Investigating And Debunking A Weird Belief: Involvement Of Usa In 9/11 - Research Paper Example

?Weird Beliefs INVESTIGATING AND DEBUNKING A WEIRD BELIEF: INVOLVEMENT OF USA IN 9/11 INTRODUCTION There hasbeen a rise in terrorism all across the globe and many major events and occurrences have been attributed to Muslim extremist organizations. It is believed that these organizations work towards destabilizing and infiltrating the United States of America. The United States has always been considered to be a target of extremists. One event that totally changed the political policies of the United States and put the country in an emergency was the happening that took place on the 9th of September 2001. It is an event which will be marked in the history of the United States and will never be forgotten. It was a day when innocent lives were lost and too much blood was shed. It was a day which would always carry the dark memories of the happenings that took place. United States is a country which was believed to be the most secure place for beings and many people moved to the country owing to the safety and protection that is provided to its citizens. But the occurrences of 9/11 greatly altered that image and it was seen that even a super power of the world could not save the hundreds of lives that were lost on that day. Immediately following the attack, the blame was placed on the terrorist organization of Al-Qaeda and there were reports that Osama bin Laden had claimed responsibility for the act. It might have been the easiest option available for the government and it was a convincing option owing to the background and operations of Al- Qaeda throughout the world. But an in-depth analysis of the attacks provides with many insights regarding the happenings of the day. A closer picture of the 9/11 attacks serves to explain the true conspiracy that lies behind the attacks of that day and it was revealed that there was no such involvement of the government as well as the intelligence agencies of the country in the happenings of the day. This paper aims to investigate and debunk one of such common irrational beliefs that plagues the New World Order, simply by re-creating and re-defining the already existing chaos prevalent in it: The engagement of USA in bringing down the Twin Towers, and thus, introducing the concept of Terrorism, Hostile Take-overs, survival and the monotonous concept of globalization, as the world perceives it today. A set of irrational beliefs is given, described as seen from both sides of the argument, and then a personal opinion has been incorporated, to explicitly point out what my standing as an individual is, on this specific issue. THE 9/11 CONSPIRACY THEORY Conspiracy theory can be called any such belief or a set of beliefs, that a certain group of people or individuals might hold to be true, and will stick to it, enforcing it upon others, wherever and however they can. Conspiracy theories stem directly from illogical fallacies, that erupt when something, this very group of people, do not want to believe in, occurs. So, according to certain authors, this group starts believing what it wants to (Greenwald, 2009), spreading rumors, which might leave the Government claims behind As the rumors about the actual incidents of 9/11 has done, in this case. The irrational beliefs people hold to be dear and true to their hearts, have over taken all the proceedings, the Government of America has filled the media with. 9/11 is the one of the worst incidents to have occurred in the history of mankind, for it altered and modified the way this world was actually running in. Some theorists argue for it to be the Defining New World Order, for it allowed one of the biggest nations on the face of this earth, to take by force what is not theirs, to implement a set of factors defining what happened, and to fight against what the minority has proven the actual incident to be. Amongst a number of theories, that have built up, over time, the most widely known theory about the 9/11 attack, includes the controlled demolition attack (with the U.S. Officials having foreknowledge about the plane hit) on the Twin Towers in New York City, as against the reasons of structural weakening provided by U.S. Authorities, by the Al Qaeda, which helped put this entire act together, and under the supervision of Osama bin Laden, were able to get past the security services, and the intelligence, being set up by the US Officials. (Norman, 2011). A part of this very conspiracy theory includes the alleged war on Islam, that America has taken over itself, as part of the Great American-Crusader-Zionist conspiracy (Greenwald, 2009), which will enable Muslims to never be able to stand on their own feet again. The attacks, being launched by the U.S. are being weighed down by the several wars that U.S. has committed in Muslim majority countries, including the attacks on Gaza, Afghanistan and Iraq, to name a few. This allows the proponents of the irrational beliefs, to further strengthen their stance, by emphasizing on lack of reasons for America to do so. Almost one-third of the population in the U.S. believes that this attack was an inside job, on the part of the American Authorities (Stanley, 2011). A part of this theory, called the “Blame-the-Jews Theory”, reflects on the fact that since, an X number of Jews were absent that day, and Jews were not harmed due to it, the entire responsibility lies with the Jews (Norman, 2011). A common misperception, that arose as a result of this attack, included the labeling of religion as being “bad”, further adding to the basket of irrational beliefs that the world bows to today (Gilson, 2011). It has been argued that since a particular religion