Excerpt: September 11, 2001: Mass Murder and Its Roots in the Symbolism of American Consumer Culture

Ritzer, George. [2002] 2005. "September 11, 2001: Mass Murder and Its Roots in the Symbolism of American Consumer Culture". Pp. 33-39 in Understanding Society, 2nd ed., edited by Margaret L. Andersen, Kim Logio, and Howard Taylor. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc.

The terrorist attacks of September 11th were a symbolic attack on American culture, argues social theorist George Ritzer. Indeed, in the aftermath of the attacks many commentators in the mass media remarked that the attacks were an objection to Americanization abroad while others dismissed this claim and asked "What did we do to deserve this?". In this essay, Ritzer answers this question succinctly by focusing on how one aspect of American culture--consumption--produces hostility towards the Unites States in foreign cultures. Specifically, he examines three aspects that present themselves not only physically but symbolically through their media presence; these aspects "bring with them (a) an American way of doing business, (b) an American way of consuming, and (c) American cultural icons".