Morgan Prybys

Social Change Essay

11/24/15
For my essay, I decided to write about the social change that September 11, 2001 caused
the United States as well as the World. Social change is a change in behavior or attitude in a
society which occurs through a majority or minority of individuals. Causes of social change can
derive from invention, discovery, or diffusion. Its my contention that the social change that
occurred after 9/11 came from discovery and lead to invention. The United States realized for the
first time since Pearl Harbor that it is not invincible. Before the terrorist attacks that occurred on
September 11th, 2001, Americans were on a high horse of security, safety and control. While the
United States Department of Defense had been making nuclear and war weapons to protect
Americans, Al-Qaida was planning an attack that they had not yet prepared for. The United
States could not have accounted for the possibility of an airplane hijacking by the terrorist group
and instead just thought of an air strike or bombing by Al-Qaida.
September 11th, 2001 was a tragedy that not only struck the civilians of New York City, or
even the United States, this tragedy struck the world. On 9/11 a total of 2,819 lives were lost
because of the airplane hijackings. After this, the United States government began to implement
and create new laws and plans for safety aimed at preventing other situations than just the
previously known vessels of attacks against Americans. Including tougher air security plans,
heightened border patrol, a series of new laws, and a plan to attack Al-Qaidas leader, Osama Bin
Laden. The government introduced things such as the Patriot Act, Homeland Security, the US
Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Aviation and Transport Security Act. While
these were all proposed to be a move forward for the United States and its safety, not everyone
agreed with the laws ideals. For example, there were many debates both for and against the
Patriot Act.

Morgan Prybys
Social Change Essay
11/24/15
The Patriot Act allowed for the government to do things such as wiretaps, searching
business records, and conducting surveillance of individuals who were suspected of terrorist
related activities that werent knowingly linked to terrorist groups. Some Americans accepted
this so that they could feel safer, others felt that it was a violation of privacy and their rights.
Ultimately the act was passed. However, due to lack of congressional approval it was taken out
of legislation in June of this past year. Another controversial act that was invented because of
9/11 was the Aviation and Transport Security Act which included the creation of TSA. TSA
agents are federally supplied security personnel in airports rather than the previous security
officers provided by each individual airport. This implemented regulation on luggage, new
scanning devices, removal of shoes, and no liquids were permitted on the plane. TSA has been
helpful yet has also caused several instances where people felt there was a violation of their
rights and privacy. Within the past few years they have started heavier screening and strip
searches conducted on those who are randomly picked. After the Muslim terrorist attack on
9/11 with hijacking of planes, there has been several reports of TSA agents partaking in racial
profiling and discrimination against those who look Islamic that are flying.
The social changes in law and societys behavior, started immediately following 9/11
which may have caused lapses in judgement, the creation of harsh stigmas, and unnecessary law
making in an attempt to help protect Americans. The War on Terror began so they could find and
kill Osama Bin Laden, the leader of the Al-Qaida group. The troops were deployed almost
immediately after 9/11 to Iraq in a search for Bin Laden. The war caused 1,645 American lives to
be lost in Afghanistan, and 4,474 Americans lost in Iraq. While these numbers are tragic and a
great loss, the loss of innocent people who were killed over in both of those countries totaled to
be 116,657. Americas actions against the Islamic terrorists formed a stigma against all Muslims

Morgan Prybys
Social Change Essay
11/24/15
in the United States as terrorists because of 9/11. The War on Terror amplified the set stigmas
against Islamic people. To this day, the racism and discrimination against Muslims still thrive.
Most people believe they arent racist yet the tragedies formed by the 9/11 attack are not easily
forgotten.
The terrorist group that preformed 9/11 were mostly Islamic, however that doesnt mean
that all Islamic people are terrorists. Muslims have to endure discrimination during their
everyday lives. The most recent example that swept across the nation in the news and social
media, was about a boy named Ahmed Mohamed. Ahmed is a 14 year old 9th grader who enjoys
making homemade radios and has made a Bluetooth speaker as a present for one of his friends.
Ahmed built a homemade digital clock to bring in and show off to his engineering teacher since
he was proud of it. The teacher told Ahmed that he shouldnt show anyone else as they may
misunderstand what it was. Later that day his clock started beeping in a class and the teacher
asked to see what it was. She responded by saying that it looked like a bomb and kept it for the
rest of the day. Towards the end of the day Ahmed was called into the office and was greeted by
four police officers then arrested for his clock that they had claimed was a bomb. He tried to
explain that it was only a clock but the officers would listen and cuffed him to take him to their
station. There they questioned him and wouldnt let him call his parents until after interrogation
because they werent getting specific enough answers. While Ahmed was released and not
charged with any criminal offense, his school still suspended him for three days. Ahmeds father,
Mohamed, said that because his name is Mohamed and because of 9/11, I think my son got
mistreated.
The attacks of September 11th, 2001 brought upon many positive social changes and also
unintentional negative stigmas against Muslims. Social changes often derive from discovery and

Morgan Prybys
Social Change Essay
11/24/15
inventions both displayed in the United States as a result of the attacks on 9/11. Americans
realized for the first time since the attack on Pearl Harbor that the country was still vulnerable to
enemy attacks and made decisions to try to protect themselves, and while in doing so endangered
Islamic people to the discrimination and racism of those who blame all Muslims for the attacks
that occurred on September 11th, 2001.

Morgan Prybys
Social Change Essay
11/24/15

Works Cited:
Edwards, C (2013). Social Change: 9/11. Retrieved from
http://www.prezi.com/m/m5a4dpcst1qw/social-change-911/
Kaplan, S., Phillip, A (2015). They Thought it was Bomb. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/09/16/they-thought-it-was-abomb/
Moffitt, K (2015). Social Change. Retrieved from http://www.study.com/academy/lesson/whatis-social-change/