1. Does the author have a right to be so harsh on event she was not even present for? (she said she was in Berlin, and observed the entire event via CNN/ t.v. )
2.She describes how people in office/ any influence in the U.S. were basically telling people that we are still strong and everything. Why does this topic matter more than say the people who lost their lives or our countries immediate response to the attack?
3. How does the author come up to the conclusion that the attack was based on our "modern world" and not "righting the wrongs to the Muslim world"?
The question I will be attempting to answer is the the first one. Basically I can understand that people judge and decide to pass judgement on an issue or event. We all do it and I to have done this. But for this topic I found the Judge (aka Susan Sontag) a little to harsh in her judgement. Apparently she was not in New York when the terrorist attack occurred, she was in Berlin. That right there sends up red flags in my mind. First I think to actually to get the feelings of what happened you would have to be at the event or in the same country to get the true feeling of what is going on (people need to see and experience other people with the same risks/feelings. To give an example, when the tsunami hit japan a couple of years ago people here felt sorry for the tragedy, but they did not really FEEL the actual event). She experienced the entire event from a dark room in Berlin (that's across the Atlantic and no where near the event). I do give her credit for going to the event's site when she got back to New York, but she really did tale the argument a little to far when it came to how we were dealing with the issues. Overall she basically stated that our officials and people in high positions were glossing over the "real" facts and telling everyone it was OK but how do you treat people normally when a tragedy hits? People generally tell people "it will be OK" or "stay strong". She was looking at an upclose and personal attack on the U.S. but from far away and in an unattached fashion, I understand why she did it, but I believe it was way to harsh since she was experiencing it from far away.
Your point is completely true. She had no right to bash on the innocent mourning people who were in pain and trying to get back up on their feet. But in fact, if she had personally experienced losing someone then her attempt to bash the US might have been stronger/harsher towards them. Either way, this attempt was insensitive of her. She was mainly focusing on the reasons and over all cause of the events rather than keeping in mind the emotions of the hurt people. Appealing to Pathos might have worked better in her favor.
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