Osama Bin Laden reported dead

[Usul_Princess]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bin_laden


I'm speechless. *goes feverishly to check for more sources*

[Kali_Lupine]

yes ^_^ watched the President's speech about it last night. Very pleased.

Edit: DNA confirmed that we got him

[Ierosbats]

Any chance of changing the board title to something that might actually prompt some intelligent discussion? It's certainly eye-catching, but clicking out of curiosity is kind of a cheap trick. Thanks, Ty!

Grumblings aside, I'm sort of shocked at the reaction this caused. People chanting "USA, USA, USA" outside the White House and singing the national anthem? Bin Laden was a despicable person, absolutely, but celebrating anyone's death like that is inappropriate. I'm happy it's provided closure to people, especially those who lost someone in the attacks, but cheering in the streets is too reminiscent of the cheering in the streets in the Middle East when the 9/11 attacks were successful. Reporters on CNN kept saying last night "Now we can start to move on" referring to rebuilding some international relationships. I don't think gross public celebration is helping that cause.

The headline of the Edmonton Sun (Edmonton's trashiest paper, a total waste of space, but still) today was "Osama Bin Laden: Rot In Hell." I was appalled, but I guarantee it sold copies. It's certainly generating discussion, and bringing out the worst in people, to be honest. It also has a lot of people talking about former President Bush again, and that's never a good thing.

I think a lot of people have ruined what should be a satisfying moment, but also a solemn moment. This is an outcome a lot of people wanted for almost a decade. I understand why. I'm not willing to say it's not what I wanted. But a person was killed by other people, and now there's celebrating in the streets. What a weird moment in time.

[Marah]

What Ierosbats said.

I also think that people expect this to be a point of change, and I don't think it will be. I hope it will be, but I find it hard to believe that Bin Laden was still the only leading man in his organisation.
But what do I know, right now I don't even have a tv to keep up with current news, so I fully admit to not being an expert on terrorism.

[Kali_Lupine]

while I am at heart (mostly) a pacifist, and don't honestly wish the death of anyone (including the person who triggered my disability) I am pleased at this outcome. I can understand the cheering and jubilation as well, I honestly think it is different than someone cheering the deaths of what I would term as victims.
The fact that a woman was used as a human shield, well I can honestly say that would influence my thoughts on the matter.
On the other hand, it does freak me out more than a little...
Anyway, I respect everyone's opinion....what I am opposed to is anyone telling me how I should react. Or celebrate. Or not.

I chose to cry a bit, and hope that my family that is fighting in all of this comes home soon.

[Griffin]

I think bin Laden deserved to die, but I'm not really into the death celebration stuff either. Good that he's gone. Too bad it took nearly a decade, thousands of innocent lives, and more than a trillion bucks to do it. And will the war even end anytime soon? I'm sure there's thousands of guys willing to take his place.

[Kali_Lupine]

after posting, I wanted to come back and say: If I was in any way rude or offensive, I really do apologize. But being told what way to act is appropriate/inappropriate sets me off. I would never want to cause anyone offense though, I understand that this is a very sensitive subject to MANY people. I just want to respect all opinions.

[Runic]

Cool, he's dead, but definitely a bad move for Americans to celebrate publicly like that. That's rather....untactful. Why rub it in?
But like Iero said, his death has given some closure to those who lost loved ones on 9/11. One less devil in this world.

But unfortunately, terrorism will never go away. America still needs to stay on guard. =o

[Foghawk]

Frankly, I don't care whether people are celebrating someone's death; I don't really do the pacifism thing. But here's the salient point:

I also think that people expect this to be a point of change, and I don't think it will be.

This is like scientists discovering one gene that predispositions people to one type of cancer, and the media rushing out with the news that cancer has been cured. It's deluding people. That's what I don't like.

