September 11, 2001 was so scarring and life changing, that it leads to ask, have we as a country achieved acceptance? The unfolding process that one forgos in order to reach the stage of acceptance is an emotional battle. There are four stages that come before acceptance known as denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. When anyone is faced with a loss big or small, they go through the same process. In response to the horrid day, we have changed our policies and views on national security, in order to make the country a safer place. We still include the attack in our lives today by having it marked on our calendars as a holiday. This is a sign that we may have achieved acceptance.
Imagine being completely numb and unemotional upon hearing about a death of a close relative. Immediately responding to the attacks, this feeling, also known as denial, is what many Americans dealt with. The bitterness of disbelief overcame everyone and left Americans in shock. For instance, schools around the country didn’t know whether to finish their school day or send their students home. They didn’t know what to think of the attack or what tell their students (especially young elementary schoolers). People are befuddled during this stage because they don’t know what to do or think.
During the anger stage it’s habitual to find something to blame for what has happened. However some of the ways Americans handled their angers were not acceptable at all. Many Americans started to blame Muslims, incognizant of that fact that those who committed the attacks were extremists. In turn, a gas station owner named Balbir Singh Sodhi, who wore a beard and a turban, was murdered by an American individual four days after the attack for being mistaken as an Arab Muslim. However, today’s society has been able to accept that extremists exist in every religion and we are beginning to accept muslims.
Following the stage of anger is bargaining. After losing our pride, trust, security, and people, we began to show off our country and what was still great about it. Many American began putting flags on their cars and football games were decorated with flags more than ever. This stage helped us regain our pride and the restored the feeling of being proud to be an American.
Depression is the last stage before acceptance. Americans expressed depression by withdrawing themselves from society and many cleaved to groups. One month after the attack, 3% of people surveyed reported drinking more alcohol and 21% of surveyed smokers reported smoking more cigarettes. In response, 12% of them sought help and joined groups to help cure themselves.
It’s clear that the United States has achieved acceptance and we have reorganized our lives around the loss. The first reason is that we have the date on our calendars but we don’t mourn about the events that past. Instead of mouming, we take a day to remember out of respect for what was lost. We have also achieved acceptance because Muslims are treated better in today’s society. We also include the loss in our life by having a memorial in New York. After going through denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, it’s safe to say the the United States as a culture has reached acceptance.
