Editor's Note: Better Than Before

[Russ Pitts]

Better Than Before

Russ Pitts puts games aside for a moment to take stock of a momentous event: the death of Osama Bin Laden.

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[RelexCryo]

Well done, Russ.

EDIT: I feel compelled to go into more detail. The overreaction of our own government is a very serious problem, and I am glad you addressed that. I think you managed to sum things up pretty well.

 

[Andronicus]

/Fingergun

Ninja'd, although it occurs to me that the article didn't really leave on a tone which a fingergun would be appropriate. Still, it was jarring that Russ' signature was missing.

Like I said in the forums somewhere, the collapse of the twin towers didn't really affect me all that much, seeing as I live on the other side of the world, but I know that Osama's death will go a long way to bringing closure to a lot of people, regardless of whether or not they were directly affected by the collapse itself. That's good enough for me.

 

[Tuqui]

Not being from USA, I never felt too much about both incidents, yes it was a great tragedy the twin towers event, but this last one I see it as people just enjoying that a president gave the order to kill an old man, yes there was a lot of power from that man and possible more terror, but why not judge him? why not to put him under law instead of just killing him?

(Not trying to flame just posting my opinion.)

 

[geierkreisen]

I am not a citizen of this country which has been terrorized and traumatized by 9/11. But I still honestly feel glad that you and your people can feel satisfaction and even some kind of closure, most of all those who have lost someone during the attacks or the subsequent times.

It was a necessary act to kill Osama and I am glad that American troops were able to do it.

But at the same time I feel disgust for the sensationalist parts of the media and those people who can glorify the irrational demonisation and execution of a human being. The macabre media festival that I have been presented with over the last two days and the demand for graphic details and HD proof that this "SOB deserved what he got" leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

I can't really explain so well why I feel the urge to say something critical in a moment like this. But as much as I want to stand back and say nothing, I still have to ask...

Does the killing of bin Laden make the world a safer place? And why do I see childish glee and the naked lust for revenge with so many people instead of just honest satisfaction and a sense that justice has been served?

 

[StrixMaxima]

I do understand the fact that you are representing the views of the average American. I can even respect that. That kind of wanton violence is hard to cope with, and certainly those who died in the towers are innocent victims.

However, it does disturb me that this act, perpetrated by a group of ex-allies of the US in the Afghanistan War, enticed one of the costliest and strangest manhunts ever. Just how many lives (innocent ones) were lost in the "pursuit of justice"? What about the financial cost, for a country with an immense debt and undergoing a profound recession?

Finally, are Americans given a free border pass to conduct operations? By whom? So if the US thinks (and we all know just how badly their Intelligence can fail) a target is in country X, they are free to just put some Chinooks with SEALs there, trigger happy, to dispense sweet justice? Team America sadly comes to mind, here.

I just wish the average American could understand just how much their own country has brought most of the negative things that happened with them so far upon themselves. Let's hope Osama's death finally motivates the US to abandon their botched Middle-East policies and start taking care of the health and welfare of its own inhabitants.

 

[FunKing]

Not being from USA, I never felt too much about both incidents, yes it was a great tragedy the twin towers event, but this last one I see it as people just enjoying that a president gave the order to kill an old man, yes there was a lot of power from that man and possible more terror, but why not judge him? why not to put him under law instead of just killing him?

(Not trying to flame just posting my opinion.)

I'n a way i agree, and i live in the US. This is kinda hard for me to say in an inteligent way.
1) i think back on that sad day in 2001....it almost seemed like our country came to a screeching halt, and my work let everyone go home early that day...went home a checked the internet to see the other side cheering and celebrating to our tradegy (yes my spelling sucks)....i was heart broken , and even cried at the the loss of family of people i didnt even know...angry...pissed...kill em all mentality..but is that really the right thing?
2) flash forward to yesterday....a man was killed...a man i for the lack of words...lol totally not a fan of. Personally i dont care to hear about anyone getting killed, even if they deserve it, and yes he did!.....but a day later....on my phone i get jokes forwarded to me via txt, i see people celebrating in the streets....raising flags and all that...lol even a buddy of mine aimed a spotlight on his Red White & Blue so everyone could see it from the street from his 10th floor condo.....and yes i'm happy some justice was brought to the table

