Up Close And Honest

It’s been 14 years since that tragic day and my thoughts and prayers are with all of those that were impacted by 9/11. It’s important to remember and honor both the victims and the first responders, but it’s also important to discuss the way that day has continued to impact us.

From the rise of Islamophobia, nationalism, and ethnocentricsm in both Europe and the United States to our foreign policies that continue to be damaging to the MENA region.

On the 14th anniversary of 9/11 a Sikh man was attacked in Chicago for being percieved as a Muslim. On social media today there are masses of people calling for the extermination of the Muslim population in America.

That day was a tragedy, one which has continously shaped our lives. It’s important to have a discussion about how 9/11 changed the lives of Muslims everywhere. From the many Muslimahs that took off their hijabs for safety due to the 1600% rise in Islamophobic attacks (FBI, 2012) to the many Muslims who felt it was necessary to change their names and/or reject their religion and culture in order to be accepted. Of course, the rise of Islamophobia also gave entrance to the “Islamist boogeyman” in Bosnia and Albania which further fueled genocide denial. Not to mention the amount of mosques that continue to be attacked both in Europe and in the States or how many innocent people continue to die in MENA due to our foreign policy.

All of these must be discussed in a honest way because that tragic day is directly responsible for it and we, as a nation, must hold ourselves responsible for combating hate, racism, nationalism, and Islamophobia.

A country that allows itself to succumb to hate can never be the “home of the free”.

Greatest/worst thing ever just happened to me, so buckle up folks..it’s story time:

Girl on a dating app tells me in the first few messages that I’m really cute (true) and interesting (also true) and asks me to meet her at 1140am for coffee at a random McDonald’s. When I ask if she’s a 45 year old man trying to harvest my organs, she proceeds to send me 15 pictures in a row that look like they’re straight from Facebook. Because that’s how you convince somebody you’re real (not true).

Now normally I don’t accept propositions like this because I’m thinking “what’s the catch?” Well, I decide to live a little on the YOLO side…and since it’s right next to a Subway Sandwich shop I think that the worst that could happen is it’s a 45 year old lonely man, I give him a big hug because I know the feeling as a 25 year old lonely man, get a tasty sandwich, then go home. Apparently that was NOT the worst thing that could happen.

I show up. She shows up. She’s real. I’m surprised. I buy her coffee because I subscribe to traditional gender roles unless requested otherwise. She uses her McCafe frequent buyers card so she gets stamps. Its cute. While the guy is making her drink, she tells me to go find a table outside in the sun. I go outside and find the perfect goddamn table because I’m a romantic at heart. 5 minutes later. 10 minutes later. 15 minutes later. No girl. I text her the typical guy message “lol u get lost???”. No response. Turns out she took the coffee and left.

So I’m not saying it’s bad to leave a date if you feel uncomfortable or aren’t attracted to them. It’s totally your decision. But I don’t think that’s the case…I think this girl is a serial McCafe dater. And I don’t think this was her first time. It was too professional. Too clean. It was the perfect McHeist. And I’m starting to think I’m not even mad…she didn’t steal my credit card, or my organs. Just a few euros.