Jingoism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy. In practice, it is a country’s advocation of the use of threats or actual force against other countries in order to safeguard what it perceives as its national interests. Colloquially, it refers to excessive bias in judging one’s own country as superior to others – an extreme type of nationalism.
Yes that’s what the 911 anniversay memorials have become. The memorial celebrations I witnessed on the TV box today were more about saber rattling than remembering those who lost their lives. More about revenge than honoring those brave people who gave up their lives to save others.
I have sympathy for those who lost loved ones but I too have lost loved ones, two friends and a cousin who died because their insurance companies refused to authorize diagagnostic tests until it was too late, but at some point you have to move on. Yes, over 3,000 people lost their lives that day but many more than that lose their lives every year as the result of air pollution – drunk drivers, and the list goes on. Over 6,000 of America’s finest have lost their lives fighting unwinable wars that were spawned by 911 and by all indication that number will continue to grow for years.