3)....i'm worried for us as a race of human beings....seriously.....it fucking disturbs me, that even in 10 years (and i know it takes a while, and grudges arent exactly easy to get rid of)...we as human beings, havent evolved....i'm not saying bend over and take it....but theres alot of people out there dancing in the streets, that really have nothing to do w/ all of it, same as the videos i watched about 10 years ago.....to me just seems to add fuel to the fire

 

[Owlslayer]

As others who have posted here, i have to say i don't live nor am I a citizen of the USA.
These two events haven't really made me feel (almost) anything, and i haven't understand why the Americans are so happy that that terrorist leader is dead.
When the towers fell, i was young and naive enough to think that those things happen all the time, just like in the movies. And hey, America is like a million times bigger that my country. So i was puzzled why they made such a huge fuss about it (only later did i understand).

However, i think this article acutally made sense and helped me understand. I mean, i haven't seen anyone in the forums express themselves as thoroughly like Russ did. And it did make sense. Of course, there is no way to feel what (most) americans felt after 9/11 and are feeling now, because such stuff hasn't happened in my country. It happened somewhere far, far away.

But still, i have to say, this helped me (kinda) understand the feelings of (a portion of) Americans related to these incidents.

 

[Ldude893]

Celebrating the death of a human being. Jebus, what has the world come to? It's all about revenge rather than actual justice.

 

[Anjel]

I don't mean to sound like an utter prick BUT the WORLD did not awaken to that threat, America did. The rest of the world, my country included, have suffered at the hands of these organizations for a very long time.

I make no attempt to downplay the scale of 9/11, I DO resent the implication that until it happened to America it wasn't happening.

EDIT: To clarify to those who will willyfully misunderstand this. I refer to England suffering at the hands of the IRA, not England being attacked by Al-Queda...

Also from England. Think I understand what you're getting at but the attack on WTC was on a grander scale than anything we witnessed (I think - I may have been too young for the whole IRA fiasco). The attack on WTC opened the worlds eyes to the threat of terrorism because nobody thought America could be hit so hard, not because nobody realised terrorism was actually going on around the world at the time.

 

[Tuqui]

I'n a way i agree, and i live in the US. This is kinda hard for me to say in an inteligent way.
1) i think back on that sad day in 2001....it almost seemed like our country came to a screeching halt, and my work let everyone go home early that day...went home a checked the internet to see the other side cheering and celebrating to our tradegy (yes my spelling sucks)....i was heart broken , and even cried at the the loss of family of people i didnt even know...angry...pissed...kill em all mentality..but is that really the right thing?
2) flash forward to yesterday....a man was killed...a man i for the lack of words...lol totally not a fan of. Personally i dont care to hear about anyone getting killed, even if they deserve it, and yes he did!.....but a day later....on my phone i get jokes forwarded to me via txt, i see people celebrating in the streets....raising flags and all that...lol even a buddy of mine aimed a spotlight on his Red White & Blue so everyone could see it from the street from his 10th floor condo.....and yes i'm happy some justice was brought to the table

3)....i'm worried for us as a race of human beings....seriously.....it fucking disturbs me, that even in 10 years (and i know it takes a while, and grudges arent exactly easy to get rid of)...we as human beings, havent evolved....i'm not saying bend over and take it....but theres alot of people out there dancing in the streets, that really have nothing to do w/ all of it, same as the videos i watched about 10 years ago.....to me just seems to add fuel to the fire

I understand what you say, I'm from Argentina, here we lived, the called, "dirty war", where military forces took the power through force and kept the country under a dictatorship, between terrible things that happened, people were spirited away, you could say, police forces had the right to detain you without a reason more than they though you were guilty, a lot of this people were never seen again, even pregnant women were victims of this, who's children were gave into adoption to military forces' families, police's families and civilians who knew and knew not of the origin of the children, Mother's and grandmothers of those children who survived has been since then marching in look for justice, not revenge, not hate, for justice, they always wanted the truth and the truth only about what happened, where are all the children. This actually is leading to a happy ending, it's estimated that 500 children were given during that years, more than 100 have been recovered from then and most of military responsible are being judged for crimes of lesa humanity. Lots of years have passed, hatred died in most of people, but memory of the events and the look for justice and not revenge is what must prevail. Sorry if I didn't explain it right, if you are interested google it it's a pretty interesting history event.

