In the surge of patriotism following the terrorist attacks, in which American flags seemed to blossom in car windows and storefronts like wildflowers, the nation was forced to revise its self-image, that once promised the country could never be harmed.
Several University professors argue this surge of nationalism came at the expense of our nation's tolerance for internal criticism -- a principle on which the country was founded -- as well as the expense of many civil liberties.
According to retired History Prof. Paul Gaston, America as a nation believes in "the legend of innocence and invincibility," which at once asserts that the country can do no wrong and cannot be harmed. Gaston said he believed the attacks only furthered this conception.
"This legend is an attempt to paper over our problems," he said. "Those twin beliefs have become an agent of oppression."
University history professor and NAACP Chairman Julian Bond also said criticism of the country was frowned upon in the aftermath of the attacks.
"For a while, everybody was handcuffed by the desire to show that we were closing ranks," Bond said.
Bond added that, instead of patriotism stifling dissent, it should encourage citizens to question their country's resolve.
"Our strength is that we tolerate dissent," he said. "That is the height of patriotism."
Gaston concurred with Bond, noting that "we ought to be a strong enough nation to tolerate dissent."
The lack of energy put into tolerance that Bond and Gaston verbalized has profoundly affected the religious community as well, according to Religious Studies Prof. Abdul-Aziz Sachedina, who teaches Islamic studies at the University.
Sachedina said he has been frustrated with the media's coverage of Islam.
"The media has not been very generous or helpful," Sachedina said. He added that the television stations have portrayed Islam as a violent religion, when in truth the vast majority of Muslims are peace loving.
The television stations "already have a thesis that they want me to confirm," he said. They do not air his opinions when he "says something different," he said.
"You won't see Sachedina" on the major networks, he added.
Dean of African American Affairs M. Rick Turner said he too had observed less attention given to his views in the past year.
"Attention has been diverted to other issues," he said.
Turner cited a lack of participation in the 25th anniversary of the Office of African American affairs as an example of this lack of awareness.
"We had very sparse attendance from white administrators who have attended our events in the past," he said.
Turner said Sept. 11 had re-energized his commitment to social justice.
"I have to have the courage and the strength to raise the kind of questions that others will not raise out of fear," he said.
Bond agreed with Turner, emphasizing that criticism of the country's policies, both domestic and international, are not only in the interests of patriotism but an essential step that needs to be taken.
"It's in times of national crisis that criticism is most important," he said. "If you don't engage in dissent then [the terrorists] have won."
Bond cited the Patriot Act, a controversial bill that Congress passed Oct. 26, 2001, as an example of a bill that dangerously compromises domestic civil liberties.
The Patriot Act includes a widening of the CIA and FBI's ability to tap phones and computers without first demonstrating the user is suspected of criminal activities.
The NAACP "objects to the Patriot Act," Bond said.
Bond did say, however, that he did not feel the NAACP's curriculum had suffered greatly in the past year.
"We're not doing anything differently today than we were doing on Sept. 10," he said. "I can't honestly say that there has" been a damaging effect of the NAACP's efforts in the past year.
Ironically, Turner said Sept. 11 had taught Americans how it felt to be an African American in the United States.
Blacks "have been bombed before,"
he said. "Our churches have been burned. I feel like now America has a sense of knowing what it felt like to be disenfranchised."
Sachedina also said that, as much as it has been troubling for him to combat misconceptions of Islam, the educational results have been positive.
"It's been an uphill fight, but it's been an extremely good experience," he said. "My classes are full. If students were not willing to learn, why would they come?"
Gaston also expressed some hope, saying that, though he was "deeply worried" about the future of civil liberties, he had not given up yet.
"Sometimes I'm optimistic," he said. "We have a humorous, irreverent strain in our culture that can see through a lot of nonsense."
Gaston cited a line from W.H. Auden's poem "September 1, 1939," which was written to commemorate the German invasion of Poland, to sum up his feelings on the nation's reaction to the attacks.
"Those to whom evil is done/ Do evil in return."
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