An Attack on America's Self-Confidence and Mythology (SueddeutscheZeitung, Germany)
"The
Boston Marathon is called the Patriots' Run, because athletes have been
running the course for over 100 years on Patriots' Day - the day Bostonians
commemorate the Battles of Lexington and Concord. ... With pathos and love of
country, poet Ralph Waldo Emerson set the battle to verse in the Concord Hymn, immortalizing it in American
national mythology. And to this day, one of its lines is quoted the world over when
a great calamity is seen on the horizon: 'Here once the embattled farmers stood, and
fired the shot heard around the world.' ... These explosions were meant to be
heard around the world - and their full impact to develop psychologically. Now,
with a single blow, America has been thrown back to the traumatic period of slavery
and fear, a period that Obama, especially, had hoped to overcome."
Celebrated American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson penned the Concord Hymn, which immortalized the Battles of Lexington and Concord with the words, 'the shot heard round the world.' The attack at the Boston Marathon has had the same effect, and appears to be a well thought out assault on the heart of America's mythology.
In the small town of Lexington, located a mere half hour
northwest of Boston, the American spirit of freedom has a particularly strong
presence. It was there that citizen militias fired on British colonial troops
in the early morning hours of April 19, 1775, triggering a series of skirmishes
and battles that became known in history as the Battles of
Lexington and Concord. It's true that another eight years had to pass
before the American
War of Independence was over, but by 1776, the freedom-hungry settlers had
already written their Declaration of
Independence, and a year later, had formed their Confederation. America was
free.
With pathos and love of country, poet Ralph Waldo Emerson
set the battle to verse, immortalizing it in American national mythology.
Former President Bill Clinton declared the Concord Hymn to be his
favorite poem. And to this day, one of its lines is quoted the world over when
someone ominously predicts a great calamity on the horizon:
"Here once the
embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot
heard round the world."
"The shot heard round the world" was heard loudly
and clearly when Archduke
Franz Ferdinand was murdered in Sarajevo in 1914. For four years, its echo
reverberated through Europe. And now, so many eras later, it is the shot from
Boston that is reawakening nagging fears - not just in the U.S. - that it is
starting all over again: the terror, the fear, and the insecurity.
The Boston Marathon is also called the Patriots' Run,
because athletes have been running this course for over a hundred years on Patriots' Day - the day
Bostonians commemorate the Battles of Lexington and Concord. So in that
respect, it is not much of a stretch to assume that the perpetrators wanted to
co-opt the symbolism of the day, the symbolism of the place, and the symbolism
of the sports event. Anyone who detonates two bombs in Boston on this day, hits
America especially hard emotionally. This is the day the nation commemorates
its strength and resilience, not weakness and moral cowardice.
These explosions were meant to be heard around the world - and
their full impact to develop psychologically. President Obama said about
Patriots' Day: "It's a day that celebrates the free and fiercely
independent spirit …" Now, with a single blow, America has been thrown
back to the traumatic period of slavery and fear, a period that Obama,
especially, had hoped to overcome.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
For eleven-and-a-half years, the U.S. was spared terrorist
attacks. Sure, there have been many attempts, and in this country, so
habituated to violence, more than a few people would categorize shooting sprees
like the one at the school in Newtown as "terror." But even the
rampage by a radicalized soldier in Texas which resulted in 13 deaths was never
officially classified as a terrorist attack. Therefore this is true: Since
September 11, 2001, it has been possible to prevent every targeted terrorist
attack, and every planned attack, with firm political intent. Boston seems to
have brought this period of deceptive calm to an end.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
This again shows how simply acts of terror work. The
mechanisms that so changed the course of history eleven-and-a-half years ago are
still effective: The attack on the unsuspecting masses, the paralyzing effects
of countless images, the symbolic location, the collective fear. Even if Boston
doesn't by any means reach the attack-of-the-century levels of New York and
Washington, terror always works in the same way. It feeds on surprise, its
arbitrariness and its invisibility.
Fortunately, this also is true: Since the impact of
terrorism is primarily psychological, much of its damaging power can be
moderated by maintaining a calm and reasoned approach. Because the acts of 9/11
were so monstrous, maintaining emotional distance wasn't possible. It must be
possible after Boston.President Barack
Obama waited a long time before he uttered the words "act of terror."
His prudence is helpful and contributes to de-escalation.
Hysteria is the triumphal cry of terrorism. America
responded to the bombs in Boston with a remarkable lack of hysteria. This
demonstrates a new maturity - and also an infinite weariness. But terror won't
back down. Not yet. In the end, though, its futility will be well understood.
