i don' t know why, but the fact that the anniversary of 9/11 is fast approaching is making me more irritable rather than sad. actually, i think i do know why. one of the things that really bothered me post-9/11 was the overwhelming tsunami of patriotism that flooded this nation. where was that nationalism before we got attacked? because it took a tragedy like that to make people proud of their country, i get the impression that the patriotism is faked. look around, the anniversary of 9/11 is being exploited to make money or to draw publicity. good Lord! look at the nfl kick-off party in times square. is that really commemorating the memory of the lives lost? also, why is it that asian-americans have to "work" at proving their patriotism? african-americans and hispanic-americans can join rallies or whatever and be totally accepted. however, for asians, it's difficult to be seen as an american. i remember reading some discussion boards that were actually discussing this and one person commented that when the middle-easterners were targeted, they commented with a sense of guilt mixed with relief, "at least it's not us". (this was an asian-american forum). when i read that, i couldn't help but think, that's how i felt, "at least it's not us". think about it, asians have always had a difficult time in the US. i'm not saying we were the only ones. look at slavery, and at the low wages being paid to the hispanics. but also, think of the cheap railroad labor in the 19th century. the chinese were exploited to expand the country. think that only germany had concentration camps? think again. there was the japanese internment during WWII. granted, they weren't killed in huge numbers, but their freedoms and property were taken away. there is no denying that america is a paranoid country. if something happens to shake its complacency, it overreacts to protect itself and more often that not, it's the minorities who end up being unprotected.

  posted by me @ 5:17:00 PM