September 11th and American Victimhood

One of the most radical, and rarely discussed, ways that September 11th changed the US is that since that day many Americans have begun to think of ourselves as victims. It is true we were attacked that day and the people who died in those attacks or because of their efforts to help on that day were indeed victims. However, the shared sense of national victimhood was a paradigm shift that went well beyond those individuals and their families who were genuinely victims.

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State Facilitated Domestic Terrorism in Trump’s America

The typical mass shooter in the US is a heavily armed white man who is angry about something. The specific roots of that anger are not always the same, but in many cases the targets of that anger are Latinos, African Americans, Jews, Muslims, LGBT people or some combination of those groups. These acts of domestic terrorism are increasingly not simply meant to kill random Americans while frightening all of us, but to kill specific groups of Americans while sending a message to members of those groups that we are no longer safe in the US.

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Homophobia, Terrorism and Guns in Orlando →

The politics of this shooting are more than just about guns. The victims of this attack were killed for the simple reason that they were gay. Mateen’s hatred of gay people was the major motivating force behind actions. While American history features examples of institutionalized bigoted violence and unequal treatment, there are few, perhaps no, examples of one person committing a hate crime of such an enormous scale.

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The Case for Syrian Refugee Resettlement in the US →

Whether or not the US should accept a significant number of Syrian refugees is a question of core American values. It is a choice between giving in to our basest fears and having faith in our national project. Refusing to accept any Syrian refugees is to allow American policy to be shaped by fear, and even midwifed by bigotry and intolerance. It places the illusion of safety over the belief that the American dream is truly universal. It is also, despite the macho bluster associated with it, a position based fundamentally on weakness and a lack of faith in the US, which ignores the reality that America has been at its best when we welcome those who face persecution and can no longer return to their war-torn countries.

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Lincoln Mitchell