Despite the commonplace notion that everything in America changed after Sept. 11, in actuality, the American society and consciousness have remained much the same as always -- plainly ambivalent in their continuing lack of definition -- according to American History Professor Michael Zuckerman.
In a speech yesterday, Zuckerman ultimately dismissed the initial reactions of disbelief expressed throughout the nation after Sept. 11 as invalid. Citing the scores of movies and television programs which have incorporated themes of terrorism and mass destruction, he claimed labeling the attacks "unimaginable" is absurd.
"It's nonsense to say that September 11 was unimaginable," Zuckerman explained. "We've been fantasizing disaster on a far larger scale for two generations.... If ever a people were prepared culturally, emotionally and ideologically for September 11, the American people were, or should have been."
While some might argue that the Sept. 11 attacks bridged the gap between morbid fantasy and reality, further intensifying the psychological impact of the disaster, Zuckerman took the opposite stance.
Pointing to the very real fear of "the bomb, nuclear holocaust and the nightmare of post apocalypse," which deeply permeated the American consciousness for the second half of the last century, Zuckerman illustrated that American fear and vulnerability are nothing new.
"It's bizarre to say that we've never felt vulnerable before," Zuckerman remarked. "We've felt vulnerable in this country since World War II."
In an attempt to explain the nation's unreadiness regarding the Sept. 11 attacks, Zuckerman first emphasized the "attrition of political life" in the United States.
"Americans aren't citizens anymore," Zuckerman lamented. "These are just psychological resident aliens inhabiting this country now."
Zuckerman also addressed the obsessive consumerism which he said defines America and the irony of President Bush's recommendation to the American people after the Sept. 11 attacks "to go out to the mall."
"This was to be the vindication of our nation," Zuckerman said. "The only way Bush can appeal to us to support the country is to beg us to shop 'till we drop."
Aside from consumerism, Zuckerman pointed to a widespread "ethical rejection of mutual responsibility" as another fundamental element of the American consciousness.
"Absence of commitment... is a hallmark of American identity," Zuckerman said. "I haven't seen that any of this has been affected by 9-11."
When Zuckerman had finished laying out his thoughts, students responded with questions and comments, engaging in a thoughtful, often heated conversation.
"Maybe I'm a hopeless optimist, but I think it was too pessimistic," College freshman Matt Smith said.
"It's interesting that [Zuckerman] thought not much has changed since September 11," remarked Harrison College House Dean Frank Pellicone, who helped orchestrate the event. "I'm not sure how many of the news stories you'll read in the next couple days will share that point of view."
