Linking of Queer, Black, Brown, & Foreign Bodies to Terrorism

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chapter 11 The “Browning of Terror” during the Obama Years: Linking of Queer, Black, Brown, & Foreign Bodies to Terrorism

William C. Gay

Abstract

Since 2001, u.s. culture and politics have moved from a positive multiculturalism, expressed in the phrase “the Browning of America”, to a negative, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBT hysteria, expressed in the phrase “the Browning of Terror”. The latter is a new and dangerous type of “xenophobia” that fears the “other” in our midst and associates this “other” with the threat of terrorism. This fear mongering tries to link queer, black, brown, and foreign bodies to terrorism. Mary Bloodsworth-Lugo and Carmen Lugo-Lugo critically analyze this post-9/11 negative phenomenon and carefully document how it has been intensified especially within right-wing opposition to Barack Obama. They bring out historical parallels between two waves of Containment, namely, the “Red Scare” during McCarthyism and the “War on Ter- rorism” since 9/11. In both cases, efforts have been made to contain specific types of bodies, including lgbt individuals and persons of color and to do so in part by de- veloping distorted and pernicious constructions of citizenship. This “browning of terror” is the antithesis of a multicultural and welcoming conception of citizenship, and current opposition to immigration and same-sex marriage needs to be resisted by re- moving issues of sexuality and race from discussions of citizenship, nationality, and patriotism.

1 Introduction: The Obama Phenomenon

Many Americans felt a sense of hope with the election of Barack Obama. On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th u.s. President and first African-American or mixed race President. His approval rating was around 70% (admittedly, around 50% one year later). Obama’s election was surprising in light of several countervailing forces. In particular, one long-standing issue concerns problems of race and racism throughout u.s. history. In addition, one needs to cite the “Browning of Terror”

The “Browning of Terror” during the Obama Years 225 since 9/11.1 Regarding the latter, we have seen a change in the kind of negative characterizations of Democratic Presidential candidates. Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry were characterized as unpatriotic, but they were not seen as un-American. Now, we have not just a questioning of Obama’s patriotism, but also, by virtue of browning, a questioning of his Americanness. In order to provide some understanding of this transition, I will treat the fol- lowing. I will begin with some reflections on the definition of terrorism. Then, I will focus on the aftermath of 9/11. Next, I will examine some of the parallels in the waves of Containment associated with McCarthyism and with 9/11. Based on this examination, I will contrast the “Browning of America” in the 1990s with the “Browning of Terror” since 9/11. I will proceed to apply the latter to the “Browning of Obama”. Finally, in my conclusion, I will relate the “Browning of Terror” to my work on linguistic violence and efforts to overcome it.

2 Definition of Terrorism

Robert Holmes defines terrorism as “The practice of terrorizing for social, political or moral ends”.2 We need to realize that terrorist attacks may not kill anyone or may kill only a few. In contrast, war itself can be terroristic and generally kills far more innocent people than what are now called terrorist attacks. Consider the fire bombings of Leipzig and Dresden and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the close of World War ii. Reflecting on these events the issue is the means, not the end. An indi vidual act or a government act is that of a “Terrorist or freedom fighter, de- pending upon whether we approve or disapprove”.3 As I have learned from Pierre Bourdieu, the person who controls the definition controls the political agenda.4

1 Mary K. Bloodsworth and Carmen R. Lugo-Lugo, “Citizenship and the Browning of Terror”, Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice 20:3 (2008), 273–282. 2 Robert Holmes, “Terrorism and Violence: A Moral Perspective”, Issues in War and Peace: Philo- sophical Inquiries, eds. Joseph C. Kunkel and Kenneth H. Klein (Wolfeboro, nh: Longwood Academic, 1989), 116. 3 Ibid. 4 Pierre Bourdieu, Language and Symbolic Power, ed. and intro. John B. Thompson, trans. Gino Raymond and Matthew Adamson (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991). (Translation of Ce que parler veut dire.)