Obligatory Bin Laden Post
May. 2nd, 2011 07:05 pmReactions all over the world to his death.
I won't say that I'm not glad he's gone, but I find the celebration of his death sort of offputting. The patriotic carnival atmosphere has me worried about what the hell sort of people we are. Al Qaeda doesn't really need Bin Laden to operate; this is just intended to make us feel like big bad Americans who can kill our way out of all our problems. A lot of people clearly like feeling that way. I'm not so sure I do. Again, though, I'm also not particularly personally grieved that he's dead. I just... I just can't go so far as to make a party of it.
One of the better entries I've read today is this one, because of the way theferrett talks about how to lay blame and parcel out accountability (and how NOT to do it) in cases when one cruel son of a bitch uses circumstances we created to commit an atrocity.
For posterity, I'm including the quote you have all seen right now but which should be on record as having made the rounds. Why should it be on record? I want a record that there are some people who didn't completely lose perspective, who remembered that we can recall what we have been through without losing who we are.
It was also well-said by fojiao2 on my favorite Buddhist board.
But before all that, before the celebrating and the commentary on the celebrating, I think we all looked like this when we first realized it was true. I keep looking at Hillary. Everybody who ever put a line in a history book--for good or ill--had a moment where they could have been in this room, looking like these people do. We don't always or even often have the records to show it as it happened, but this one time... we do. These are the people pulling the strings, and this is who they were when they were doing it.
*It is worth noting that this quote is sourceless, and probably fake. Thanks to![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
idiomagic for the link. Update 5/3/2011: Better info on the quote.
I won't say that I'm not glad he's gone, but I find the celebration of his death sort of offputting. The patriotic carnival atmosphere has me worried about what the hell sort of people we are. Al Qaeda doesn't really need Bin Laden to operate; this is just intended to make us feel like big bad Americans who can kill our way out of all our problems. A lot of people clearly like feeling that way. I'm not so sure I do. Again, though, I'm also not particularly personally grieved that he's dead. I just... I just can't go so far as to make a party of it.
One of the better entries I've read today is this one, because of the way theferrett talks about how to lay blame and parcel out accountability (and how NOT to do it) in cases when one cruel son of a bitch uses circumstances we created to commit an atrocity.
For posterity, I'm including the quote you have all seen right now but which should be on record as having made the rounds. Why should it be on record? I want a record that there are some people who didn't completely lose perspective, who remembered that we can recall what we have been through without losing who we are.
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. ... Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr*
It was also well-said by fojiao2 on my favorite Buddhist board.
It is good that he can no longer hurt people. That is worth celebrating. But I think, to a buddhist, what he did was sad, what he felt when he was killed is sad, the wars have been sad, samsara is sad. His made the headlines in most of the world, but from a Buddhist perspective, just more 'samsara as usual'.
But before all that, before the celebrating and the commentary on the celebrating, I think we all looked like this when we first realized it was true. I keep looking at Hillary. Everybody who ever put a line in a history book--for good or ill--had a moment where they could have been in this room, looking like these people do. We don't always or even often have the records to show it as it happened, but this one time... we do. These are the people pulling the strings, and this is who they were when they were doing it.
*It is worth noting that this quote is sourceless, and probably fake. Thanks to
idiomagic for the link. Update 5/3/2011: Better info on the quote.
