Introduction
Race, gender, and sexuality are closely linked to the concept of minorities in the sense that people who are in small numbers in these three categories stand out from the rest of the population. When the members of a certain race are few in a nation compared to the rest of the population, that group becomes a minority. Gender also creates minorities when the members of a given gender are not adequately represented in the various engagements of life such as leadership. On sexuality, people with sexual behavior that is not practiced by many within the population become a minority. Examples of sexual minorities are lesbians, gays, transsexuals, and bisexuals.
Main body
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, created a new twist in American social life due to the race of the perpetrators of the attack. Having been identified as non-white males because they were Arabs, the larger part of the population that shares racial bonds have developed the feeling that the smaller groups that are part of the nation cannot be trusted. These smaller groups are the minorities and they are viewed as the different ones or the “others”. The suspicious treatment of minorities by the larger group is part of a more complex attitude; the whose driving force is the notion that the nation needs to be protected from these minorities. Thus to these people who feel that the nation does not belong to the minorities, a strong sense of nationalism is what they need.
Almost all areas of life in America have been permeated by this feeling that minorities are not good for the nation. It is important to note that the treatment of all minorities is not the same. The movies as well as other parts of the media are full of programs that have the theme of minority threats to the American way of life. The popular television program named twenty-four (p. 24) for instance explicitly sends the message that minorities pose danger to the United States. In a more specific sense, the program depicts Arab men who are a minority in the United States as bitter terrorists who are out to attack the United States at the slightest opportunity.
The elements of gender are well spelled out given that in terrorist plots men take the lead in large numbers while in matters of race Arabic men are the leaders. Negative attitudes against minorities may have increased with the terrorist attacks thus increasing the spirit of nationalism and the continued confusion on what it means to be an American citizen. The perpetrators of deadly terrorist attacks are viewed as monsters who are out to shed innocent blood. This may be a genuine sentiment but it may help to avoid general condemnation of an entire race based on the acts of a small number of people from the race. Would the mistreatment and condemnation of millions of innocent people because they belong to the race of someone who abused you qualify as a monstrosity? It is not different from the two or three men or women who decide to shed innocent blood for bitterness they feel over what was done by one or two people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, American life is getting more complicated. The true American citizen is not clear and the minority is the target of the emerging nationalist sentiment that makes some people feel entitled and therefore required to protect the nation. The condemnation of entire groups based on the acts of two or three people from the group is part of the problem that has generated the monstrosity that we are facing.