Americans try to overcome fear

Harry Bhaskara, The Jakarta Post, San Francisco, California

A brief visit to three major American cities in recent weeks unveils a semblance of normalcy in the daily life of Americans but an apprehensive mood is discernable.

People from many walks of life seem to have overcome the shock of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington and are learning to get on with life.

Some are still worried about the future of their children, others about the possibility of another terrorist attack, anthrax or bioterrorism.

"I am worried about my children and my grandchildren," said an American in San Francisco who comes from the Middle East.

Except for a few isolated cases, where a number of shops belonging to Americans of Middle Eastern origin were damaged in San Francisco early last month, life appears normal in this city.

People, including those who originate from the Middle East, have the freedom to move around as they please.

In Los Angeles, California, a youth was detained by the police after an Afghan American ice-cream hawker reported that the youth had yelled a racial slur at him.

"At least the hawker had the courage to report his case to the police. This is encouraging," says an Indonesian who lives in Los Angeles.

Indeed, the whole country seems to be holding together after this heinous crime, which killed more than 5,000 people from 80 nationalities.

American flags fluttered in cars, buildings and houses. People wore flag pins on their shirts. But what it means, will vary from one person to another.

Some say it is a show of solidarity by the American people. Others think it is an expression of nationalism or even jingoism. Many think that it is just a reminder that some fellow citizens have been hurt.

Foreign students at many universities were shocked during the first week following Sept. 11. Some went home, but the majority of them were able to overcome their immediate anxiety quickly.

A student from the Middle East said in a televised interview that he felt safe and had not experienced any harassment.

At San Francisco Community College, where only 20 percent of the students are white, Muslim students wrote responses saying that it was not a war against Islam.

College officials convened with the students in the week after the attacks to discuss sensitive issues concerning race and religion openly. The result was that the students continued their studies without many difficulties.

"At one point, I considered going home but I have decided to stay," said a student from Korea.

The mood of revenge is detectable and many people are very defensive about their country, including those from the media.

A senior editor said in New York, "No matter how badly the United States conducted its foreign policies, I cannot justify the monstrous crime committed against us. There was an unspoken limit".

That captures the general mood. It is a typical response from a citizen who used to enjoy a high sense of security.

As a country flanked by two oceans to the east and west, with no threat whatsoever from the south and north, security is something most Americans had taken for granted.

"The U.S. is a very insular country in many ways. You don't think about the rest of the world," says another senior editor.

Inward looking is therefore an obvious trait in many people. And this attitude will not change unless such fundamentals as a school curriculum, which places less emphasis on world history and world geography, is changed.

This has a tremendous impact on how one looks at the world or how sensitive or insensitive one will be toward other countries.

Despite that, the U.S. has held itself together well. When the catastrophe struck, people were quick to lend a hand and moved in unison under one leadership. It is unimaginable to think what would have happened if a calamity on such a scale had occurred in a less developed country.

Will there be a global political shift after Sept. 11? It is still too early to tell. Dr. DeVere Pentony, former dean of international studies at San Francisco State University, says, but he is quite optimistic. "Sept. 11 marks the birth of a new world."