A RESPONSE TO 9/11 JONATHAN WACKS IN AMERICA WE LIKE OUR PROBLEMS TO GO AWAY. PREFERABLY QUICKLY. I'M AFRAID THIS ONE WON'T. WE 'RE NOT GOOD AT SUSTAINING OUR COLLECTIVE MEMORY THROUGH CRITICAL ANALYSIS. BUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LEARN TO DO SO. WE LIKE TO DEAL WITH OUR PROBLEMS BY INDIVIDUALIZING THEM. IT 'S PART OF OUR TRADITION OF NARRATIVE STORYTELLING. BUT THAT WON'T WORK THIS TIME. WE EASILY AVOID MULTI-FACETED, COMPLEX ISSUES BY VILLIFYING ONE MAN. COMPLEXITY IS NOT OUR PREFERRED STYLE. WE LIKE TO KEEP IT SIMPLE: HITLER, STALIN, SADDAM, GHADDAFI, NORIEGA, TIMOTHY MCVEIGH AND NOW OSAMA BIN LADEN. IT 'S EASIER TO DISMISS THEM AS EVIL LUNATICS - WHICH THEY ARE - THAN TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT THEIR LUNATIC ACTIONS VISIT UPON THE WORLD. ON SEPTEMBER 11 WHEN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER WAS DESTROYED IN THE MOST THEATRICAL DEMONSTRATION OF POLITICAL CONFRONTATION EVER WITNESSED, FOR A MOMENT, THE ENTIRE WORLD STOOD STILL; FROZEN IN HORROR. THE SOCIAL CONTRACT HAD BEEN TORN ASUNDER AND WE ALL STOPPED AND STARED INTO THE HIDEOUS JAWS OF BARBARISM. BUT IN OUR JUSTIAFIABLE OUTRAGE WE CANNOT LOSE SIGHT OF THE CONDITIONS WHICH RATIONALIZE THE MURDEROUS WORK OF BIN LADEN AND HIS CRONIES. BECAUSE ULTIMATELY IT IS NOT ABOUT THE BARBARIANS ITS NOT EVEN ABOUT POLITICS OR TERRORISM, ITS ABOUT CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE KIND OF WORLD WE WANT TO LIVE IN. IN A WAY WE HAVE CONSPIRED WITH BIN LADEN. WE HAVE CREATED HIM, WE HAVE PROVIDED HIM WITH THE FODDER FOR HIS MADNESS. BUT IF WE ARE TO GET BEYOND OUR OUTRAGE AND RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION, WE WILL NEED TO ADDRESS A FEW REALITIES THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED BY US AND EXPLOITED BY THE BIN LADENS OF THE WORLD: FIRST, THE HIDEOUSLY UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH HAS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR MOST OF HUMANITY TO FEED THEIR CHILDREN WHILE IN AMERICA WE FACE A CRISIS OF OVER-PRODUCTION. SECOND, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO FIND A WAY TO BALANCE THE LEGITIMATE ASPIRATIONS OF THE PALASTINIAN PEOPLE WITH THE JUSTIFIABLE NEED THAT ISRAEL HAS FOR SECURITY. AND THIRD, THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DISFIGUREMENT THAT GLOBALIZATION HAS VISITED UPON THE THIRD WORLD MUST BE STOPPED. UNLESS WE ARE WILLING TO ADDRESS AT LEAST THESE REALITIES BIN LADEN AND HIS KIND WILL BE BACK TO HAUNT OUR ANGRY HEARTS AND WE SHALL KNOW NO PEACE © JONATHAN WACKS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Jonathan Wacks 505-473-6430