The Infantilization of the American People

The infantilization of the American people in the aftermath of the September 11 attack was and is striking. Some indications of this are reflected in the focus on the flag and patriotic songs; the idealization of New York emergency workers and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani; and the surrender of freedom in the name of security amidst our fear of terrorists. These actions are more appropriate for young children than mature and independent adults.

“The Star Spangled Banner,” our official national anthem, a rousing English drinking tune in its original incarnation, was replaced in many quarters with the plaintive “God Bless America.” The contrast in the sentiments expressed in these two songs is as great as existed between anthems of the belligerents in the War Between the States, when the Union soldiers marched to the avatarish “Battle Hymn of the Republic” while the Confederates sang “Dixie,” a song of nostalgia and longing.

A second indication of this infantilization is the idolization of firefighters, police, and almost anyone in uniform. Small boys look up to firefighters, who, despite their dangerous profession, were viewed as just municipal employees a cut or two above garbage collectors. Firefighting as a vocational choice in recent years has been largely abandoned by almost all with chances of upward mobility. The police in New York City have been regularly under attack for numerous outrages lately and people of color generally view them with the same

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attitude that Palestinians view the Israel Defense Forces. Now, the body politic looks at the police and firefighters through Norman Rockwell eyes. The vast national outpouring of affection (and money) for the uniformed victims of September 11 shows that the general population has literally heeded Jesus’ dictum, “Except ye … become as little children….”—trusting and innocent. (Matthew 18:3, KJV) The police and firefighters are definitely “retro” heroes in the 21st century. All this is vaguely reminiscent of the early 1970s, when Richard Nixon made the New York construction workers his point men (no women were in the trade unions in those days) in his highly personalized vendetta against the opponents of the Vietnam War.

Thirdly, the near beatification of former Mayor Giuliani—TIME Magazine’s 2001 Person of the Year over President Bush or Osama bin Laden—shows how close this nation is to accepting a man on horseback. The former mayor may have made “the trains run on time” but his record with regard to the underclass was abysmal.

Finally, the nearly unanimous acquiescence of the Congress and the public to the demands for faux security shows a national readiness to trade great amounts of personal freedom for the will-of-the-wisp protection from an inchoate threat. This is not to say that the sons of the Prophet [Muhammad] cannot wreak havoc upon us; they have already done so. But the frequent attempts to make parallels with Pearl Harbor are totally inappropriate. Japan and Germany were well on their way to world conquest in late 1941. The malcontents from the Arab states (many of whom are from our client states, Egypt and Saudi Arabia) pose no serious threat to our national or individual security.

The Muslim fundamentalists are a problem to be sure but the cure may be even worse. Festung Amerika [Fortress America] is not the answer. We should not face that paradox of constitutional government where the state is both the protector and usurper of individual rights.

America, the Beautiful may end up losing far more in the aftermath of the attack than it did on September 11. The country is clearly ready to trade adult freedom for the security of childhood. Let us pray that we don’t lose on both ends of the equation.

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