History 120

Post #13: September 11, 2001

    September 11, 2001 began like any other school day. My first class was Pre-Calculus, and the only unusual event was a fire drill which, considering the beautiful autumn day, was rather pleasant. Like my fellow classmates, I had assumed that the fire drill was likely to be the only excitement to be had for the remainder of the day. I was soon disabused of that notion as I arrived at my second class - United States History.
    It has always seemed to me that my "9-11 moment" was somewhat ironic. Our previous class assignment had been to come up with a list of the most pressing issues in the country. The chalkboard was, therefore, filled with our concerns about abortion, stem-cell research, gun control, and many others. Foreign policy may have been on the board - I don't remember - but terrorism was not.
    I had walked into the classroom to find that the television had been turned to the news. This, by itself, was not uncommon for our class. After a minute or two, however, my classmates and I settled down and we came to realize that our teacher had not yet turned off the news. It took a few moments to realize what we were seeing. We watched in shock as footage of the burning tower filled the screen. Thoughts like "horrible accident" were echoed by the on-site reporter. Just as we had begun to process this event, a second plane appeared on the screen. This was a live feed, so there was no warning. It's been five years, and still, I cannot forget the desperate hope-against-hope that it was the camera angle, a trick of light, that this plane seemed to fly so determinedly towards the second, still intact, tower.

...

    It's now 2006 and I'm sure that if my old History teacher were to again write the current most pressing issues on his chalkboard, terrorism and the war would undoubtedly be at the top of the list. That list is not the only thing that has changed. We, as a nation, have also changed much in the past five years.
    In the weeks that followed, despite the weary regurgitations of the same video footage, and the countless theories and analyses spewed by the "leading experts", the spirit of the American people seemed strengthened. Yes, we had been through a horrific tragedy. But we would stand, as one nation, arms stretched to embrace each other, and hands lent to support those most affected. No longer were we, as Americans, complacent about our nation, or indifferent about our freedoms. It was, in a way, America at her ideal. But, like many changes wrought by strong emotions, this was not to last.
    Five years later, and we, as Americans, are more dispirited than we have been in decades. If we were indifferent before 9-11, we are now disillusioned. The war in Iraq, which so many of us rallied for, demanded even, has lasted too long. Two decades of relative peace bred a generation of young men and women unexposed to war. To join the armed forces was, for many, not a commitment to serve and possibly die in battle, but an opportunity to earn a free college education.
    Whatever bond we shared in the weeks following the attacks has been traded for a deep rift between the political left and right. Above all, the resounding patriotism that roared though the nation five years ago has dwindled to a nagging whimper. Osama bin Laden could not have claimed victory on September 11, 2001. But in light of the growing disillusionment with not only our government, but our country as well, I wonder if bin Laden ought to feel somewhat successful.
    The cost of 9-11 cannot be quantified by the number of lives taken both on that day and in the subsequent war. It continues to grow as America becomes increasingly divided. 9-11 has been dubbed America's "wake-up call", but I wonder if we have not fallen back asleep and are now tossing and turning in this discontented dream. I expect that within the next several years the towers will be rebuilt. How many more years it will take to rebuild America, I can't say for sure. 

Post #12: Wall Street

         The 1980s marked an era of unprecedented self-indulgence. The baby boomers had grown into a status-driven population and the Forbes’ List of the wealthiest people in the world became wildly popular. As the dot.com businesses took a prominent spotlight, the stock market at Wall Street soared bringing with it the American penchant for speculative buying and the entrepreneur’s equally profound temptations towards corruption. The Oliver Stone movie, “Wall Street” captures the predatory games of the 1980s businessman as well as the people who fell victim on the way.

    As phrases such as “You can have it all!” and “Shop ‘til you drop” were coined, inflation rose exponentially, and consumers bought on credit with relentless zeal. This, many business-owners promoted, was the way to once again bolster the American economy. This sentiment was, perhaps, best expressed by Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas) who, in response to the criticisms of Oliver Cromwell, delivered a rebuttal with this final remark:

The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed – for lack of a better word – is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of evolutionary spirit. Greed in all of its forms – greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge – has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed – you mark my words – will not only save Teldar Paper but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. [1]

    The 1980s was a time of great opportunities and profits – for the wealthy. “The top one percent commanded a greater share of the nation’s wealth (thirty-seven percent) than at any time since 1929.” [2] This meant, however, that gap between the wealthy and the working class was larger than it had been in decades. Gekko starts his response with Cromwell with a not-so-subtle reminder that he is the largest shareholder of Teldar Paper. Though he initially seems to be pleading his case to the assembly, it becomes quickly evident that he is in control. This demonstrates the incredible leverage the 1980s business tycoon had to manipulate corporations to suit their benefits. 

    Meanwhile, young professionals everywhere were trying desperately to grasp some of that wealth. “What counterculture hippies were to the 1960s, high-salaried “yuppies” (young, upwardly mobile professionals)were to the 1980s.”[2] Bud Fox’s goal was to “bag the elephant” – in this case, Gekko. Though he has some initial ethical concerns, the dreams of money and success draws him to Gekko’s side and he soon finds himself thinking only of the next big paycheck. Thus, was a younger generation of money-driven corruption bred.

    It is notable that not only was “Wall Street” a movie set in the 1980s but that it was also produced in the 1980s. It is an unsentimental portrait of a corrupt corporate America and both its justifications and consequences. “Greed is good. Greed is right. Greed works.” Said enough times, it eventually sounds true.

[1] Wall Street. Dir. Oliver Stone. Perfs. Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Daryl Hannah, Martin Sheen. DVD. Prod Oliver Stone; Twentieth Century Fox, 1987.

[2] Davidson, Heyrman, Lytle, Stoff, and Gienapp. Nation of Nations. 4th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. pg 950.