An Acceptable American

"Do you even understand what you're saying?"

Mustafa was reading aloud to the entire Honors American Government class an article about how terrorists' hatred for American support of Israel led to—but did not justify—the attacks. He made an impassioned case, his voice resonant but trembling with emotional strain, nervous sweat beading on his forehead. I listened. I wondered how much he and his family must have gone through in the last forty-eight hours, how others were treating them, and how they saw their status in the tapestry of American culture completely upended. The stereotype of Middle Easterners in Dover Beach was that they were all doctors, and now people were calling them terrorists! It would have been too much to take in for any adult, let alone a teenager.

The rest of the class, however, remained silent; not out of respect, but out of awkwardness. They had heard but had not listened to Mustafa's fervent words or the points he had made. When he finished reading, no one had anything to say. An uncomfortable chill fell over the classroom.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" asked Craig, our handsome and athletic senior class president, breaking the silence.

A burst of laughter from some of the other classmates followed.

He had entered class ready to stand his ground, but now he looked defeated. I could see he was under tremendous strain to defend himself, and I worried for him.
Mr. Smith, our kindly and balding teacher, nodded appreciatively and continued with the rest of his class.

"I know it's a tough time for our country," Mr. Smith addressed the room. "To protect national security, there's talk of increasing surveillance to crack down on terrorists. What do you think?"

One student, a pretty girl named Gretchen, raised her hand. "If we're not doing anything wrong, I don't see why we should fear being monitored."

Two other students concurred.

Mr. Smith's face contorted into a look of bewilderment. He threw up his hands, ready to tear out what was left of his hair, and shouted, "Do you even understand what you're saying?"

***

"I'm sick of calling these terrorists 'cowards,' " I heard the late-night talk show host say as I did homework. "You have to have some courage to fly a plane into a building."

Some days later, I heard his show was canceled over that statement. While I believe he had every right to say what he did, I can't say I was terribly sad to see him go.