestically, both parties rallied around President George W. Bush after the attacks, passing the PATRIOT Act and supporting war in Afghanistan. Support for the administrations actions and policies was seen as one's patriotic duty, which for better or worse lead the US to war with Iraq:

We also must never forget the most vivid events of recent history. On September the 11th, 2001, America felt its vulnerability -- even to threats that gather on the other side of the earth. We resolved then, and we are resolved today, to confront every threat, from any source, that could bring sudden terror and suffering to America.

– George W. Bush, President Bush Outlines Iraqi Threat, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 7, 2002^[5]

[edit] Censorship

Films and television programs produced before 2001 that feature the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center or events similar to 9/11 have been banned or edited in re-airings on television. One such example is an episode of The Simpsons, "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson," the main setting of which is the World Trade Center.^[6][7]

After 9/11, Clear Channel Communications (an owner of over 1,000 radio stations in the U.S.) released a list of songs deemed "inappropriate". The songs were not banned outright, but stations were advised not to play them.^[8]

[edit] References