 

[VulakAerr]

I'm from the UK too. I'm glad he's dead. Taking him alive would be a mistake. It would invite kidnappings to use as bartering for his release.

 

[House_Vet]

Russ, that is an excellent piece of writing - I'm using it to explain how many Americans feel to some of my anti-American acquaintances.

 

[Zhukov]

The way that Americans are reacting to his death reminds me the people who celebrated the Sept 11 attacks.

And then they try and dress it up with words like peace and justice and whatnot. If you feel that you must celebrate violent revenge and the death of an enemy then by all means do so. I can understand that. I've done it myself, albeit on a much smaller scale. It's what people do. But don't try to pretend that it's any more than that.

Frankly, the whole damned affair leaves me feeling mildly disgusted.

 

[pandasaw]

America has been mostly deprived of good news since 9/11. If the death of a mass murdering psychopath that was responsible for the deaths of thousands of my fellow citizens by destroying iconic American structures is not worth celebrating then what is?

OT: I was not one those partying in the streets though. I was content when I felt a satisfaction that surprised me and the closure of a wound I hid for ten years.

 

[ryo02]

the twin towers probably the single biggest attack on a civilian target since nukes were dropped in Japan.

kind of ironic that the only attacks that compare were done by the victims of the most recent big one.

still doesnt make it right though alot of innocent people died it couldnt go un answered.
you shouldnt go dancing in the streets you killed someone took a life try not to be too happy win with some dignity.

 

[Lordmarkus]

The extermination of the modern Adolf Hitler aside, the western glorification of one mans death is an interesting study in human behaviour. Celebrating one mans death may seen primitive considering the circumstances. This isn't a death of a worldy, totalitarian oppressor. It is the death of idealistic, homocidal maniac without global political power. The death of Usama bin laden isn't based on freedom, it's pure revenge. A revenge that's justified mind you. Bali, New York, London and Madrid must never be forgotten. But partying like there is no tomorrow for the sake of revenge? I understand the obvious human nature of the current celebration but "An eye for an eye, makes the whole world blind", right?

If the situation will be improved after the death of a mad man however, I'll leave partly unanswered. Wars are still being fought, a new leader of Al Qaida is basicly ready to take over who might even be more dangerous since he is more idealistic and the US economy is still running rampant. Usama bin ladens death is a great victory, morality wise. Will it make the situation better? Maybe, but I'll stay cynical for the time being.

 

[Hive Mind]

Editor's Note: Better Than Before

Russ Pitts puts games aside for a moment to take stock of a momentous event: the death of Osama Bin Laden.

Read Full Article

Sooo, the death of some 100 000 civilians in the Middle East doesn't register with you? No. The death of one man who helped arrange an attack that murdered 2000 is what sparks a chord with you. All those 100 000 men, women and children just trying to live day to day. Yeah, the death of one man is much more of a talking point.

 

[8-Bit Grin]

Editor's Note: Better Than Before

Russ Pitts puts games aside for a moment to take stock of a momentous event: the death of Osama Bin Laden.

Read Full Article

Sooo, the death of some 100 000 civilians in the Middle East doesn't register with you? No. The death of one man who helped arrange an attack that murdered 2000 is what sparks a chord with you. All those 100 000 men, women and children just trying to live day to day. Yeah, the death of one man is much more of a talking point.

You miss the point.

This hit him closer to home.

Him, as a single person in a country that had it's foundations shook.

He feels the pain that it caused because he CAN.

We can attempt to care about those far away, but honestly it's harder to grasp.

Also, I apologize for the vague and lacking explanation.

I'm in a hurry.