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The Attack on America Survey Results
Smart girls decide for themselves.™
December 1, 2001
On the morning of September 11, in New York City, both towers of the World Trade
Center were struck by hijacked airplanes; in Washington D.C., the Pentagon was
also hit by a hijacked airplane; and a hijacked plane crashed over Pennsylvania,
presumably as passengers thwarted another crash into a building.
The United States and Great Britain later determined that these were the
acts of terrorists working for Osama bin Laden (To see the news release from the
British Government click
here).
During this tumultuous period of terrorist attacks in the
U.S. and the United State's retaliation against Osama bin Laden, SmartGirl asked
you how you felt about the events. Two
hundred eighty-two people, including 10 boys, answered the survey. While 71% of
respondents were from the United States and 16% were from Great Britain, others
were from as far away as China and Peru. Here
are the results of that survey:
SmartGirl asked, "What
did you think when you first heard about the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon
and World Trade Center on September 11, 2001?"
And one quote sums up the feelings about the triviality of our
usual daily routines when we compare them to an event of such magnitude, in
which so many lives are lost:
"Oh my god.
I can't believe I was talking about eyeliner when all those people were
dying."
This is a common theme
that ran through the answers to the all questions. How can I go
on with my daily routine while so many frightening, fatal events are happening? and How can I make my life more
meaningful?
SmartGirl asked, "How
has your thinking changed since September
11?"
- 24% said their thinking had not changed.
- 15% were
afraid because they realized that it could also happen to them.
In the words of one respondent, "It
has changed my way of thinking a lot. Nobody is safe. And nobody knows exactly
what is going on in the world."
Another
common response was, "I am scared of planes. Every time I hear one I get
really nervous."
- 9%
said that they had new priorities in life, realizing that everything could
change at any moment. This change made them value what they had now.
One respondent summed
this feeling up when she wrote, "I
try and live each day to the fullest and I don't take things for granted anymore."
- 7%
felt that war could be the outcome of the events.
One British respondent had these words for American girls:
"I am starting to come to terms with it, the shock has worn off, and the
anger to a certain extent, but I am still upset by all the liberals here in
England who keep claiming that US foreign policy was to blame and that the
terrorists felt they had justification. Let me tell you one thing, there is no
justification whatsoever in taking innocent lives in an unprovoked attack
whatever the motives (even though the motives of Bin Laden's terror network are
clearly wrong). Capitalism is what makes America great; these terrorists weren't
motivated by 'love' of a supposed God, but by envy, pure and simple. I am in
absolute support of America and I really admire your patriotism that you have
shown in the wake of these attacks, although terrible events the attacks have
brought out the very best in Americans. Be proud America."
Several respondents were concerned with potential discrimination against Arab
(and non-white) people in the United States.
One wrote,
"My thinking has not really changed much. It is just that
my religion is Sikhism and the men in my religion wear turbans. Since Osama bin
Laden wears a turban and a lot of Middle Easterners do, lots of people are
starting to think that Sikhs are Middle Eastern. So they are getting very
troubled and harassed by people. So now I think that it is important to go out
of our way to tell people to respect a person's religion whether the person is
good or bad. It is still important to respect a person's religion. I think it is
important to let people be aware of this."
SmartGirl asked,
"What have your parents and teachers said about
why the attacks happened?"
- 23% said you had no discussions about the attacks with your
parents or teachers.
- 11% were told that the events were caused by evil people
full of hatred towards others.
- 10% were
told that the attacks were by religious extremists.
- 10% said
that their teachers and parents simply answered all of their questions as best
they could.
- 9%
were told that the attacks were caused by Middle Eastern hatred of the United
States due to a variety of reasons (interference by the U.S. in the Mid-east's
politics was a common reference.)
SmartGirl asked, "Why
do you think the attacks happened?"
The four most given reasons were:
- 38% thought
the attacks occurred because of jealousy of the United States.
In one reader's
words, "I think it is to prove that there
are people who can do stuff to harm us even though we didn't think so. I also
think they did it because they were jealous of our freedom and our whole
country's status."
- 13% wrote
that they couldn't understand how or why anyone would commit such a crime
against so many innocent people.
- 12% thought
it only could have been done by evil, sick people, who as one reader wrote,
"wanted
to be noticed and recognized."
- 9%
thought the cause was intrusive U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
One US respondent wrote, "because our country has caused so much suffering for innocent citizens.
Basically we have been jerks to everyone in Afghanistan."
Another US girl wrote, "[The
attacks] happened as a combination of our foreign policy toward the Israelis and the Arabs
[ticking] off people, and of some really scary and dangerously charismatic people getting in control of very poor very desperate people. When people are very desperate and people are starving all the time in their country they come to hold the lives of people as worthless, and when that happens the dehumanization of people occurs and it is easy to commit mass murder or genocide. The same basic idea is what allowed Hitler to come to power and for the Germans to exterminate the Jews in World War II."
