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| President Obama speech about US killing Osama Bin Laden |
My first takeaway is the emotional mixture I am feeling right now. As I type this, I am watching crowds celebrating and cheering as if someone has just won the Stanley Cup. Am I happy that the man responsible for the atrocious acts on September 11th, 2001 is no longer able to hurt? Yes, of course I am. Am I happy that a man has died? No, I am not. This is where I am struggling to grasp the emotion of this event. It is a good feeling that Bin Laden has finally been taken out of the terrorist equation, but what is an appropriate reaction? I am happy that his reign of terror is over. I am sad we are celebrating the death of a man. I am confused that I am not celebrating. I am anxious about what will come next.
The other takeaway is the amazing feeling of connection I experienced while first learning this news on twitter. Well before President Obama took the stage, I was engaging in conversations and hearing reactions from around the globe. While I was sitting alone at my computer, I was far from alone. Truly amazing is how the news broke via social media and how the commentary ensued. The commentary I was reading was unfiltered by any news outlet or presidential speech writer. It was raw emotions from real people and it was as authentic as it gets.
As I sit here too anxious and fired up to sleep, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. Will this make a difference? Will there be retaliation? Will this bring Americans together and stop fighting pettiness amongst ourselves? What will I tell my students? What will I tell my kids?
3 comments:
Great reflection! Thanks for posting.
I could not have said that better myself! I've thought about making a blog post but I feel the exact same way as you. If anyone asks what I think, I'll just point them to this post. I have very mixed feelings about the news but it was shocking to hear it from twitter before any other outlet, like you said. Truly amazing! What does this say about the future of news and media as a whole?
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
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