Bin Laden's Demise: A Social Capital Milestone?

After last night's news of Bin Laden's death, many of us students watched Obama's announcement and turned our attention to the news media portraying the reactions towards his death. Social media exploded with opinions, many cheering for his downfall, and others remaining cautious. Questions for the future arose shortly after: "Does this mean the war is over?" And I think most of us can guess the response of no, that this doesn't mean things are over because al-Qaeda is still a major threat in the Middle East even when its most prominent leader is gone. But in regards to what we've been studying in AmCon, I think that a different question to ask is what effects this death will have on social capital in the U.S.

In Putnam's follow-up article to Bowling Alone, he spoke of the change in the social capital for U.S. citizens following the event of 9/11. 9/11 was obviously a milestone in America's history that changed our generation and increased social capital by uniting Americans through a tragedy. But soon after in 2001 when the U.S. learned about the Middle Eastern terrorist group responsible for the attacks, al-Qaeda, the search began for its notorious, murderous leader, Osama Bin Laden. And now, 10 years later, the United States has found just who they've been searching for. The man who sparked an increase in community activism throughout our country through his attacks has been put to justice for his actions. It would seem as though this act, which is a joyous occasion for many Americans, should unite the U.S. in an equal, but opposite fashion. I do question whether or not an increase in social capital will take place following this historic event, but I know that for many Americans, the death of 1 terrorist front-man does not replace the lives of the nearly 3,000 people killed by 9/11.

So to me, this brings about an interesting question of whether or not any historic act of "justice being served" could ever bring about as great of an effect to social capital as a tragedy could. Osama Bin Laden's death might either bring about fleeting moments of patriotism (as most of us are witnessing now and also witnessed on 9/11), or it could continue to affect how Americans take action in their own communities.