Bin Laden

Mazen Hassan
Introduction to Journalism
Reading Journal
5/6/2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/opinion/08haidt.html?ref=osamabinladen

Yes, Osama Bin Laden is dead. Everybody knows, and apparently, everyone still cares, as it is covered on every single newspaper, magazine, blog, TV show, Facebook status – you name it. Yes, of course he was a bad man who had what was coming to him; but I found myself extremely disturbed at just joyous everybody seemed to be at the announcement of his death. For the families who actually lost loved ones in 9/11, I can more so sympathize as to why they would celebrate (though, I do think it more appropriate to do so privately), and though it’s not to say every American wasn’t affected by that horrific tragedy, I feel that the merriment has gone a bit too far.
At the end of the day, this was still a human – a person (regardless of how horrible he may have been), and I believe that supporting the end of an era of living in fear of him and what he might potentially do is acceptable, but to discuss his death so openly and nonchalantly, to me, says a lot about one’s character and our country as a whole.
In reading this article (“Why We Celebrate Killing”) in the New York Times, I immediately thought it was a smart decision to have a social psychologist write the article, as she may have more perceptive and sympathetic insight as to why people are reacting this way, and whether or not it is “proper” and/or healthy. At first I thought she was relating to people like me, who were slightly appalled at the level of excitement and merriment, when I read the very (true and accurate) quote - “we should seek justice, not vengeance...Doesn’t this lower us to “their” level?” She even used a very clever and accurate analogy; comparing celebrating the death of Bin Laden, to a family throwing a huge party at the gates of a prison after their daughter’s murderer is executed. I thought it was a brilliant comparison as, she states that yes the parents (Americans in this case) should feel relief and private joy; but to go above and beyond to get drunk and rejoice openly on the streets is “a celebration of death and vengeance, not justice,” which I 100% agree with.
Though delving deeper into the article, as I feared, she ended up having the same mentality as everybody else. She essentially goes into the history of psychology, and how it is a natural instinct in humans, when going through a great tragedy, to unite – she’s saying that people’s belligerence last week was a sign of unity, solidary and patriotism. She closes the article by saying she believed the outcry last week was “good and healthy.” So much for the perception of sensitive psychologists.