I seem to have spoken too quickly. At Dickinson college alone, people have fractured into the celebrators and those disgusted, hurt and embarrassed by the celebrating. I do not fall clearly into either category. While I find fault with the drunken, shirtless boys running around using this as an excuse to party and celebrate, I also find fault with people throwing the words "riot" and "fascist" around. First of all, fascism as defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary online as:
"a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition".
Anyone who calls this act against Bin Laden a result of fascism in the US is simply wrong. I do not come down hard on many reasonable opinions, but calling celebrators fascist is utterly incorrect. Bin Laden declared war on the U.S. By doing that and by killing thousands, he became an enemy and a target for the U.S. His killing in a military operation is, by the law, legitimate. That being said, there is still a reason I am unable to celebrate death, but lets not get issues confused here.
Ironically, I found most of the people yelling "go home fascists" to the celebrators were people who (let's face it) probably voted for Obama. Obama gave the order to take Bin Laden down, and now republicans, who may not have supported him in the past, respect him for those orders. If you love Obama so much and would never call him a fascist, how are those who celebrate an action he ordered be?
I hate to come off harsh, but I kinda have the feeling no one reads this anyway. Anyway, clearly its a whirlwind of emotion for everyone involved, but the two extreme groups I am finding coming out scare me more than anyone who is simply happy that Bin Laden is dead...
"a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition".
Anyone who calls this act against Bin Laden a result of fascism in the US is simply wrong. I do not come down hard on many reasonable opinions, but calling celebrators fascist is utterly incorrect. Bin Laden declared war on the U.S. By doing that and by killing thousands, he became an enemy and a target for the U.S. His killing in a military operation is, by the law, legitimate. That being said, there is still a reason I am unable to celebrate death, but lets not get issues confused here.
Ironically, I found most of the people yelling "go home fascists" to the celebrators were people who (let's face it) probably voted for Obama. Obama gave the order to take Bin Laden down, and now republicans, who may not have supported him in the past, respect him for those orders. If you love Obama so much and would never call him a fascist, how are those who celebrate an action he ordered be?
I hate to come off harsh, but I kinda have the feeling no one reads this anyway. Anyway, clearly its a whirlwind of emotion for everyone involved, but the two extreme groups I am finding coming out scare me more than anyone who is simply happy that Bin Laden is dead...
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