attacked the Twin Towers, religion, is in essence, bad, and thus, this belief has been generalized to make space for all religions to be considered bad. Muslims attacked the Americans on 9/11, in the name of their God, therefore, this religion is bad, and moreover, all other religions, including Christianity, are bad. PARTIES RESPONSIBLE FOR HOLDING THESE IRRATIONAL BELIEFS The major parties, responsible for holding these beliefs, include primarily certain media personnel, helping to shape the beliefs of the people watching their channels, who believe that incompetence was the only reason that the U.S. Authorities could not deal with the attacks. Similarly, a large portion of American and British individuals believe that the 9/11 was carried out under the eye of U.S. Personnel, who were fully informed about the attack prior to it taking place (Stanley, 2011). Another part of this world, where these conspiracy theories are highly prevalent, includes the Middle Eastern region, where this theory is known as the “Blame-the-Jews theory”, which basically stresses the fact that the responsibility of the incident lies completely with the Jews. Middle East considers this theory as being highly popularized, with 43 % of Egyptians, blaming Israel as being behind the attack. (Norman, 2011). One segment of the proponents of these irrational beliefs includes the vast majority of Muslims, spread out on all parts of the Globe, who basically take this attack as a personal insult to their existence, primarily due to them being the main targets of the aftereffects of this attack. It can be seen, from empirical evidence, that there are numerous adherents to the 9/11 Conspiracy Theory, and some (or most) of these proponents argue that the theory is definitely in place, because of the substantial backing the evidence gives it. These parties not only include the Muslims, but it also includes a major chunk of Americans, British and other nationals, who might or might not have been influenced by biased Television channels, or other forms of media. Whether influenced or not, the fact still remains that these beliefs hold, and are being propagated, whether one likes it or not. REASONS BEHIND THE EXISTENCE OF IRRATIONAL BELIEFS There are several reasons as to why these beliefs are present, with the main reason being the illogical leap of faith, that certain individuals make, in order to belief in something they want to, and does not actually happen (Shermer, 2011). The rise of conspiracy theories has happened due to the inconsistencies and the ignorance being displayed by the American Authorities, especially post-Afghanistan and Iraq wars. A main reason includes the speech made by President Barack Obama, in June 2009, where, he openly alleged and blamed Al-Qaeda for the deaths of innocent people during the attack. One major contradiction, that Middle East holds the American Authorities to be accountable for include the absence of Jews from their respective jobs, further strengthening and giving weight age to one of the Conspiracy theories, emphasizing that the attacks have been the work of Non-Islamic parties. The re-election of George Bush as President after the event, gave momentum to the ever increasing reasons for the holding of irrational beliefs (Knight, 2008). More reasons, justifying the 9/11 attack as an incident whose main responsible party was the U.S. Government itself; include historical evidence, as is given by the incident of the Whooping Cough in 1955, which was an epidemic according to the Authorities. The second incident substantiating this claim includes the Tuskeqee Experiment from 1932 to 1972, basically revolving around the spread of Syphilis among sharecroppers (Stanley, 2011). The simple logic behind the existence of these conspiracy theories still prevalent includes the remorse felt by the families of the victims. Debunking these beliefs by terming them irrational and weird, does not imply the end to them. What it does is, enhance the effectiveness of the fertility on which the players, both proponents and opponents, play, to get to a clearer side of the story. Greed has been named as one of the reasons for the existence of these theories: Due to the sale of millions of copies of books and movies on this topic, a certain kind of hype has been created, which enables the tragic stories to gain more momentum as time passes by. Skeptics argue that due to the cognitive abilities in human beings, judgments tend to get distorted, allowing the individuals to maintain their beliefs, in spite of the contrary beliefs that exist around them. These judgments also inhibit the tendency of the individuals to see paths of rationality, especially when the majority of the population is advising against it (Shrira, 2011). RATIONALITY FOR THE IRRATIONAL BELIEFS OF 9/11 Daniel Splittberger (2010), a very well-read intellectual on the topic of 9/11, strives to prove logic concerning the conspiracy theories. He believes that these theories are absolutely in demand and well in accordance with rationality. However, there is no fact that these rationalities are able to form a basis for doubt surrounding the issue of 9/11. He argues that the theorist, proposing these theories, fail to realize that the burden of proving 9/11 as a conspiracy is on them. They are the ones who believe in a different reasoning of this event, and they need to provide the readers or their followers with minor details, incorporating the basic essence of their theory. Michael Meacher, former British Environment Minister, and belonging to the Cabinet of Tony Blair, admits to following the irrational beliefs stated previously, and claims to be a supporter of the fact that the U.S. had prior knowledge