[Ierosbats]

To be clear, I don't think people shouldn't be celebrating at all. There are new makeshift memorials at Ground Zero. There are candlelight vigils. Notes to loved ones. A man holding a sign that says "Thank you, President Obama." I think those are really touching tributes. Like I said, there's nothing wrong with people getting some long-overdue closure out of this.

However, when you contrast those responses to the people yelling in the streets, making a spectacle, acting like America just won a soccer match, there are clearly some people who are missing the point. A man died, a man who did horrible things, and justice has been served. But there's no reason to venerate bloodshed in any capacity. I think people should be happy about this. Very happy! It's a good thing, I agree. It's the excess I disagree with. An element of this celebration has become unnecessary, and that's what I was calling inappropriate.

[Runic]

@Ierosbats
That's what I was trying to say. Agreed fully. =3

[bonecrivain]

I read an interesting article about it today:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/05/02/g ... google_cnn

That's only one perspective, of course, but it expresses a little of the dissatisfaction I've been feeling about the reactions to bin Laden's death.

While I understand the relief and happiness that a lot of people are experiencing, I do find some of the language distasteful. The girl singing the national anthem (loudly and terribly out of tune), then screeching, "GO USA!!!" at the top of her lungs on the street outside my apartment last night may have very good reasons for feeling joy at this news. I don't think it's my place to judge how she chooses to celebrate. But at the same time, a lot of the reactions have been, like Topher said, excessive and weirdly detached, like someone cheering at the conclusion of a good spy thriller or a football game. America isn't a team that just scored a glorious goal. We haven't suddenly and dramatically made the world safe from all evil. Bin Laden was a terrible person who orchestrated the deaths of many people. That is unforgivable, and those who have died certainly deserve justice. But justice isn't reflected by outlandish and sometimes embarrassing celebrations about another human being's death.

The reactions that bother me the most are the ones that spew so much hatred in return. This includes newspaper headlines (seriously, an editor approved that?) and some of the things I've been seeing pop up on Facebook and elsewhere (like: "Only bummer about Osama Bin Landen's [sic] death is that we only got to kill the bastard once."). I suppose it baffles me to some extent, because it's not like Osama bin Laden was literally the devil. Killing him did not destroy all of the evil in the world. It's good that he was finally caught. It also took ten years, far too many deaths, and hasn't made the world into a place that's now sparkling with rainbows and butterflies. I guess that's why I don't understand the incredibly exuberant celebrations. It's one step forward. But it's something that should be treated with a little more dignity and a sober understanding that lives will continue to be affected. Killing him didn't flip some magical switch.

[Usul_Princess]

Any chance of changing the board title to something that might actually prompt some intelligent discussion? It's certainly eye-catching, but clicking out of curiosity is kind of a cheap trick.

Yes. Please forgive me. Because it was the title alone that refused to generate any intelligent discussion ASAP. People had absolutely nothing to contribute whatsoever until it was changed. I posted an honest jaw drop reaction, and not for a "cheap trick". Though title change is much better I will agree.

(/catty)

Back on topic, I saw reactions of Bin Laden's death from members on my other forum, and the consensus was pretty cynical. There are always positive and negative sides to everything, but it just seemed the other forum saw nothing redeeming about it. I don't believe most people think it's the "end all" to the woes of America, but it certainly felt like a relieving step in the right direction.

[AngharadTy]

Mod hat--we usually go for descriptive titles here; I edit reaction titles any time I see them. It wasn't at Topher's request that I edited the title. (Edit: And I know it wasn't meant as a cheap trick on your part.) It was for clarity. Reactions are good! But they go in the body of the post. =)

[bonecrivain]

As a general rule in any sort of writing or conversation, it's important to catch people's attention by first telling them what you're talking about. It's particularly crucial on the internet, where words are all we have. I don't think it's a stretch to say that people are more likely to enter a thread in a thoughtful state of mind if they know what to expect when they click on the title.

I do, though, think this has been a step in the right direction; it's the sensationalism that I find objectionable.