Yeah, I'm scared...

In an editorial article titled, "We're now America the terrified", Leonard Pitts criticizes irrational reactions to a culture that is many times interpreted as synonymous with terrorist ideals. These reactions harm our countries ability to function according to our basic freedoms of speech and privacy. It is difficult for people to not have these kinds of reactions on a smaller scale when the Government is sending signals out that we need to be fearful and aggressive in order to protect ourselves. It worries me even more that a Government can hold an innocent person for six days without reason. Pitt points out that we are hurting ourselves by allowing these things to happen to the people who could potentially be our friends and family. Pitt also compares these reactions to a cartoon. The situations are at times ridiculous; a commercial being pulled because of reaction to a scarf!? Thats funny, i can laugh at that, but i think i am laughing because I'm uncomfortable, because I'm deeply unsettled. Another topic of fear is immigration problems near the Mexican border. Putting up a giant wall along the entire border? Talk about the image of a cartoon. I definitely laughed when i heard that one. Not so funny when I found out it was a serious idea. You could convince me that there is a need for better control of our borders when it comes to immigration, but there has to be a better solution than a giant wall. Its so frustrating when our nation is telling us to be afraid, but simultaneously encouraging us to be ignorant about the things we fear. As if closing our eyes and ears to the atrocities near and far is what will protect us from them. At the same time i am torn, because obviously there are groups who want to kill us, and i cannot even begin to comprehend a way to protect myself and others from such programmed hate. In the end, the irrational is the most dangerous influence out there.