Tim Feng

Dr. Bedell
CAS 137H
October 20, 2014

The Change in Security and the American mindset as a result of 9/11

The events of September 11, 2001 marked the first major attack on U.S. soil since
Pearl Harbor, this lead to a change in the way Americans viewed their security and
privacy. The U.S. Government and military are now using new tools and technologies to
spy on terrorist and American citizens with little oversight from the public. With the
passage of bills like the USA PATRIOT Act, a majority of citizens civil liberties were
abridged. Moreover, this lead to comprehensive changes in the security business. Before
September 11, 2001 most airports outsourced their security to private companies.
However, within weeks of the attacks the Transportation Security Administration was
developed, and the federal government now controlled airport security. American lexicon
also changed after that day. Words like Jihadists and al-Qaeda soon became common
words; used in everyday by media outlets and government agencies. Finally, racism
towards Muslim Americans developed following the attacks. In fact it was only a few
days after September 11 when the first reported race fueled murder of a member of the
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Sikh religion occurred. Due to the events of September 11, 2001 a drastic shift occurred
in the way Americans view privacy, security, and race, further resulting in a change in
the American lexicon. This thusly created a nation that was willing to abridge some of its
fundamental civil liberties for the safety of the nation as a whole.

The most obvious shift in American society post-9/11 is the way Americans view
national security. Before 9/11 many airports outsourced security to private companies. It
only took a few weeks after 9/11 before a complete overhaul of airport security happened.
This was a lead to the development of the Department of Homeland Security and the
Transportation Security Administration. The Transportation Security Administration is an
agency that exercises authority over the security of the traveling public in the United
States. With the Federal Government now controlling how airport security is run the
United States can begin to establish a unified defense to protect the homeland. Further,
entire landscapes have changed as a result of the attacks on 9/11. In Washington D.C.
surveillance cameras and heavily armed guards stand watch over nearly every building.
The effect on 9/11 has even forced the Capitol Building to build a $591 million visitor
center. The reasoning behind the underground visitor center is to provide a first line of
defense from any attacks towards the Capitol. As a result of 9/11 a major paradigm shift
occurred in security. Security camera and drones now dot the American landscape and
have become a part of everyday life for most Americans. It has become almost
impossible to walk around in a city and not be featured on a camera. Americas for the
most part have gradually accepted its Orwellian advancements as part of the price of
freedom. Furthermore, it has been revealed that the National Security Administration has
been collecting large amounts of data about American citizens. The National Security
Administration passively listens in on millions of phone conversation picking up on key
words. Once a recording is flagged it is sent to an analysts that analyzes if it is a threat or
not. This paradigm shift has occurred as a result of both 9/11 and the development of new
technologies.

The use Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has increased drastically after
September 11 , blurring the lines between security and privacy. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
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became a more prominent defensive tool due to their small size and endurance.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle has become very helpful when it comes to fighting a guerilla
army. Their small size has made it the ideal spy tool when it comes to watching the
enemy from a distance. However, this has also limited the American publics privacy;
now the government can spy on the American people from the air without being noticed.
After the attacks on 9/11 new efforts went into providing aerial surveillance at home and
abroad. Due to the influx of illegal aliens coming across from Mexico the U.S. Border
Patrol Agents have begun to use UAVs to guard the border. Moreover, United State
Border Patrol Agency is a part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a
component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS); further revealing how
the attacks of 9/11 have had an impact on the United States. Currently the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) has not clearly explained how UAVs are supposed to be
used in American airspace. However, the military is does not need to seek the permission
of the FAA to use military drones in American airspace. This leads to some believing that
the lack of oversight has lead to an Orwellian state, where the military is able to spy on
its own citizens. Furthermore, companies like Amazon and Google are looking into the
commercial use of UAVs. The use of UAVs as a tool to further commerce has been
considered by some as a positive advancement in technology. However, there others who
believe that this will only further the Orwellian state and lead to further invasions of
individual civil liberties. Establishing a question Americans must solve; when does
security and commerce become more important than privacy?

The way Americas view security has drastically changed as a result of 9/11
leading to the militarization of local police forces. The most recent example of this is
happening in Ferguson, Missouri, where the suburbs of St. Louis look like the streets of
Baghdad. Under the Department of Defenses (DOD) 1033 program the Pentagon has
provided local police departments with more than $5 billion worth of surplus military
equipment. The main purpose for the Pentagons 1033 program was to help police
combat terrorism and drug cartels. However, these equipments have rarely, if ever been
used for true counter terrorism efforts. The main cause for this shift was the post 9/11
hysteria. Communities believed that anybody, anywhere could be the next Osama binLaden. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) stated in a Senate hearing that the militarization of
police was an overreaction on the basis of 9/11. In Ferguson, Missouri the local police
department used military equipment to intimidate and control the protesters. However,
the militarization of local police has been happening for years. First, SWAT Teams were
conduction military like raids just to serve warrants or bust low-level drug offenders. This
lead to regular local police officers obtaining these equipments. Even though, most local
law enforcement agents are not properly trained in how to use such equipment, they are
still being used as riot control gear. This shift in police militarization as a result of 9/11
has resulted in police intimidation by striking fear into the public. The main purpose of
police departments is to protect and serve the community they live in. However, by using
military equipments like the ones shown in Ferguson police departments are only
intimidating the American public into obeying the law and not to question authority. This
has lead Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) to call the militarization of police fundamentally unAmerican.