SmartGirl asked, "If
you could ask President Bush (or your head of state) one question about these
events, what would it be?"
The most common types of responses included:
- 24% asked, "What is your plan for retaliation?"
or "Will there be a war?"
- 17% asked," What about a peaceful solution?" or
"Is it rash to go to war?"
- 11% asked, "How will you make our country more secure
for the future?"
- 9% asked, "Why did this happen?"
One respondent had this to say to the President about the current
situation in Afghanistan,
"I think it is wrong that U.S. is killing people
in Afghanistan because I feel we are stooping to their level because we are
killing innocent
bystanders that have nothing to do with their
government!"
Another SmartGirl asked,
"What are we going to do, and how are we gonna do it without being at the same level as the
terrorists?"
SmartGirl asked, "As a SmartGirl,
what advice would you give President Bush and the US Congress as they try to
decide what to do next?"
- 9% asked SmartGirl, "Why would someone do this?"
- 7% asked SmartGirl how we feel about the September 11
events
- 5% asked SmartGirl, "What is going to happen
next?"
- 4% wanted to know what SmartGirl is doing to help
- 3%
asked what they can do to make the world a better place since the events.
In the words of one respondent, "Why
do 'everyday' routines seem
so meaningless or helpless, when there are such greater things going on in the
world. How can I contribute to the
world?"
SmartGirl asked, If you could ask
SmartGirl one question about these events, what would it be?
There was such a wide variety of questions that we have included the top
five in terms of percentages and other interesting questions.
- 9% asked SmartGirl, "Why would someone do this?"
- 7% asked SmartGirl how we feel about the September 11
events
- 5% asked SmartGirl, "What is going to happen
next?"
- 4% wanted to know what SmartGirl is doing to help
- 3%
asked what they can do to make the world a better place since the events.
In the words of one respondent, "Why
do 'everyday' routines seem
so meaningless or helpless, when there are such greater things going on in the
world. How can I contribute to the
world?"
One
respondent wrote, "
I wouldn't ask a question [but] I would say thanks.
Thanks for making this questionnaire. I opened up emotions I never new I
had. Thanks. I hope I have touched people the way you have.
THANKS!!!!!!!!"
In
response to a few of your questions, when SmartGirl first heard about the attacks on September 11th, we were just as shocked, frightened
and scared as you were.
None of us were personally effected, but we felt deep sympathy for the victims of all the attacks
and their families. We were eager to do something that might help you and weren't sure how to do it. One of the
emotions we were feeling was isolation and an inability to express ourselves with other people. We thought
you might feel the same way, so we decided to post this survey. We hope that by giving you a place to
express yourself, we have helped you!
We appreciate the questions that you have asked us and feel honored that you are willing
to confide in us. THANK YOU!
"What
is going to happen next?" We can only make educated
guesses based on what we read in the news. Below, we have included links for you to read news stories
that will help you answer many of these questions and decide for yourself what may come next.
For
CNN coverage about the terrorist attacks , the US retaliation, a chronology of September
11 events, or possible effects on the economy click
here
For
Time for Kids coverage on Afghanistan's
recent history or how kids can fix the world
click
here
For
Yahoo News coverage on a wide variety of related topics click
here
For
MTV News coverage on all the major people involved, the history of the Northern
Alliance, what you can do to help, or current happenings in Afghanistan
click here
Other
questions included the following:
To
help you understand teenage Muslim girls' feelings about the events, we are asking an Islamic school to
have its students fill out the survey. The students are from many countries in the Middle East,
and you will be able to read their reactions to the events and compare them to your own. We will
tabulate and compare the results soon,
so check back in a couple weeks.
For
information about the Northern Alliance, please
click
MTV
News
For
information about the economic effects of September 11, please click
CNN
News
We
know of none other than this website. If
you learn of any
other organizations, please email us so that we can pass the word along
to other interested
girls.
No
one has discovered who sent the Anthrax to the news
agencies and the government offices. Until some evidence
is uncovered,
we cannot assume that Osama bin Laden or the Taliban had any connection to the tainted letters.
A
Few Last Words from SmartGirl
We
are not going to fundraise for the families of victims of the attacks (as we
were asked by several respondents), because there are other agencies better
prepared to do that that us. Please see the list below of ways that you
can help and check out the information at Time for
Kids and MTV.
America's
Fund for Afghan Children
c/o
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington,
D.C. 20509-1600
U.S.
Fund for UNICEF
Attn: Kids Helping Kids
333
East 38th Street, 6th Floor
New
York, NY 10016
-
Hold
a fundraiser and send your collection to the September 11 Fund in support of
those who lost relatives in the attacks: Click
this link for more information
-
Volunteer
your time at a local food bank, homeless shelter or at a place of worship.
Do your part by doing something worthwhile for your community.
Lastly,
we have sent a letter to President Bush (click here to read the letter), asking
him to answer your questions and including some of your comments and concerns. We
will share his response to you when it arrives.
Thank
your for taking the time to share your thoughts with us!
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