As I was reading Little Brother what kept coming to mind was, what if this happened in my backyard? What if terrorists bombed Bryant-Denny on Game Day? Other than everyone being sent home, how do you think the university would react? How do you think people in Alabama would react? Would it be the same as what happened in San Francisco? Would everyone you know agree with whatever the government was willing to do, or would they run to Academy and buy all the guns and ammo they could and secede from the Union? Would the protests, if their were protests, be peaceful? What would the people our age and younger think?
Knowing my family, we'd probably secede from the Union with a very large arsenal of guns and declare our 20 acres of land Cordorland. My dad is a computer engineer, my mom is an international accounts receivable manager, and I would bet a large sum of money that that's what we'd do. What about you guys?
I honestly think that if a terrorist attack or bombing happened here at UA, my parents would make sure I'm ok, ask me to come home for a few weeks while everything calmed down, then send me back here to finish my undergrad while advising me not to go out at night (the same way they tell me to stay inside during tornado warnings).
ReplyDeleteAs far as security measures, I could easily see parents and alumni demanding tighter security, and since they're the donors, campus would get tighter security. There are already act card readers at the entrance of most buildings, so it would be relatively easy for the administration to keep buildings locked to people who don't have a reason to be there (from the point of view of the administration). Game days would be nuts. Imagine all those alumns in town for the game expecting all these extra security measures and then not wanting to put up with them (just like Marcus's dad). The trash cans outside would be full of beer cans that people tried to sneak in. Everything would just be a mess.
Predicting this state's reaction to a terrorist attack and the subsequent DHS response is a bit tricky. I think many people would behave like Marcus' father in the earlier parts of the book. While there is a distrust of national government here, a local attack would potentially tie the DHS and other bureaucratic agencies more directly to the idea of 'national security' and the military. I've noticed that many people oppose cutting any of the military budget (despite its enormous size especially compared with other countries') on the grounds of securing ourselves from threats (though I doubt the present and pressing danger of many of the cited threats to US security).
ReplyDeleteOn a personal note, I have no idea how I would react. Ideally I would acknowledge the shortcomings that made such an attack possible but also see the faults in 'hyper-surveillance'. As for the State Government's response? I doubt their competence.