CaughtintheMiddle1990
04-13-2010, 04:25 PM
I wasn't alive when the Berlin Wall came down, and I was only a year old when the USSR fell but I can imagine for most Americans--especially those who had lived through most of the Cold War--both were incredibly triumphant moments and it must've been great that decades of fear and tension were over. However, in the jubilation of the moment, as those in the west celebrated the end of their enemy--Communism--a new enemy that I doubt many (though I'm sure there were some) in 1991 was waiting just in the midst--Terrorism.
It's sad that the last few generations have never known more than a decade at most of peace; I'm not a peacenik, and I realize war is just as much a part of the human condition as is famine or poverty; they are all tragedies but are and always will be a part of human life. It's just sad that when we finally seemed to have defeated our enemy after decades of 'Cold War', only another one emerged.
I'd say the enemy we face now--terrorists--are in some ways more dangerous than the USSR ever was, because unlike the Soviets, these enemies wear no uniform--they could be anyone among us, living in our cities. Look at the Fort Hood massacre--the guy was a rather American looking US Army officer. And unlike the Soviet Union, who at least even a smidgen of respect for human life, Islamic Extremists have proudly proclaimed they 'love death more than life.' We face an anonymous faceless enemy with all the fanaticism of a religious zealot and all of the insanity of a Kamikaze. Terrorism has no face, no banner, no uniform. It is a much scarier force than any traditional army in that way as there is no true profile for a terrorist. Without looking deeply into him or what he was doing, on the surface for example Hassan would seem to be your average army officer.
I know this is more of a rant than a post, it was just something on my mind. We must never stop being vigilant now, sadly. During the 1990s we were more carefree, less willing or if willing, less heard, to be vigilant of the enemy before us. It just seems to me that (I ive in New York City) we'll never again have a care-free attitude as a nation, with this unseen threat always before us. I miss, in some ways, the care-free attitude I remember feeling as a child, and the care-free, triumphant attitude of the 1990s--I only wish that attitude could be had without it leading to danger.
A little off topic, but I also miss the Twin Towers. They were so iconic, not only of my city but of America in general--talll, proud, beautiful buildings. I wish they'd rebuild them exactly the same (except sturdier inside). Piss in the enemy's faces. Without them the skyline here looks like a mouth with two visibly missing teeth.
It's sad that the last few generations have never known more than a decade at most of peace; I'm not a peacenik, and I realize war is just as much a part of the human condition as is famine or poverty; they are all tragedies but are and always will be a part of human life. It's just sad that when we finally seemed to have defeated our enemy after decades of 'Cold War', only another one emerged.
I'd say the enemy we face now--terrorists--are in some ways more dangerous than the USSR ever was, because unlike the Soviets, these enemies wear no uniform--they could be anyone among us, living in our cities. Look at the Fort Hood massacre--the guy was a rather American looking US Army officer. And unlike the Soviet Union, who at least even a smidgen of respect for human life, Islamic Extremists have proudly proclaimed they 'love death more than life.' We face an anonymous faceless enemy with all the fanaticism of a religious zealot and all of the insanity of a Kamikaze. Terrorism has no face, no banner, no uniform. It is a much scarier force than any traditional army in that way as there is no true profile for a terrorist. Without looking deeply into him or what he was doing, on the surface for example Hassan would seem to be your average army officer.
I know this is more of a rant than a post, it was just something on my mind. We must never stop being vigilant now, sadly. During the 1990s we were more carefree, less willing or if willing, less heard, to be vigilant of the enemy before us. It just seems to me that (I ive in New York City) we'll never again have a care-free attitude as a nation, with this unseen threat always before us. I miss, in some ways, the care-free attitude I remember feeling as a child, and the care-free, triumphant attitude of the 1990s--I only wish that attitude could be had without it leading to danger.
A little off topic, but I also miss the Twin Towers. They were so iconic, not only of my city but of America in general--talll, proud, beautiful buildings. I wish they'd rebuild them exactly the same (except sturdier inside). Piss in the enemy's faces. Without them the skyline here looks like a mouth with two visibly missing teeth.