of the incident that took place. Michael Shermer, in Scientific American, comes up with his belief that explains the logic behind the theories held by the conspiracy theorists. He says that these theories are true, when the pattern of thinking is considered, since they arise as a result of convergence of similar facts, all coming under one heading, substantiated by inquisition and questioning, rather than being the direct consequence of a single abnormal factor. Joshua Foster and Illan Shrira (2008) refer to the growth of these irrational beliefs as a part of the mainstream response to events happening in the world. Taking polls and other standards of measurements, Shrira is of the opinion that the 9/11 attack may have triggered the transformation of conspiracy theories from unlikely events to completely irrational beliefs. RATIONALITY AGAINST THE IRRATIONAL BELIEFS OF 9/11 Glen Greenwald is of the opinion that Muslims are completely irrational when it comes to 9/11, because of the fact that their religion has been targeted. He wants to emphasize on the fact that after the U.S. Authorities have given substantial evidence, the “crazy, irrational Muslims”, as he puts it, should not say anything against them. Another writer, Friedman, simply refuses to understand why Muslims cannot look beyond these issues, and comprehend the actual truth – which, according to him is what the U.S. Authorities have declared it to be. Thomas W. Eager, a Professor at MIT, suggests the use of reverse scientific methods, as a major player in deciding the fate of these theories. Since people have a tendency to reach to their own separate set of conclusions, based on their own perceptions, they tend to eliminate all the things that do not fit their analysis, and come up with a totally separate and independent series of events that could have taken place, if their version was utilized. David Ray Griffin, a well known author opinionates that the Official story, as claimed by the U.S. Government is true, and the irrational theories and rumors that have been built against that are absolutely unworthy of any comments. Lawson, a prominent writer, also stipulates the same thing, and argues against the irrational beliefs present, saying that these set of beliefs are best left to the imagination of people. CONCLUSION According to popular belief, the attack on 9/11 was a life changing experience not only for the individuals involved in the incident, but it was also a turning point for all the countries in the world. For, it showed the stance of all major stakeholders, of all political factions, and of all the Muslims in the world. By terming is as a religious attempt to destroy the sanctity of the World’s Greatest Nation, America became popular in its standing against religion. Where most of the people were against Bush policies, some stood up for them, claiming what they considered to be rightfully theirs. The demolition of twin towers, had an impact that everyone will remember for all times, and not only that, the controversy surrounding it, still raises questions and seeks answers to something that happened a decade ago. In my opinion, the set of beliefs some people might claim to be irrational, hold absolutely true, primarily because of the evidence that goes with it. For instance, some Muslims are of the opinion that there is a mention of this attack in their Holy Book, The Koran, and the fact that almost 4,000 Jews failed to turn up for work that day, points towards a very sensible excuse. Added to this, is the fact that the U.S. might not have been blamed for the 9/11 Attack, had it not adopted stringent War policies towards Iraq and Afghanistan, to simply wipe out, what they referred to as tyrannical regimes. Sometimes, it is just easier to gather all the facts, put them together, and, weighing your options, mark one of the choices, as your belief. REFERENCES Greenwald, G. (2009). “The crazy, irrational beliefs of Muslims”. Retrieved september 27, 2011, from http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/11/29/friedman. Gilson, T. (2011). “Christianity and 9/11: Guilt by Association?” Retrieved September 27, 2011, from http://www.thepointradio.org/point-blog/entry/37/17820. Knight, P. (2008). “Outrageous Conspiracy Theories: Popular and Official Responses to 9/11 in Germany and the United States”. New German Critique 35 (1). Lawson, J. (2011). “Handling irrational beliefs”. Retrieved September 27, 2011, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/14728-handling-irrational-beliefs/#ixzz1Z7PB6oie Norman, J. (2011). “9/11 Conspiring theories won’t stop.” Retrieved September 27, 2011, from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-20104377.html. Shermer, M. (2009). “Does Belief help us to survive?”Retrieved September 27, 2011 from http://www.michaelshermer.com/2009/08/does-belief-help-us-to-survive/ Shermer, M. (2011). “The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and conspiracies — How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths”. Retrieved September 27, 2011, from http://www.economist.com/node/18833531. Splittgerber, D. (2010). “Irrational beliefs”. Retrieved September 27, 2011, from http://danielsplittgerber.com/2010/01/10/irrational-beliefs/ Shrira, I. (2008). “Paranoia, 9/11, and the roots of Conspiracy theories”. Retrieved September 27, 2011, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissus-in-all-us/200809/paranoia-911-and-the-roots-conspiracy-theories. Stanley, T. (2011). “The 9/11 conspiracy theories aren’t as irrational as you think”. Retrieved September 27, 2011 from http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100104249/the-911-conspiracy-theories-arent-as-irrational-as-you-might-think/ Read More