One often overlook shift in America post-9/11 era is the change in American
lexicon. After September 11 , 2001 words like Ground Zero, al-Qaeda, Jihad and even
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9/11 has become terms that everyone associates with the War on Terrorism. Just the date
September 11 conjures up images and feeling that would not have existed prior to 9/11.
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Moreover, terms like Ground Zero, which uses to mean the starting point or base for
some activity, now has Americans recalling where the World Trade Centers use to
stand.Words like Homeland, which was rarely used before 9/11 became a part of the
everyday lexicon; like being used to name the Department of Homeland Security. The
word Homeland has also been used to conjure up feelings of national pride and
patriotism. Furthermore, after 9/11 there was a big movement to rally around the flag. By
using the word Homeland, the media and government was able to help with the healing
process for many Americans. However, some Americans view the word Homeland as
having a negative connotation. They suggest that it implies a tyrannical government
similar to that of the German Fatherland or the Russian Motherland. Further, according to
a piece done by National Public Radio (NPR), 9/11 has not had the same effect on the
American language as compared to other wars. During and after World War II words and
phrases like blitz, beachhead and blood bath were just some of the terms used to describe
the war. World War II had everybody doing his or her part to contribute to the effort. In
contrast, after 9/11 the best thing to do, according to the President, was to go to Disney
World as planned. By letting the events of 9/11 dictate how Americans lived their lives
was comparable to letting the terrorists win. So unlike World War II where there was no
way to escape its effects, 9/11 faded in to the past. In fact when the American Dialect
Society voted in 2010 on the most influential words 9/11 came in a distant 3 , after
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Google and blog. However, even though 9/11 has become 3 compared to Google and
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blog it still demonstrates how much of an effect 9/11 had on the American public.

Finally, Racial profiling has developed as a significant issue over the last 13 years
in regard to Muslim Americans. The first racially motivated murder occurred only days
after the attacks of September 11 . The murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi happened on
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September 15 2001 by Frank Silva Roque who earlier that day stated that he was going
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to kill some towel heads. Sodhi was a member of the Sikh religion, but was mistakenly
believed to be Muslim because he had a beard and turban. This is only one example of
racial profiling Middle Eastern face living in a post 9/11 era. This shift in the way
Americans viewed Muslims was a direct result of what happened on 9/11. Over the last
13-year anti-muslim hate groups have emerged stating that Islam preaches violence.
Although, Muslim leaders condemned the attacks of 9/11 many still believe Islam is a
dangerous religion. In fact one High School in Maryland had to put a restraining order on
an irate parent after he made threats towards the school for teaching Islam to his daughter.
One major problem according to Muslim-Americans is the lack of understanding for the
Islamic religion. The religion is the second largest religion in the world and has been
around for 1,400 years. Muslims argue that a religion that teaches violence would not be
able to last for so long. Sumbul Ali-Karamali who wrote an op-ed for CNNs claimed that
she did not know a single Islamic studies professor that has not received some type of
hate mail or death threats. After the attacks on September 11 Islam-a-phobia plagued the
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nation causing mass hysteria and fear of the unknown. One of the clearest examples of
this is happened in New York. After the 9/11 the NYPD developed a surveillance unit

responsible for spying on Muslim communities. The NYPD Demographics Unit was put
together with the CIAs help following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Unit was
developed to monitor Muslim-owned business and mosques across the New York region.
However after nearly 11 years the surveillance program resulted in not terrorism cases.
The lack of results provided by this task force further demonstrates how the acts of a few
should not represent the whole.

Before September 11, 2001 fear that the United States would ever be directly
attacked barely existed. However, the view of the government and military is how they
can stop this from ever happening again. In the post-9/11 era major changes have
occurred in the way Americans view security, privacy and racism. This has also resulted
in the way Americans talk with one another; using words like Homeland to describe
America. In Washington D.C. the landscape has be permanently altered to include
roadblock, security cameras and armed guards on every corner. In fact it is nearly
impossible to walk anywhere in D.C. without being spotted by a security camera.
Further, the emerges of UAVs has provided the United States with a distinct advantage in
fighting terrorism and stopping illegal immigration but has brought up the question of
Big Brother and where should American draw the line between security and privacy.
Finally, the lack of understanding for another religion has caused racist fear to form,
alienating a large portion of the American public. Therefore, September 11, 2001 marked
a major paradigm shift in the way Americans live their daily lives and view certain issues.

Works Cited

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